Page 5 | To think this salary is an insult?

Musicaltheatremum · 27/10/2025 18:14

FlyingSolo16 · 26/10/2025 12:48

I think that’s the trainee rate (horrendously low)

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I agree that's trainee rate. My daughter is an NQ and she's on £47k in Edinburgh.

Lollylucyclark101 · 27/10/2025 18:14

FlyingSolo16 · 26/10/2025 11:38

I’m a solicitor and recently interviewed for a position. Five rounds of interview, meetings with different people within the firm, etc etc.

Get to the offer stage and the “competitive salary” they’re offering was £27,500 a year. AIBU or is that an insult?

I work as an administrator within a public body.

Thats my wage for 40hrs a week.

Wonderfulstuff · 27/10/2025 18:13

Yes - but doesn't surprise me. I currently have a fresh faced law grad (not yet qualified) working in my team. Her horror stories of interviewing for roles in London were all pretty similar.

Good luck in your job hunt.

blondieminx · 27/10/2025 18:11

FlyingSolo16 · 26/10/2025 11:38

I’m a solicitor and recently interviewed for a position. Five rounds of interview, meetings with different people within the firm, etc etc.

Get to the offer stage and the “competitive salary” they’re offering was £27,500 a year. AIBU or is that an insult?

there is a lot of nonsense about.

salaries should be on the job advert so nobody gets their time wasted.

never go for an interview without confirming the actual figure of the salary!

Lincslady53 · 27/10/2025 18:08

I would contact them and ask if they have made an error with the salary, it might be £127,000, and the messenger was just careless.

SeniorWoman · 27/10/2025 18:02

I am a retired solicitor. This happened to me a few years ago . I told them I was not as a senior qualified solicitor and ex partner going to work for a secretary's salary.
My life is worth more than that apparently they were surprised I turned the job down presumably because I was older and presumably desperate not so.

ThatDreamyLemonBiscuit · 27/10/2025 17:58

Lawyer Potral has £34,700 as the average salary for a newly-qualified solicitor. I imagine if you excluded London from the figures, the average salary would meaningfully drop.

www.thelawyerportal.com/solicitor/solicitor-salaries/

Whether or not £27,500 is "an insult" or not largely depends on practice area and geographic location. Corporate solicitor in London? Very low. Family law in Hull? Very typical.

Friendlyfart · 27/10/2025 16:08

A young relative is a junior solicitor and is on about £50k

Lemonflavouredcaterpillars · 27/10/2025 15:35

FlyingSolo16 · 26/10/2025 16:17

There’s so many people who seem to think it’s not just the norm but should be celebrated.

Back in the 70s one professional salary was enough to bring up a family and live comfortably. 50 years on, it’s only enough for a flat share. Maybe a house share if you’re lucky.

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Me and my DH both have the same (professional) jobs and we earn around £50k each. We just bought a 4 bed house for £600k which is around average for this area. We discovered that the elderly couple who were selling it had bought the house in 1971 for £10k and the gentleman had the same profession and job as us. According to Google he would have earnt around £20k a year for that job in 1971, and he was able to buy a brand new 4 bed house for approx. half of his yearly salary. His wife didn't work, she stayed at home with their 3 children. Whereas now, that same house costs 6 x mine and my DH's combined salary and we both have to work to be able to afford to pay the mortgage and raise our DC.

MinnieMountain · 27/10/2025 15:35

That’s ridiculously low. I’ve seen conveyancing assistant jobs advertised for £24-26k.

EvangelicalAboutButteredToast · 27/10/2025 15:22

Out of interest OP do you have student loans?

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:21

Thank you!

Flopppsss · 27/10/2025 15:20

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:18

It's a firm that uses lawyers licenced in my jurisdiction, so it's to get a foot in the door there.

All the best with it!

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:18

It's a firm that uses lawyers licenced in my jurisdiction, so it's to get a foot in the door there.

Flopppsss · 27/10/2025 15:17

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:10

Over 40, and I'm a foreign licensed solicitor

Ah you're doing this until you get qualified here?

ThatDreamyLemonBiscuit · 27/10/2025 15:15

That was my starting salary as a solicitor - admittedly well over a decade ago. I had contemporaries whose first salary was closer to 20k (and, when hours worked were factored in, was less than minimum wage...).

It varies a lot by region and practice area, though I emigrated some time back and couldn't tell you what's market today.

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:10

Over 40, and I'm a foreign licensed solicitor

Flopppsss · 27/10/2025 15:08

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:07

I recently applied for a paralegal position with a salary of £26k

How old are you?

Bennetty · 27/10/2025 15:07

I recently applied for a paralegal position with a salary of £26k

Harriet9955 · 27/10/2025 14:57

It's ridiculous. I'm just applying for a social prescriber job. They want years of experience, safeguarding qualification, experience of dealing with vulnerable people, mental health etc. Job application has taken me all day and still not done. Salary 30k. There are literally about 40 essential criteria that they want evidence of for a salary that barely is livable on.

OnlyOnAFriday · 27/10/2025 14:54

SingtotheCat · 27/10/2025 14:47

I’m a police staff detective with 10 years investigative experience currently working in the major crime unit. I’m on £35 before weekend/anti social hours allowance.
It’s a brilliant role, but my department has just failed to recruit 5 more civilian investigators because no one is interested and they need at least basic investigation qualifications.

This is my dream job, seriously. I have done a lot of nhs investigations so think I have transferable skills but no qualification. Don’t you need to be doing the job in the police to get the qualification? So how can people get a job?

Ilovemycatsanddogs · 27/10/2025 14:51

SingtotheCat · 27/10/2025 14:47

I’m a police staff detective with 10 years investigative experience currently working in the major crime unit. I’m on £35 before weekend/anti social hours allowance.
It’s a brilliant role, but my department has just failed to recruit 5 more civilian investigators because no one is interested and they need at least basic investigation qualifications.

That sounds like a fab role!

SingtotheCat · 27/10/2025 14:47

I’m a police staff detective with 10 years investigative experience currently working in the major crime unit. I’m on £35 before weekend/anti social hours allowance.
It’s a brilliant role, but my department has just failed to recruit 5 more civilian investigators because no one is interested and they need at least basic investigation qualifications.

ClareBlue · 27/10/2025 01:09

On the bright side, you won't be paying back your student loan for a while on that salary, with a 5 perc raise a year.

JHound · 27/10/2025 00:36

WaryCrow · 26/10/2025 15:43

I hope the baby boomers are proud of your low expectations.

Just 5 years earlier, before their buy-to-lets frenzy had pushed up house prices 5 times, anyone working in any job at all in this country could afford their own home if they were not spendthrifts. Someone who’d worked to become a professional would have expected a semi or detached to begin their working lives.

Yeah, this modern post-baby boomer economic life is all totally worth the stress. And still they wonder why so many youngsters are turning to crime and drugs.

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. Someone who’d worked to become a professional would have expected a semi or detached to begin their working lives.

Nonsense. Unless they saved a deposit while at university or had mom and dad gift them one.