Salary Story: Contracting Made Me £100,000

Age: 33
Location: London
Current industry and job title: Manager, civil service
Current salary: £72,500
Number of years employed since school or university: Nine
Starting salary: £26,000
Biggest salary drop: From £100,000 to £36,000.
Biggest salary jump: From £50,000 to £100,000.

Biggest negotiation regret: I'm usually very good at negotiating, but it had been a while since I've had to negotiate remuneration, so I was a bit rusty when it came to ones of my roles. When they offered me £55,000 I was a bit disappointed, as I was expecting over £60,000. However, I couldn't remember if there had been a salary range shown on the role description (I had applied for so many roles!) nor could I remember what I had written down in the application. I didn't want to appear difficult, so I only asked for an additional £2,500. They readily agreed, which was great, but once I started the role I saw the salary band for this position was 52,500 - 80,000. I had been offered right at the lower end! I had taken a big pay cut for this role (from £90,000) due to other benefits it would bring, but I was frustrated that I hadn't stood my ground and asked for my original amount. In hindsight, I would have asked more questions, including the salary band for the role, and used that to inform my negotiation. Because I didn't want to cause a fuss, I ended up hurting myself in the long run.

Best salary advice: Be bold and honest about your salary expectations. It can feel uncomfortable talking about or asking for money. We may feel like we are being difficult or shallow to do so. However, it is important to recognise that money is not dirty, and neither is asking for it. When you remember that, it can feel easier to do the research and ask the questions that support negotiating pay. Let's hope that I too follow this advice!

Salary: £26,000
Year: 2016

I was offered a graduate consultant role after an internship at one of the big four professional services firms. However, I ended up returning to university to undertake my Honours degree (a post-grad degree in New Zealand). Even though the firm didn’t think I should go back, I really wanted to pursue my business studies more, so I ended up postponing the graduate position. But after my degree, I turned down the graduate role. I didn’t think consulting aligned to my goals and I was also unimpressed with the pay offer of £21,000. I pivoted focus to the public sector and applied for civil services positions; eventually landing a role as an analyst. I was happily surprised with the £26,000 salary offered, especially as most people I knew were on quite a bit less in their first professional role. I don't think I negotiated my salary; at that time, I’m not even sure I knew that I could negotiate my salary! 

Salary: £32,000
Year: 2017

In 2017, I quit my job and moved overseas to travel and volunteer with refugees for a year. It was an eye opening experience, and one in which my privilege (especially my passport privilege) was starkly obvious. Upon my return, I began applying for civil service positions. Even though I was worried about applying for a role after a year of no paid employment, it turned out that my overseas experience was seen as a strength and gave me a lot of great examples for interview questions. I was offered a junior advisor role at a government department for £1,250 less than the midpoint advertised. Although I was nervous to negotiate, this was a junior role and as I had previous experience, I asked for the mid-point rate of £32,500. The manager agreed to it without trying to renegotiate, however, later she told me that she had been a bit shocked and impressed that I’d negotiated. She wasn't used to it. I learnt then that if you don't ask, you won't get.

Salary: £40,000
Year: 2018

After six months, I was already bored at the role I was in (it was glorified admin) so I ended up looking for jobs on the side. I had a friend in another government department who told me they were looking for advisors in her wider team. I had always been envious of her role; she worked in an area that directly helped underserved communities and her work was very rewarding, so I jumped at the opportunity to apply. I had a great interview, and once again my overseas experience seemed to be greatly valued. I felt confident after the interview and prepared for a potential offer. I wanted £40,000; I knew this was likely ambitious, but I believed that I had the skills needed for the role and wanted to back myself. I did end up getting the call saying they wanted me. They asked for my expected remuneration, which I didn’t provide. I had been told not to give the first offer, as it anchors the negotiation. I didn’t want to risk asking for less than they’d offer. They ended up offering me £37,500; less than I wanted. I was nervous but determined to negotiate, and tried to ask for more, but the nerves and guilt meant that I struggled to get the amount out in a clear way. The manager could tell I was struggling and came right out and asked if I would like £40,000 (she knew what I was trying to do). I gratefully agreed. To this day, I’m amazed that she did this. This manager taught me that it is my right to negotiate and I should not feel guilty for it. To this day she's one of the best managers I've had.

Salary: £45,000
Year: 2019

I was undertaking senior advisor-level work in the team from early 2019 and although I hadn’t been in the team that long, I believed that I deserved a promotion. Looking back, I also think I was comparing myself to others my age and felt pressure for how far along they were in their career. This put a fire under my ass to get there faster, so I approached my manager and negotiated a promotion for later in the year dependent on delivering an ambitious project.

Six months later I successfully delivered the project (the most rewarding and challenging project I’ve done to this day), and I was granted the promotion and a raise. I tried to negotiate more than the £45,000 offered, but I was declined and told that it would be discussed at a later time. I remember feeling disappointed, as I was expecting £50,000 (I knew others with similar experience were earning that), and no timeline was given so I knew it was unlikely to happen soon. One thing that was known in the civil service is that being promoted internally usually results in less of a pay rise than moving to another department, and to me this was an example of that. Soon after the promotion, I quit my job. You can probably tell already, but I get bored easily and was no longer feeling as challenged in my role as I previously was. Side note, I realised I probably have ADHD (hence the getting bored easily and jumping around) and have been on a waitlist for an assessment ever since. 

