next »

[moom]

The problem with London, is that to get anywhere near reasonable living costs on an academic salary you have to endure commuting on horrible underground trains for long distances. The surface trains are nicer but not much more reliable. On the other hand I haven't been in my home city for 9 years so maybe things have improved, but I doubt it. For one the cost of living has clearly skyrocketed. In other parts of Britain where I have recently visited prices do seem closer to 1 dollar = 1 pound than whatever the official exchange rate is. Also remember the 9% or whatever National Insurance tax in addition to the standard income tax rates. Tax would then be about the same as in a high tax state like NY or CA for most income levels.

[Hedda]

Moometh!!  You're still here!!

Whassup??

[moom]

I'm just dropping by. What's up with you?

[Samara]

£41K in London is hard.  The thing to remember is that most mortgage calculations in Britain have historically advised that you can afford 3 times your annual salary.  In recent years this advice has stretched absurdly - but the fundamental wisdom of keeping your mortgage payment at around 3 times your annual salary is still sound!  So the question for you is: what kind of mortgage would you need?  Most decent properties anywhere near London are going to be expensive.  A good, two-bedroom flat can run in the region of £325 - 400K.  On £41K you shouldn't probably mortgage more than about £125 - 160K.  That would mean a particularly impressive down payment...  HOWEVER - here is the upside: many of my ex-students move to London on almost nothing.  They struggle for a few years - share mortgages, rent property, etc. - sooner or later they all get on and figure out how to cope with it.  It can be done!  £41 is a GOOD academic salary in Britain, just not a great one for London.  But the quality of life argument has to be taken into account.  Southern England is incredibly well-connected in all kinds of ways.  You're close to so many wonderful things, culturally, and so many great experiences.  If you're single I would advise you to go for it!  You'll find your way.  Best of luck whatever you decide!!

[%sig%]

[Hedda]

Such bad form I have---I start a conversation and then head out of town.

Glad to see that you are dropping in from time to time!!

:)

[danysalibi]

There are usually specialized websites for salary comparison. I recall www.salaryexplorer.com among others, hope it helps.

[anon_expat]

Just to add in my experience on various issues raised, though some hard survey data on all of this would help:

--I live in London and pay over 50% (close to 60%) of my take home on rent/utilities/council tax however I do have a family, so these do cost more than if I were a singleton. I do not live in a fancy area, though the flat is OK.

--I have an NHS dentist and have to pay about £15 for a cleaning/ check-up. Not sure why GP visits are free but dentistry is seen as an 'extra'!

--I have lived in expensive American cities (NYC, DC) and I think it is best to think of pounds as equaling dollars when taking cost of living into account. I did much better financially speaking as a graduate student in America than on staff here!  For the OP, $92,000 can be a great salary in some cities, but just decent in others (NYC), so that should be kept in mind.

And now my turn to ask:

--Someone mentioned that £41,000 is in the normal range for a full professor; is that only true for colleges outside of London? Are there nationally-set ranges for the various academic ranks?

Cheers

[drspouse]

--I have an NHS dentist and have to pay about £15 for a cleaning/ check-up. Not sure why GP visits are free but dentistry is seen as an 'extra'!

And now my turn to ask:

--Someone mentioned that £41,000 is in the normal range for a full professor; is that only true for colleges outside of London? Are there nationally-set ranges for the various academic ranks?

NHS treatment isn't "free"- we pay for it through our taxes.  Some of it is "free at the point of delivery" (hospital and GP medical care), some isn't (dentistry, prescriptions) unless you fall into a special group (children, pregnant women, those on low incomes).

There are national salary scales with a top up for London (London Weighting) of approximately 2p.  It was set about 20? years ago and never changed. I believe there are different salary scales for pre- and post-92 institutions but I could be wrong?

[scotia]

--Someone mentioned that £41,000 is in the normal range for a full professor; is that only true for colleges outside of London? Are there nationally-set ranges for the various academic ranks?

The salary of £41,000 for a full professor is very out of date, if it was even true when this thread was started. I earn more than that as a senior lecturer (equivalent to associate prof). The pay grades are nationally set, but there seems to be some local variation in bandings - someone at point 47 on the scale at my current employer earns marginally less than someone at point 47 on the scale at my previous employer (neither of them in London). London salaries tend to be slightly higher because of 'London Weighting', or whatever the current terminology is.

[mekala]

Hi,

I am a british academic working in the US - i go back to london (i was born and raised in London) every year.  Well 41,000.  is probably the average salary in academia -  assistant professor level.  Rent and utilities are very high and there is a much higher cost of living and higher taxes including almost 8 dollar equivalent in petrol/gas -  public transport was improved enormously but with it much higher costs.  However, i am sure you will enjoy living in london it is just a different lifestyle -  you can find lots of free things to do.  Since you only want to stay on a temporary basis i think this will be a really good experience.

best of luck

Mekala