Salaries for part-qualifieds in UK and SA

[MuadDib]

Since there is a poll on salaries on qualification, why not on us part-qualifieds? Looks like there are some survey data available but it comes at a cost.

I am planning to make a move into the UK (London) market in the next few months, and have struggled to get any info on what salary ranges to expect / negotiate for.

I'm currently in GI in South Africa, with around 5 years experience, all CT's and CA3. My annual cost to company is around R250,000.

Anybody willing to volunteer some information for south UK? Or for SA for that matter?

 

[Meldemon]

I am planning to make a move into the UK (London) market in the next few months, and have struggled to get any info on what salary ranges to expect / negotiate for.

Any offers will depend on whether you're based London / non-London, level (some management / none), life / non-life company, benefits - all these can make quite a difference. Then there's also the issue of work permits, and any relocation assistance offered for your move (trust me, this is expensive to do even if you travel with a change of underwear only!!).

I'd suggest you don't worry too much about negotiating a specific level of salary, but rather try to get a job with a company the you like (and don't end up hating it six months after moving from SA) - you can always re-negotiate / change jobs once you've been in the UK for say a year. Most companies won't let you starve!

 

[MuadDib]

Thanks but I knew all this

I know that salaries will differ by type of work, management exposure, experience, London or not, etc. I did not want to do an extensive survey, just a quick idea for everybody more or less on our level to know if they are undervalued or on par, whether you are looking for a job or not (in my case I am).

I also know about the relocation costs and possible reimbursements, etc. but again this is not the point. These costs are a once-off, and though it may influence your salary initially (i.e. more relocation bonus, less pay) it should not do so in the long run.

 

[Kail]

You might be better of setting up a quick poll cross-referencing experience and earning power. Many people(including myself) are not very comfortable with sharing this on here even though we write under aliases.

Another option is to call up Gaaps/Darwin Rhodes etc. and get an estimate from them, job adverts aren't very reliable in that aspect.

 

[Meldemon]

I also know about the relocation costs and possible reimbursements, etc. but again this is not the point. These costs are a once-off, and though it may influence your salary initially (i.e. more relocation bonus, less pay) it should not do so in the long run.

The point I was trying to make (and perhaps badly so) was to not focus on the salary only - these things vary more than you may think. And that it is easier to move jobs once you are in the UK, i.e. (1) get a job with work permit and preferably relocation bonus, and (2) reassess your position after you've been in the UK for a year. It's a lot easier to have a work permit transferred from one employer to another than it is getting one in the first place.

Relocation costs also generally don't impact on performance bonuses in the larger companies (who are also more likely to go through the trouble of a work permit), as the costs are met from separate budgets within the business. The cost to a company of using an actuarial recruitment firm is likely to be more than any relocation reimbursement anyway (recruiter: 10%-25% of your first year's base salary, vs relocation budget of max 3,500 pounds - you do the math).

By the way, the idea of "cost to company" reimbursement is also quite uncommon in the UK - most companies measure base salary only (this is what will usually appear on your offer letter). Any additional stuf like pension contributions or bonuses are usually specified separately and not in your employment contract (makes it easier for the company to make changes without having to re-issue employment contracts or side letters to contracts). So if you receive an offer of say 35,000 pounds pa this will usually only reflect base salary, excl any bonus / 13th cheque, which will be additional to what is in the offer.

I agree with Kail's point about contacting a recruitment firm to get a feel for "typical" pay level, however, good luck for getting a straight answer out of them. You're likely to get something similar to my first post (if you're lucky).

Good luck with the job-search, and hope you find the offer you are looking for.