To think salary is very low for this job ad

[Jobseeker0]

FTC job ad I just came across has a salary of £25,063 based in Kings Cross

I get that it’s a junior role but is it just me who thinks 25k is very low for this London based role? It’s really getting me down as I have a degree and a few years experience including placement year but most jobs I see pay very little and are still extremely competitive to land. I’m fighting for jobs that will barely cover my essential bills, and will require me to get a second job.

“We’re seeking a coordinator to support the successful delivery of multidisciplinary projects at the (x), working closely with project, delivery, finance, and discipline leads in a fast-paced, agile, and collaborative environment. Ideal for an early-career professional or graduate eager to develop new skills, this role focuses on overseeing project-level requirements, aligning processes, managing delivery tools, and coordinating resourcing and financial aspects of successful project delivery.

Key responsibilities

Manage and coordinate project delivery with cross-functional teams across various disciplines.
Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet established goals.
Working with the project team to ensure focus on the quality of outputs and how the work we do best reflects the values of the (x).
Actively engage in continuous improvement initiatives, including retrospectives and delivery team meetings.
Coordinate meetings and manage project resources.
Develop and maintain collaborative and positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders through effective communication and engagement.
Provide clear monitoring and reporting to clients when required, covering project-level deliverables and key performance indicators.
Monitor effectiveness across project work-streams and provide administrative support as needed.
Perform financial tracking, budgeting, and reforecasting activities.
Encourage agile ways of working and efficiencies across the (x).
Other ad hoc duties as required.
Provide backup support for Business Support when they are on leave, such as handling receptionist duties.”

Seems to be quite a long list of responsibilities too…
(I’m a struggling job seeker so appreciate I’m no expert)

I think nowadays people are doing anything to get experience as new entrants to the labour market that this, coupled with the minimum wage being relatively high compared to say 10 years ago, has led to companies being able to offer these awful salaries. And I bet they'll get away with it too.

The placement and first grad job were Marketing roles so perhaps don’t count anymore.

Current role (3yrs) is more project support/ operations within a bank but fear it may be perceived as glorified admin to some recruiters. I’ve picked up additional responsibilities which def don’t think are admin level (tasks that are usually for two grades above me). Current job title is slightly ambiguous too, not as clear as something like ‘Payroll Manager’ which everyone understands, and easily grasps the responsibility level.

Bc my experience isn’t translating well to external recruiters, and I often don’t meet all reqs for mid level roles, I thought it makes more sense to take a lower level role with hopes of gaining better quality experience that speaks for itself

Apologies I’m bad at explaining this but I feel 1 year in a role with ‘valuable’ experience that translates well to recruiters is better than remaining stagnant for 3 years in role that doesn’t

This is exactly the problem unfortunately. Too many people desperate for work and therefore willing to apply for positions offering an appalling salary. Employers are taking the piss because they can, and they know people will still apply.

I read somewhere recently that London rents are falling. If jobs aren’t paying enough, then landlords are going to have to cut their rents.

So I’ve been following along with your comments. A few more thoughts… yes you sound like you’re floundering a bit. You also sound like you aren’t laser focused on a specific role or career (No big deal in my opinion). So this is coming from the US job market experience so take that into consideration when applying any advice.

1- Don’t spend any money on additional degrees unless you really have a goal. (Do employers have tuition help?) You’re not likely to see any real return on that investment. At this point your experience is likely to start counting for more. This does not apply to certain certifications and equivalents (see my previous comment regarding the PMP)
2- You have danced around it a little bit, but what are your opportunities in your current company. This is likely where you’d see more opportunity to break into fields of interest. It will likely be easier as you’re a known entity.
3- Forget mentorship’s. They are resume padding exercises and or box ticking exercises for most people (mentors and mentees). Instead start working on a real network.
4- stop running away from your current role, instead do a little soul searching on what you are running to. You touched on it with the project coordinator role and what you liked about what you saw.

5- start looking for experience opportunities in your current role/company. Volunteer for projects or work that stretches you out of your current role. This is where all of those ‘shoulder tap’ promotions come from.

