Salary Story: Maternity Leave Helped Me Fight For Better Pay

Age: 31
Location: Hertfordshire, England
Current industry and job title: Project Analyst, chemical engineering
Current salary: £0
Number of years employed since school or university: Eight
Starting salary: £18,000
Biggest salary drop: £48,000 to £0 in 2025.
Biggest salary jump: £32,000 to £48,000 in 2023.

Biggest negotiation regret: Apply for jobs, even when you are not actively looking for jobs. It is always good to know how much you are worth on the job market. Also, if you have a counter-offer, it is always easier to negotiate and ask for a promotion in your current role.

Best salary advice: Surround yourself with people who support you and give you confidence while job hunting.

Year: 2017
Salary: £18,000

Upon completing my master's degree and relocating to Scotland, I was looking for a job. As I became financially independent and also moved in with my boyfriend, I urgently had to find a job. As previously I interned at an airline company, it made sense that I was looking for a job in the aerospace industry. Within a week, I got two job offers, and chose the administrative role that did not require having a car. My boyfriend also just started his PhD, and his scholarship was £14,400. That was probably the only time when I earned more than him. My funds were limited during this period, but as it was my first full time job, I felt that it was a good salary at the time. I did not negotiate, I didn't even know I could. 

Year: 2018
Salary: £24,000

One year into the role, my salary went up to £22,000 automatically. Later that same year, I also got a promotion and became Assistant Manager at the company. My salary went up again to £24,000. But I later I found out, the previous person got £26,000 for the same role, which made me really upset. My predecessor told me her salary when she left. I found that extremely helpful to know, and realised for the first time how important it is to be transparent with colleagues. I think that hiding salaries only benefit the management, never the employee.

I also got invited to a Management Program, and started travelling frequently to Germany and England. In that year I achieved a lot within the company, and my managers were really hoping that I would relocate to Germany, once I completed the Management Trainee Program. I enjoyed working at the airport, but after the summer business, I knew that it was the last summer I would spend at the company.

Year: 2019
Salary: £27,000

While in my last job, I started saving up £500 monthly, and my plan was to allow six months for myself to find a new job. In May, I quit my job and booked tickets to Japan with my boyfriend. I felt free for the first time in a while and really enjoyed travelling. In June, I got an offer for a Data Analyst role for £27,000 annual salary at a management consulting company. The application was fairly quick, and it was the first time I negotiated a little bit. But six weeks into the role, I travelled so much that I barely saw my boyfriend and was extremely exhausted from travelling. There was lots of driving and early morning hours from 6 a.m. 

I started considering jobs further away. My boyfriend also got an internship in New York, so knowing that we would be away from each other helped make my decision to look outside of Edinburgh. At the end, I left and accepted an internship in Oxford and started my journey in the space sector for £18,000. I felt that the salary was really low at the time. I tried to negotiate for a higher salary and/or relocation package, without any success.

Year: 2020
Salary: £25,000

I know, looking back, it may sound crazy that I accepted the role for such a low salary, but I really enjoyed working at the company. And that internship turned into a permanent role with better pay within a year. I was renting with someone else, a lovely girl, who was also my co-worker, and we became really good friends. 

Unfortunately, I did not know that COVID was around the corner. I moved down south, only to spend my time inside four walls. I moved specifically for this job (which I loved), but I could only go to the office in the first four months of my internship, and spent the rest of the time working from home.

I also got married that year, and my partner and I finally moved in together again, this time in Oxford.

Year: 2021
Salary: £30,000

One year into the role, I made the decision to change career paths within the organisation, as there were more opportunities in project management. I negotiated £30,000 for the role. As there were several people in the team in similar roles, it was easier to get an idea about the salary range which helped me know what to ask for. A colleague with less experience was given this salary, so I asked them to match it for my salary. Internally, employees were also starting to push HR to only advertise roles with salary ranges, to make the process fair and transparent. 

Life was going well. My husband completed his PhD, started his first job and we made the decision to move closer to his workplace in Cambridge. I was commuting to the office once a week,  it was a long commute for me. I wish there could be a train between Oxford and Cambridge. 

Year: 2022
Salary: £32,000

My salary went up a bit to £32,000 automatically. I also applied for a promotion, which unfortunately I did not get. I was really sad at the time, to be honest, I was hoping that I would get it.

I was also expecting my baby, so life became very different after he was born. I was receiving 90% of my pay for only six weeks, then received SMP, which is not a lot. I stayed active in professional networks, and got an opportunity to organise a workshop and travel to a conference in Hawaii. The trip itself was worth over £2,000 and my husband and baby could also come with me. I probably would not have had the time if I had been working. It was a career highlight, although technically I was on maternity leave. 

Year: 2023
Salary: £48,000

Whilst on maternity leave, I got a job offer for £53,000 at my dream company. After some hesitation, I declined the offer, as the benefits were horrible, and I would need to relocate with the move, it would not have made financial sense for the family. But it made me believe that I should be earning a lot more. It really changed my mindset, and I started looking for jobs. I received several offers, and accepted a role outside of my sector for £48,000 and excellent benefits (22% company pension contribution, and a free canteen). I negotiated and was very happy with the offer, and personally we were looking forward to the next step of buying a house.

Year: 2025
Salary: £0

We bought our house, but this year I was made redundant along with my whole department. I am currently looking for my next role in the sector I previously I worked at. I am also volunteering, and enjoying spending more time with my toddler, before I go back to work again.