• Question: What is your annual salary (I don't mean to be nosy, I'm just curious.)?

    Asked by anon-177518 to Urslaan, Nicola, Helen, Daniel, Becky, Andrew on 9 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Urslaan Chohan

      Urslaan Chohan answered on 9 Jun 2018:

      Wow, that is a nosy one! “Enough to live on” is a common answer that’s coming your way probably…

    • Photo: Daniel Marsh

      Daniel Marsh answered on 9 Jun 2018:

      Many scientists work for univesities so we do not get paid as much as bankers or politicians but we do interesting jobs and the research that we carry out helps to make other peoples lives better and healthier.

    • Photo: Andrew Singer

      Andrew Singer answered on 9 Jun 2018:

      I’ll offer you an idea of what scientists in academia typically get paid:
      Really Junior Scientist – perhaps only has a Masters degree: £20-30k
      Early Career Scientist – someone who just received their PhD: £25-35k
      Mid Career Scientist – someone who’s been doing their science thing for 7-15 years: £35-45k
      Senior Scientist – Someone who is getting international respect for their work: £38-55k
      Lead Scientist – Someone who is calling the shots at their work and internationally: £50+

      These salaries can vary quite a bit. The upper end is well over £90k for very senior people in academia! If you work for industry, such as pharmaceutical companies or oil companies or something like that, you’ll probably make double the above (or more)!

    • Photo: Helen Littler

      Helen Littler answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      Engineering graduate salaries are above average but nowhere near the salary of graduates in finance! It really depends on how in demand your services are, an engineer in oil and gas can make a lot of money but you have to spend time on oil/gas rigs which are towers in the middle of the sea.

      It might sound corny but enjoying your job is more important than money. If you find a sector of science or engineering which excites you, you will enjoy yourself but you won’t have to live in poverty!

    • Photo: Becky Thomas

      Becky Thomas answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      Most people who work at universities get a similar salary depending on where they are in their career. Someone studying for their PhD (which means you get the title Dr. at the end), will usually be paid a stipend (which is a tax free ‘salary’ paid every three months) of around 14-15k a year (which is equivalent to around 21-22k a year). After that if you go onto do a postdoc you’ll get paid around 25-30k and then if you become a lecturer you’ll be earning 30k plus (heading up to 50k+ if you become a professor). Outside of universities it can vary a lot. Someone working in conservation science for a charity might not get paid as much (but they usually LOVE their jobs!), and someone working in industry might get paid much more… in depends on the field you’re working in.

      I haven’t met many people working in science who don’t love their jobs though, and this is a much more important thing really (as you’ll be working for 40+ years!!!!).

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