SALARIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Salaries vary greatly across the United Kingdom. London & the South East pay the highest salaries and offer the highest volume of multi-lingual jobs. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales offer the lowest salaries and the lowest cost of living. Candidates seeking jobs in the UK should carefully research the costs of each location. For example, a customer service salary of £17,000 in London may pay 30% more than a £13,000 salary in Belfast but the net salary when rent, travel costs and subsistence is taken into account is probably 10-15% better in Belfast. Accepting job offers based on gross salary always requires researching the costs in each location.
The Pay As You Earn (P.A.Y.E.) income tax scheme deducts the relevant taxes at source from your monthly salary. UK income tax is reasonable and offers a tax free allowance of £6,475 in the tax year 2010-2011 with income tax payable at the bands below.
Income Tax rates and taxable bands
| 2008-2009 | 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | |
| 20% Basic Rate | 0-£34,800 | 0-£37,400 | 0-£37,400 |
| 40% Higher Rate | Over £34,800 | Over £37,400 | £37,401-£150,000 |
| 50% Additional Rate | Not applicable | Not applicable | Over £150,000 |
UK employers typically seek to hire multi-lingual staff that are already based in the UK. It is very rare for employers to offer relocation assistance and candidates seeking work in the UK should consider moving to a location before commencing a job search.
This is not true of Northern Ireland and Scotland where there are a reasonable group of employers hiring multi-lingual staff for customer service, technical support and sales roles. These companies are located in lower cost UK locations where they hire multi-lingual staff in volume and typically assist candidates with a flight or initial accommodation.
| Contact Centre | |||
| Agent | £17,000-25,000 | Team Lead | £23,000-32,000 |
| Information Technology | |||
| Technical Support 1st line | £13,000-28,000 | Technical Support 2nd/3rd line | £22,000-45,000 |
| Localization | £25,000-45,000 | Development | £28,000-55,000 |
| Gaming | £18,000-27,500 | QA/Test | £25,000-43,000 |
| Sales | |||
| Telesales | £15,000-30,000 | IT Sales | £20,000-45,000 |
| Account Manager | £25,000-40,000 | Business Development | £30,000-55,000 |
| Shared Services and Finance | |||
| Accounts Payable / Accounts Receivable | £18,000-28,000 | Collections | £17,000-25,000 |
| Payroll | £25,000-35,000 | Part Qualified Accountant | £25,000-38,000 |
| Qualified Accountant | £40,000-65,000 | Finance Manager |
£42,000-55,000 |