To think salary is very low for this job ad

Wow, this could almost be me! Nearly exactly the same circumstances, similar timeline except for the useless boss with a Desmond!

I was initially thinking what a coincidence but I suppose it's more indicative of those times than chance. Clearly, they're not any better, except the £10k studen loan is now the cost of a house deposit.

Wages were much better for about a year - 2022/3 maybe - but seem to have crashed down again. It sucks.

I honestly wouldn’t want to work for that company - the add is terribly written and vague enough to be either admin or project management or both. Either way they’re having a laugh for that salary!

@SalmonOnFinnCrisp Very true about grad salaries 30 years ago. DH was earning 26k PA 28 years ago and I was on a couple of thousand less I remember because we had just put our mortgage application in.

That would be called a Project Support Officer in my organisation, with a starting salary about £10k more. But successful applicants would probably need to be doing a similar job already, so I wouldn't call it entry level.

That job is entry level because of the low salary, not the type of work (at least how it's described). I imagine someone would stay a year or two to get the experience to use for applying for higher paying project jobs elsewhere.

I agree with pp that the job description sounds grand but it basically junior adminstrative tasks.

But I started in a similar role not in London 15 years ago and was on £24k for that. Salaries have remained stagnant, especially at the junior level roles. We've seen a similar issue in our workplace - a fair employer giving cost of living increases to our salaries has meant that our salaries now significantly outstrip the market equivalent as salaries in general have stagnated. We are now "readjusting" to market rates...

I agree it’s low, and I think that’s an issue all over.

Im job hunting at the moment and finding it impossible. Everything above £30k wants a ridiculous level of experience and specialism.

Well it’s an admin job isn’t it? Dressed up as something “professional”. Admin jobs don’t generally get paid much more than minimum wage.

I agree it’s not enough to live on in London - but I suppose it’s for fresh grads who are probably still living at home.

YANBU - this was a reasonable new graduate salary 22 years ago. When costs were considerably lower.

Have they left a '0' off by mistake?

It's tough out there. There are so many top grads without jobs. Huge numbers are funneling into Masters and Phd's, and then what? Retail is packed with them too! It's especially bad if you have a humanities degree, and want to go into something heritage or arts. No funding whatsoever

Most wouldn’t rule you out to being 4 years out of university. Ours doesn’t have a limit for example, and lots are the same. They are competitive but that’s where the higher salaries for graduates often are. Otherwise look outside of London for opportunities. Many companies aren’t paying much higher salaries in London anymore to account for the higher costs of living as hybrid means people can commute in from further away, or there’s locations in other areas they can recruit cheaper.

Government roles are very low too. But there are so many jobseekers so they get filled

I started out on a graduate trainee salary in London on 14k. That was in 1991. By 1995 I was on 25k, and when I left London in 2003 I was on 45k. We lived in a one bedroomed flat with a little garden in Zone 3, and had a pretty good life, lots of clubbing and meals out and holidays. Our rent was 800 quid a month when we left. It blows my mind that salaries don’t seem to have moved in thirty years! I live in Oz now and wages here are so much higher, you can get paid more than that working in Maccas!

Who is the employer? Is it a Government or public sector role, charity, small or large business or corporation? Just curious.

We pay our interns £34k pa equivalent at work so agree that it’s unexpectedly low for a FT role in London.

That's a low salary even for here in Devon. For London it is absolutely pittance.

You won’t be ruled out of a graduate scheme for being older and out of university 4 years, give it a go.

you do typically have to work hard on them but presume that standard elsewhere too.

Agreed.

I felt like I was "doing well" when I was single making between 50k and 90k in 2014 to about 2020.
I saved but had good holidays, i ate out, went out, bought nice things....

Im sure ill get a lot of shit bit....
I make 130k and now and with a 1 and 3 yr old and 5k childcare bill I live a very very average life. Childcare is most of my net pay, mortgage is another 2k.
Thats 7k before food and bills
I Rarely eat out. Clothes are bought in sale or vinted if at all.
7 yr old run around car...

And there is nothing wrong with an average life. But I am not on an average salary....allegedly.

I appreciate the kids are "the cause" but no wonder the birth rate is down

Its like pushing water up hill.
I feel so sorry for 20 somethings today I really do.

My first London job was 25k 20 years ago - it’s outrageous… and I don’t have a degree!

My entry level job paid £25k in 2015 in London.

I did not realise that had been the entry level salary for so long! It felt pretty good at the time, but now I don’t think it would go far.

I started on £30k in London as a new graduate over 20 years ago. That's ridiculously low.

Yep, as enough posters have said now, thirty years ago we were earning more than that. I didn’t even have any qualifications either, and certainly not Uni debt that youngsters have now.

Yanbu to expect to earn more. I really don’t know how you’re meant to pay your bills, let alone enjoy your life.

Im looking for a change of jobs at the moment and the london wages are ridiculously low. So many want specific ecperoence but arent going to pay for it. Not sure why its so bad

I earned that almost 30 years ago, terrible low waged economy in the UK