Best Place To Work UK Slough Manchester Cambridge

Photo: Nicolas Bloise

Many people move to London to work after they leave university, assuming that the buzz of the big city is non-negotiable for access to the best jobs and networking opportunities. But perhaps they should be taking a leaf out of David Brent's book instead (yes, really).

Because Slough, best known for being home The Office's manager from hell, played by Ricky Gervais, has just been crowned the best place to live and work in the UK – ahead of Manchester, Cambridge, Leeds and Oxford. Curiously, the capital didn't even make the top 25.

Jobs site Glassdoor named the post-industrial commuter town a "prime spot" for jobs, affordable living and worker satisfaction, BBC News reported. The site gave towns and cities a score for various categories, including employment opportunities, cost of living and job satisfaction.

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Slough scored a very respectable 4.2 out of 5. According to Glassdoor, employees there enjoy a good quality of life and earn a median yearly salary of £35k. The average house costs £390k – compared with slightly under £500k in London – and there were 26k available jobs being advertised. The Berkshire town, being just outside Greater London, is also close to major transport hubs like Heathrow Airport.

Its reputation being what it is, Slough doesn't particularly captivate the public's imagination. Indeed, in the interwar years it was used as a dump for surplus war materials and a 1937 poem by former poet laureate Sir John Betjeman called on "friendly bombs" to "fall on Slough".

So, as you can imagine, people have been deploying gifs of David Brent – the town's biggest claim to fame – pretty hard upon hearing the news.

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— Granger Stanley (@GrangerStanley) September 22, 2017

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— heavenlyblue007 (@heavenlyblue007) September 22, 2017

But we won't lie – a lot of people were sceptical about Slough's supposed charms.

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— Alan Cohen (@alancohen1975) September 22, 2017

I don't believe this. Was the decision made by people who don't live or work in slough? https://t.co/s0rOWEE8OA
— Becki (@BecksBlogs) September 22, 2017

‘Voted for by the People of Slough’?
— Jason Howarth (@Jacedd) September 22, 2017

Dafuq? I can attest that it is definitely not the best place to work! There were two Nandos... that was basically it #Slough https://t.co/3GyYdwVsd6
— Pree Unit ❄️ (@pree_unit) September 22, 2017

Really??? ... pic.twitter.com/jPZxdFlC3g
— Steve Stedman ? (@SSComposer) September 22, 2017

Who did they ask, David Brent? - Slough named as the 'best place' to work and live https://t.co/abIZzR5LBg
— Rob Gill (@robdgill) September 22, 2017

I was born in Slough, I was raised in Slough, and have worked there. I've no idea why it would be picked as the best place to work.
— Steve Jones (@TheEulerID) September 22, 2017

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— Klala❤ (@Klala0913) September 22, 2017

"Slough has come out on top of a survey of the 25 best towns and cities to live and work in, beating Manchester and Cambridge."

LOL WHAT!? https://t.co/Q2xNJc14EG
— ?-List at Capital (@BListAtCapital) September 22, 2017

Used to work as a police officer in Slough. Trust me. It’s not. No way. Absolutely not.
— Leigh (@KernOW_76) September 22, 2017

Top 25 best places in the UK to live and work

1. Slough
2. Manchester
3. Cambridge
4. Swindon
5. Stoke-on-Trent
6. Reading
7. Leeds
8. Milton Keynes
9. Bolton
10. Oxford
11. Coventry
12. Derby
13. Nottingham
14. Birmingham
15. Ipswich
16. Belfast
17. Southampton
18. Aberdeen
19. Luton
20. Dundee
21. Newcastle Upon Tyne
22. Bristol
23. Blackpool
24. Hull
25. Peterborough

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