Is 26.7k a good salary for a single person?

Depends completely on the living situation.

If you're still living with parents, supported by a spouse, mortgage free, using it as a stepping stone for promotions or stability, then it's a good investment and worth the lower salary for the stability later.

This isn't the case for the OP so the pension is useless for them.

To give you a comparison, I'm in the private sector and have always contributed to a workplace pension. I pay in 6% as I can't afford any more, my employer pays 5%. That's less than half of what this job would offer and the salary is pretty similar, just over minimum wage. I'll never have a pension like the one offered in the cs unless I join them. It's really not the norm in the private sector.

There's a vast amount of people in the UK with the same circumstances as me. The pension Mentioned is indeed of great use as i'll also have been scrimping and saving my whole life with very little to show for it in comparison, when im 70+ and too knackered to do the things I missed out on.

A great pension is of little use when you’ve spent all your young years scrimping and saving and not being able to afford to do anything. Bitter sweet to get a decent pension at 70+ when you’re too knackered to do all the things that you missed out on. That’s if any of us actually make it to pension age with the way it keeps rising.

No it’s an appalling salary to expect an adult to live on given the cost of living in this country. My first full time job paid 28k more than 15 years ago, and I was in my 20s living in a house share. Sadly, it’s probably not usual and lots of people will be earning this. Minimum wage for full time work should be at least 30k imo.

My son earns this. He’s 21, educated to A levels. He’s lives with me and has no rental/utility costs.

Tbf the pension isnt as good as yours anymore.

The relatively low salary is compensated for by the value of the pension at the end of service. I was a 40 year public servant who often had a second job to help with meeting the bills. My pension is quite generous.

I’m also an AO in the civil service with many years of experience. In my department AAs and AOs are paid 37 hours a week and only 3 or 4 years ago were given a pay rise that brought us up to NLW. AOs were then given I think it’s a 3% monthly allowance to differentiate between the two grades. Would I join the civil service now, no. Will I leave, no. Why? My eyes are now focused firmly on my pension. There are better paid jobs out there but there are other aspects of my job that make we want to stay.

And you’re the type of ‘worker’ who has ruined it for everyone else! Bet you’re unionised up to your eyeballs in case you get pulled up though ?

What was your career path after uni? Did you go to uni? Is this current job a pay cut to what you're used to.

How much smaller do you want people to live in?!
have you seen house prices and mortgage rates, were the interest rates the same then ? A small 2 bed apartment (2nd bedroom fits a single bed) near me is renting for over £800pm and that’s in the NW

my mortgage is £650pm, I physically can’t get a smaller house/apartmebt

I paid my mortgage on much less, when i changed my career at 43. I bought a smaller home that I could afford its as simple as that, if you cant afford a bigger home then don't own one.

Now I worked my way up the ladder again, I'm in a bigger home, with a decent pay.

No one cares what your mortgage is and it certainly has zero to do with how much you think you should be paid.

It's not great given that you're 35 and you make less than what grads in their early 20s make.

Not all civil service depts are the same.

If you are willing to say which dept, you might get some indication what the chances of progression actually are. In my place it works out that there have been large scale progression opportunities from AO to EO about every 12 months. Obviously it doesn't mean you will get promoted but you would have the opportunity to apply. EO to HEO is less frequent/smaller numbers but still regular.

I know people who work in a different dept and the likelihood of progression is much less.

So you might get more info if you say what the dept is.

But if you can’t pay your mortgage on it, that doesn’t matter
pay is shocking at the minute, I’m seeing entry level wages and they’re wanting 3-5 years of experience

You would be earning a higher income than around 38% of the population - equivalent to about 25.7 million individuals.

Every one has to start some where, MN is well out of whack.

https://ifs.org.uk/tools_and_resources/where_do_you_fit_in#tool-results-section

Are you currently working? How much do you earn?

No it isn't great. I started as an agency AO and if you're interested in staying within CS you have to make the most of every opportunity to get something out of it to use for a personal statement. Also for the connevtions who can help with your applications. I spent 4 months as an agency AO and then got my permanent EO and now at 35 ready for my Grade 6. It can be done.

My biggest tip- apply for the bulk campaigns. Asylum (Home Office) often run them as they haemorrhage staff and they're located nationwide.

It is above minimum wage so probably reasonable for that type of role.

I'm 46, single, live in a Scottish city, mortgage free, and I'd struggle on that salary.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't consider it if other benefits (eg, pension) were good and there was the potential for (rapid) progression.

No, not at all

I was on more than this over 15 years ago at entry level grad scheme.

Is the security worth it though at least these guys are being honest with you a lot of private companies Will blow smoke up your arse and tell you that there’s lots of progress progression and Keep dangling the carrot for you
But actually, there really isn’t. We are in very choppy waters at the moment. If it was me I’d be looking for security over anything else.

But wouldn’t it be sensible to take this whilst continuing to look elsewhere