Korean Job Discussion Forums

Snowmeow · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Location: pc room

25,000� per year 1 hour north of London

Ok? Or make you gag? Any savings potential?

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

Let's put it this way - I was offered 25K a year, plus London living expenses by Goldman Sachs over 8 years ago when I was finishing my MBA.

25K doesn't get you very far in the UK these days.

ED209 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006

It's survivable. But you won't be able to live the life you are used to here. Rent, taxes, taxis, eating out will all be much more expensive. Though beer and shopping(plenty of high street names going bust) would be slightly cheaper. The pound was also kicked in the balls a few weeks ago, if you're sending money home to pay debts you may want to think about this. Oh and every teenager you see wants to stab you. Just do it for the experience(living in London, not getting stabbed!).

Michael_75 · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

If someone offered me a job paying 25k at home (Sheffield) I'd take it no questions. No need to earn any more than that though you probably wouldn't save too much.

London and the South East might be different though. Depends on how expensive your preferred pastimes are.

It also depends on what type of person you are. I would take a low paying job I enjoyed over a high-paying one I hated any day of the week. Compared to my last job 25k is high-paying - I had the unfortunate situation of a low-paying job I hated.

Lot's of people will disagree with me I'm sure. I just don't equate success with an overflowing bank account.

michaelambling · Joined: 31 Dec 2008 Location: Paradise

25k outside of London is doable--24k is the national average, after all.

But you have to consider taxes, especially comparing it to Korea. 25k = 2083/mo. Tax is going to be 25% (I think; maybe 30), which makes your take home pay 1563. Council tax will probably be 100, assuming you aren't living in a nice apartment or in Surrey, making your real cash in hand 1463.

Assuming a decent one bedroom in a cheap neighborhood, you're going to pay 500, leaving 963; gas and electricity will make that 900 (that's being VERY optimistic).

Good luck living on less than 150 a week for food and entertainment, which leaves 300 a month for savings. But you have to consider that your take-home is about 1.83 million won, without severance pay or bonuses. In the worst hagwon, you should get at least 2 million after taxes, utilities, etc.

So it all comes down to where you want to live and what you want to do. I lived in the UK for two years; it's a beautiful country full of ugly people with very overpriced low-quality goods and housing. Besides the architecture and countryside, England offered me very little.

Michael_75 · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

PS In my last job I earned 13k a year. I did not save a penny but I didn't starve either...

Snowmeow · Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Location: pc room

Thanks for the responses everyone.

A year ago I interviewed for a UK job and that was the pay I was offered for a position an hour north of London. In Canadian terms, it seemed ok - $46,000 a year (25k converted) is pretty decent in small city Ontario. I just don't know about the cost of living in the UK. Trying to research it in preparation for some more interviews this week.

Last time, I decided to stay here.