To feel a little inadequate? Is 30K a decent salary?

Straight out of uni. Not mid career

Accountancy firm is going to be different to accounting in another business.

A lot of grads will have parts of their accountancy qualification already (CIMA etc), so that will also make a difference to starting salary. Not sure what OP has done!

A good salary for anyone straight out of Uni. You’re being naive if you think you’ll instantly earn the same as people with more experience or in better paid careers straight away.

Gosh that's low too isn't it compared to the average grad starting wage. I guess with there being an over supply of graduates since the push to get 50% to uni some employers are taking advantage.

For accountant's firms it generally £35k plus.

Isn't that minimum wage? DS is getting that on his degree apprenticeship but he's also having his degree paid for and only works 4 days a week (as one day uni). That is ridiculous.

I think 30-34k is probably normal grad salary OP. What do you mean 'earning more by now'? If you've only just graduated then there is no 'by now'.

I think it’s a perfectly good graduate salary. They’re not going to pay you more than grads in their 20s just because of your age if you have no relevant experience.

I’m in London and grad roles are £27k in my (large) industry. Completely depends on industry.

I think new grad starter on £30k in accounting is normal. Financial controller likely about £40k. Deputy/Head of finance £50-60k. Deputy/finance director £70-90k. Deputy/CFO £100-200k

Getting your accountancy qualification is crucial. Private / public sector also quite different.

In what career? £24k is actually less than national living wage. Most grad roles in SE are from £35k

Congrats on the degree op 😁
you’re right that it’s a step through the door. The rest now, will be down to experience. I think you should be comparing yourself to a new graduate aged 21/22 rather than someone your own age. £30k is not a bad starting salary for an entry level graduate role!

in 5 years time I’d expect that with some hard work and dedication (plus ambition!) you’ll be on a much higher salary. You may have to consider the type of employer you have though to get the bigger wages. Smaller businesses don’t pay as much.

also, well done on doing that with 2 kids. It’s bloody hard work and it’s paying off for you!

Ask Google. It says median graduate staring salary is 30-35k, so you are within that range.

It's a good salary for someone in their first job with no experience, yes.

You have been out of work while raising children, have studied and returned to the work place. That is a huge amount to celebrate

you have said it yourself you are working to become qualified. In 5 years time you could be on £20k more

relax!! And well done

If you are going to compare yourself to anyone then it should be a 21/22 year old graduate.

Stop comparing yourself to people around you, there will always be people earning more, doing more, doing better etc if you look.

Get your sense of adequacy (as in, the opposite of how you're feeling right now) from yourself, from your achievements, the effort you put in, your goals, how you treat people.

Comparing yourself to others is such a trap and will make you feel more inadequate, anxious and incapable.

And where are you paying for housing?

Sounds like a pretty good salary for someone entering the workforce.

The UK average salary is £34,500, so for a first job, £30k is not at all bad!

£30k is a decent central London starting salary for a trainee accountant.

It'll go up each year (assuming you pass your exams) and you'll be on, maybe, £50k or so in three years depending on your specialism.

You need to get into a training contract and get qualified or you will struggle to earn much more than that.

Once you qualify, the sky’s the limit. Don’t put off qualifying.

It’s entirely industry dependent, I retrained at 38 and graduate salary was 40k after a year I was promoted and on 50k. Hopefully I will be promoted over the next year or so again.

So much is going to depend on where you live - the cost of rents/house prices.

I did a degree and my first starting role was around 21k fresh out of Uni. I think it’s now around 28k for new starters. So 30k would be about right for our industry. I must add we are north of Nottingham which makes a massive difference. If you are london then it’s probably on the low side.

It sounds about right to me - maybe even pretty good if you don’t have any accounts experience. I was getting that until very recently despite having passed ACA exams and having years of experience in AP, payroll and as an Assistant Accountant (one reason why I left). Best part is you have huge scope for progression if you become qualified, or even once you have a year or two behind you.

You’re at the start of your career, so using your age or friends as a comparison will suck the joy from you. Is £30k a good salary? No. Is it a good start for where you’re at? Yes. Make sure you get a sponsored study package, and have clear salary elevations as you progress through your accounting qualification. Once you have 2yrs post qualified experience you’ll be in a great place to chase well paid jobs if that’s your goal.

I'm on 45k in a job with significant responsibilities 13 years after graduating! It's all relevant to what sector you are working in, what the long term prospects are. Any job that offers progression and opportunities as a graduate is worth snapping up.