Salary: £50,000
Year: 2020

COVID hit in early 2020 and my plans came to a grinding halt. I’d sold my house and quit my job, but then the country shut down, so I moved in with my parents. After a couple of months with no work and no surety about when borders would open, I started looking for jobs. I ended up talking to an ex-colleague in my previous team who mentioned they were looking for a senior advisor. I decided to apply and managed to negotiate a £5,000 pay rise from the £45,000 I had been on (so I ended up on the £50,000 there after all!). It felt odd moving back into the team (a lot had changed in a few months due to COVID), but it was also oddly comforting not having to learn the ropes like you usually need to in a new workplace.

Salary: £100,000
Year: 2021

Being back in my previous role was good for many reasons, notably, I got to work with great people and helped finish off a project that I cared for. However, I never quite settled in. When 2021 rolled around, I talked to a recruiter about the potential of becoming a contractor. I knew I wanted to move overseas at some point, and the flexibility and better pay of contracting appealed to me. I ended up finding a contract as a Lead Advisor in a government department. The role was a promotion and was offering the equivalent of £100,000! I was initially hesitant to go for it, as I knew it would be a huge challenge, and as a contractor you don’t get a ‘settling in’ period, you have to be able to hit the ground running and know what you’re doing, and if not, you can be let go with little to no notice (one of the downsides of contracting). I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to perform. My friends and family eventually persuaded me to go for it, so I did. I was surprised, excited (and let’s be honest, terrified) when they offered it to me. It turned out to be an incredible experience; I truly thrived in the more senior position and I proved to myself that I am capable of a lot more than I believed. I also loved the pay, who wouldn’t! 

Salary: £36,000
Year: 2023

I dabbled in some self-employment. It provided a lot of flexibility, but I found myself working a lot more hours for a lot less pay (about £17,000). My financial reality became stressful and I had to lean on my partner every now and then. Eventually the stress got too much, and I ended up looking for paid positions. I ended up being offered a fixed term contract in a charity for £36,000. I was shocked at the low pay, but after six months of infrequent pay through self employment, it seemed like a better option. Unfortunately, the charity had set pay bands and no room for negotiation. About six months into the role, I was called by a recruiter who I’d previously given my details to. They told me they had contract opportunities in the civil service and asked if I was interested. I was torn, because the role I was in had great opportunities for skill enhancement, but the pay wasn't sufficient to help me reach my goals of early retirement in my 40s. So I decided to leave if the right contract role came up. I felt really bad about this, as I hadn’t been in the manager role that long, but I knew that I had to choose what was right for me.

Salary: £90,000
Year: 2023

I was soon offered a contract position in a government department. The six month contract role came with a significant pay increase, which I was very excited about. The six month contract ended up getting extended another three months before coming to an end.

Salary: £57,500
Year: 2024

My contract was close to finishing and I was keeping my eye out for new roles. Although I liked the flexibility and pay of contracting, I was worried that eventually I’d be out of work for a long time. I looked for permanent opportunities and eventually found a great role in the financial services sector. I was offered £52,500, but my homework showed that I should expect £60,000. Usually I would have negotiated for that amount, but I was a bit rusty and for the first time it wasn’t the person I would be working for calling me to make the offer, it was HR. I felt a bit thrown trying to negotiate with HR, so I ended up asking for £57,500, which they accepted straight away. Looking back I wish I asked for more, but I understand why it felt uncomfortable. About eight months into this role, I had a conversation with my manager laying out the reasons for why I deserved a raise. They asked me to make a business case and the comparative examples I gave were between £70,000-80,000 (I’d since found that the same role in the industry, and similar roles in my organisation, were paid much higher than me). Four months later I still hadn’t heard the outcome of this potential raise. However, I did have a chat with a senior leader who asked where I wanted to be in five to 10 years and was very surprised when I said “retired”. Maybe it’s a bit shocking to admit this at work, especially at my age, but I’m an honest person, and I don’t see myself in the typical 9-5 past this point. I used to be so attached to "climbing the ladder", but I don’t care about that anymore and just want the freedom to live life as I choose. 

Salary: £72,500
Year: 2025

Whilst I was waiting on the outcome for my pay increase, my manager approached me about a new opportunity in a different team. I hadn’t been actively looking for a new role, but this opening did align much more with my interests. So I applied for the position and ended up getting it. When originally asked in the application how much I wanted, I said between £75,000 and £85,000 (less than the top of the band). They offered me £70k, which I was quite disappointed by as it was near the bottom of the band, and with my experience I shouldn’t be near the bottom. I was able to negotiate to £72,500. They appeared hesitant to negotiate and pleaded budget pressures, although why put a higher rate up if it wasn’t available? Once again, I think internal hires are at a disadvantage when negotiating pay. This rate was still not where I wanted it to be, but I decided that the role provided opportunities to upskill in new areas, so it was worth the trade off. In good news though, whilst applying for this role, my pay increase request for the role I was in got approved at £65,000, and was backdated a few months! I’ve now been in the new role for a couple of months, there’s a lot to learn, which I’m enjoying, and I hope it will keep me engaged for a longer time than normal. I’m setting my sights high for a promotion within the next 24 months, where my goal is to reach £100,000. This will help me get to early retirement sooner. Although, who knows what will happen next. One thing that is obvious: I like change!