Salary Story: I Left London For Better Experience

Illustration by Viginia Gabrielli

In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young women more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.

Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here. Published stories receive £100.

Age: 25
Location: London
Current industry and job title: Senior project manager – consumer goods
Current salary: £55,000
Number of years employed since school or university: Four

Starting salary: £21,000 in 2019
Biggest salary jump: £39,000 to £55,000 in 2023
Biggest salary drop: N/A

Biggest negotiation regret: In the past I have only ever negotiated the base salary and not considered the entire package, such as negotiating pension contribution, healthcare package, the bonus percentage and so on.

Best salary advice: Applying to jobs that I wasn’t really that interested in was the best thing for me. I gained experience in interviewing and ended up getting job offers, which I accepted in the end.

Don’t be afraid to consider opportunities that are further away if they have a hybrid working structure. I feel like living in London is very competitive and I’ve managed to build my experience at reputable companies that have bases in Greater London or just outside of London in commuter towns. Sometimes investing and sacrificing in the short term helps your career in the long term.