• Question: how much do you make an hour, possibly a year?

    Asked by Denis on 23 Sep 2025. This question was also asked by Master Iysa, connerlee, heft532bock75, bubs532parr65, Jack, dylan, DaawerA 67, Ernest M, Adriana84, DelkashM, bray532nays97, upby532nays97, odas532merc79, taps532merc79.
    • Photo: Luke Fountain

      Luke Fountain answered on 23 Sep 2025:

      This is a good question. In my current job I have a yearly salary of around $72,000, which is about £55,000. This is a little higher than average for my current job, which is a post-doctoral researcher – that’s just a fancy way of saying I do science research after getting my PhD. It’s a little higher than average because I work for NASA and not a University, but that is often the case with science jobs, it just depends who you work for and what part of the world you work in!

    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 23 Sep 2025:

      I earn around £80k per year plus my university tops up my pension significantly.

    • Photo: Emily Walls

      Emily Walls answered on 23 Sep 2025:

      I’m still at the early stages of my career; PhD students are given a stipend or salary of approximately £21,000 a year tax-free (so you get all of it!) for 3.5 years.

    • Photo: Niamh Topping

      Niamh Topping answered on 24 Sep 2025:

      I’m a PhD student so I get a stipend rather than a salary (which just means I don’t get taxed on this money). The current rate is about £21,000 a year. I also earn a bit more by teaching alongside my research

    • Photo: Vicky Fawcett

      Vicky Fawcett answered on 25 Sep 2025:

      I earn ~£33,000 a year as a research associate in the UK.

    • Photo: Joshua Hollowood

      Joshua Hollowood answered on 4 Nov 2025:

      Because I’m still at the start of my career, I’m given £22,780 to live off per year. I also do very easy work where I help out with teaching and invigilating exams which earns me extra.

      With a PhD, you’re given just enough money to live off. However, once you get to the next stage of your career in research, you can expect to earn a much more reasonable wage.

    • Photo: Georgia Rowe

      Georgia Rowe answered on 6 Nov 2025:

      I earn £36,000 a year salary as a synthetic chemist. I finished my PhD last year and have only been in my job for 6 months, so hoping it’ll increase as I get more experience!

    • Photo: Rachel Edwards

      Rachel Edwards answered on 7 Nov 2025:

      I’m quite a senior academic now (it’s terrifying!). I get about £75k per year. Like everyone else, I’m not sure of the hourly rate! I started on the lower PhD and postdoc salaries, but have worked my way up.

    • Photo: Scott Griffiths

      Scott Griffiths answered on 12 Nov 2025:

      I’m fairly senior in my role now and earn between £80k-£90k in a year. However, people starting off in the energy sector typically earn over £30k and it is generally a well paid industry.

    • Photo: Thomas Wells

      Thomas Wells answered on 27 Nov 2025:

      I get paid £35K as a science communications officer, but many people in my role get paid both less and more than that

    • Photo: Joanna Bagniewska

      Joanna Bagniewska answered on 27 Nov 2025:

      I’m a lecturer (environmental science) and earn £46k per year. In my previous role I earned £66k as a senior lecturer – I changed jobs because of the lay-offs in the sector.

    • Photo: Steve Markham

      Steve Markham answered on 28 Nov 2025:

      I work as a contractor – this means that I’m not employed by one company – although I used to be many years ago. I’ve been a contractor for more than 20 years and I charge my clients a daily rate – depending on what the client needs from me.

      However, contractors don’t have the security of being an employee – they don’t get paid if they’re ill, no holiday pay, or other company benefits – so contractors have to make their own arrangements if they want similar levels of income protection to an employee.

      So typically, I charge anywhere from £400 per day. So that’s over £100,000 per year as a minimum rate. However, contracts are often short-term – from a few weeks to no more than a couple of years – then we have to find new contracts. I’m very fortunate that I’ve always been busy!

    • Photo: Felicity Carlysle-Davies

      Felicity Carlysle-Davies answered on 4 Dec 2025:

      In my role as a Teaching Fellow I have a yearly salary of around £47k I have had two promotions since starting my job – when I first started I had a salary of approx £30k.

    • Photo: Lucy May Newman

      Lucy May Newman answered on 8 Jan 2026:

      As a PhD student I get a tax free stipend which follows the UK rate currently £20,780.

    • Photo: Caroline Roche

      Caroline Roche answered on 19 Jan 2026:

      As a senior/lead in control systems, I can get around £65k a year or £32 an hour. New starters like graduates or apprentices can start on £27k or £18k respectively.
      Your salary will depend on the company and industry you work in. Some industries pay more while some companies pay you less but give you better benefits like higher pension contributions or phone/car.
      You can also earn more if you are a contractor (self employed) for a company so they pay you an hourly rate (depending on experience but around £50 an hour for seniors) but you don’t get any additional benefits like sick pay or holidays (you just take those as unpaid leave).

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