I do appreciate how hard this is.
However, the underlying issue is you're looking for a job not a profession.
That makes a huge difference.

BTW your thread title is misleading.
What you're really asking is how can you get a better job in your mid 20s .

All you've got mainly are posters telling you how much they were paid 20 years ago, which is irrelevant. And yes, the pay is low for central London but that tells you more about the job . To me it's a school-leaver role for someone with A levels who's looking for a first job.

Just for info, the starting salary for a grad teacher in London is just over £37K-£40K.

If you want to discount your degree, which is not vocational unless you went into something like teaching, the probation service, or social work, it's not doing you any favours. I know that's harsh but it isn't selling you.

Out of interest why did you choose sociology? Is there something in it that interests you which would make you lean towards certain companies or organisations?

You clearly lack direction and are focusing on a 'job' which isn't necessarily a career path.

Sorry but I know I'm repeating myself.

If you want to go into marketing, you could do a diploma in marketing.
And become a member of the CIM.
Likewise if it's HR that interest you, you could pursue that to chartered level.

Why don't you focus on grad schemes or jobs with training?

Your current role does sound like admin in a bank- do they not offer training of any kind?

I started at a London company in PM, as an assistant project manager.
I had minimal actual project management experience, and 0 in the field I now work in. I managed to negotiate a 38k starting salary.
I absolutely love working there and have had two promotions and around a 50% pay rise since starting.

I have looked and it seems they are recruiting for APMs at the moment. If you are interested, then pop me a private message :-)

@Gremlings Thanks I do agree to an extent, I’d say I’m not chasing one career path as when considering my friends irl they didn’t put all eggs in one basket and didn’t necessarily have a linear direction. Many thought they wanted to do xyz, couldn’t find job in that area (despite some even having directly linked degrees) or wasn’t what they thought so got another job then that back up choice job ended up opening doors in something they never initially considered. Two friends who did same uni course, one worked as junior BA but is now a product manager. The other started started working in client support but is now in PR

As someone without luck in current job market I worry it’s not good enough for me to hold out for one path, I’m trying to stay open minded to any job I can get which may have better prospects. Very few people I know were passionate about doing a career and stuck to it, most gradually figured it out and each job they did helped. I didn’t think the traditional route was the only option.

You mention eg of marketing. When I was a student I thought I wanted to do that. I did my placement in this area, carried on working part time at it during final year, and then my first grad role was also in marketing. Only two senior people in dept had CIM qualifications and this was in large company. Most people didn’t need it to get their role, didn’t have marketing degree either, they started career by doing an entry level marketing role. I left bc wasn’t passionate enough AND junior salaries were very low

People in ‘good’ roles at my company, the majority did not have related degrees to what they currently work in. Two seniors even did the same role as my current one, but then moved jobs internally. I wish I could do the same but hiring freeze currently.

I’ve already considered grad schemes, in fact dreamed of landing one even before starting uni, hence chose industrial placement degree to increase future chances. They’re arguably the most competitive type of job for grads. I got to assessment centre rounds before but never landed one. My odds even slimmer now as no longer fresh grad so don’t meet entry reqs for some companies.
According to my uni careers advisor they’re often the most prestigious but a minority of graduates actually land them. If I’m struggling to land junior jobs even with some exp, I think I need to be a bit more realistic

I think I commented on this post earlier on but my DS has now been offered a role, SE, not near London. 26k for entry level, no real qualifications required, Legal cashier in accounts team for law firm. My understanding is that legal finance roles can be tricky to get into due to specific experience so its a great offer. Qualifications wise he has 7s in Maths and Eng GCSE, A level 3 x A* equivalent in music qual and just started basic accounts course.

He was asked for 5 interviews for various finance roles for similar salaries, he attended one he didnt get, one he pulled out of the running after getting this role, cancelled tje others, lowest was 25.5k. None asked for qualifications specifically.

Strangely there were a massive amount of 'graduate' roles available, all were 25-26k.

Its a crazy market out there and makes no sense, the entry level salaries varied from asking for loads of quals/experience to genuine entry level expectations.