Average Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary for 2024 in United Kingdom and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does an Alcohol and Drug Counselor Make in United Kingdom?

An Alcohol and Drug Counselor working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 75,800 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 36,600 GBP to the highest average salary of 124,500 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
75,800 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
6,316 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
36,600 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,050 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
124,500 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
10,375 GBP

These are average salaries for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries an Alcohol and Drug Counselor will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Alcohol and Drug Counselor can earn between 36,600 GBP and 124,500 GBP on average in United Kingdom. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom is 84,900 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 84,900 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 84,900 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 51,900 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 51,900 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 111,700 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 111,700 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary by Experience Level in United Kingdom

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average alcohol and drug counselor salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 39,000 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Alcohol and Drug Counselor salary would increase to 53,500 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor, the average salary would be 79,600 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 96,400 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 107,300 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Alcohol and Drug Counselor with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 114,900 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
39,000 GBP
2-5 Years +34%
53,500 GBP
5-10 Years +48%
79,600 GBP
10-15 Years +22%
96,400 GBP
15-20 Years +9%
107,300 GBP
20+ Years +8%
114,900 GBP

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary by Education Level in United Kingdom

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 46,400 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 73,200 GBP.

  • PhD. An Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom with a phd education can earn an average salary of 121,800 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
46,400 GBP
Master's Degree +57%
73,200 GBP
PhD +68%
121,800 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United Kingdom, a male alcohol and drug counselor will earn an average of 77,000 GBP, while a female alcohol and drug counselor will earn around 77,000 GBP.

This means that a male alcohol and drug counselor earns approximately 0% less than a female alcohol and drug counselor for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
77,000 GBP
Female +0%
77,000 GBP

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Average Pay Raise in United Kingdom

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom is around 13% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United Kingdom for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Alcohol and Drug Counselor Bonus and Incentive Rates in United Kingdom

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Alcohol and Drug Counselor is a moderate bonus based job, with 61% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

39% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
61%
No Bonus
39%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
72,700 GBP
Private Sector -7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Alcohol and Drug Counselor

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Adoption Services Director Counseling 99,400 GBP
Assistant Instructor Counseling 34,300 GBP
Career Counselor Counseling 89,900 GBP
Consultant Counseling 86,400 GBP
Director of Rehabilitation Services Counseling 109,700 GBP
Disability Consultant Counseling 71,700 GBP
Employment Counselor Counseling 84,600 GBP
Family Advocate Counseling 58,600 GBP
Family Services Specialist Counseling 64,900 GBP
Family Support Specialist Counseling 94,900 GBP
Family Youth Worker Counseling 29,300 GBP
Guidance Counselor Counseling 86,100 GBP
Guidance Director Counseling 105,200 GBP
Mental Health Counselor Counseling 103,600 GBP
Mental Health Therapist Counseling 83,000 GBP
Programs Coordinator Counseling 49,400 GBP
Psychologist Counseling 118,900 GBP
Supervising Counselor Counseling 92,900 GBP
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Counseling 92,500 GBP
Youth Advocate Counseling 45,900 GBP
Youth Care Counselor Counseling 86,800 GBP
Youth Care Specialist Counseling 54,600 GBP
Youth Development Manager Counseling 108,200 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Aberdeen 78,500 GBP
Abingdon 70,600 GBP
Armagh 75,100 GBP
Bangor 66,100 GBP
Belfast 82,300 GBP
Birmingham 92,100 GBP
Bradford 85,800 GBP
Brighton 84,800 GBP
Bristol 91,700 GBP
Cambridge 78,900 GBP
Canterbury 74,500 GBP
Cardiff 84,800 GBP
Chester 74,200 GBP
Coventry 89,300 GBP
Derby 86,600 GBP
Derry 74,000 GBP
Dundee 77,000 GBP
Durham 74,600 GBP
Edinburgh 83,000 GBP
Exeter 81,200 GBP
Glasgow 87,700 GBP
Gloucester 77,100 GBP
Hartlepool 75,800 GBP
Inverness 69,400 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 88,600 GBP
Kirkwall 66,100 GBP
Leeds 91,500 GBP
Leicester 88,300 GBP
Lincoln 80,400 GBP
Lisburn 72,400 GBP
Liverpool 93,200 GBP
London 95,300 GBP
Manchester 92,200 GBP
Newcastle 85,800 GBP
Newport 75,900 GBP
Newry 74,500 GBP
Norwich 80,900 GBP
Nottingham 90,000 GBP
Oxford 83,400 GBP
Peterborough 83,000 GBP
Plymouth 87,400 GBP
Poole 82,300 GBP
Portsmouth 86,400 GBP
Ripon 74,500 GBP
Salisbury 74,700 GBP
Sheffield 91,600 GBP
Somerset 87,800 GBP
Southampton 85,500 GBP
St Davids 65,900 GBP
Stirling 70,600 GBP
Stromness 65,800 GBP
Strontian 64,800 GBP
Swansea 79,000 GBP
Truro 73,800 GBP
Wakefield 68,500 GBP
Wells 65,800 GBP
Winchester 68,500 GBP
Wolverhampton 77,000 GBP
York 75,900 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

City Average Salary
England 148,300 GBP
Northern Ireland 68,500 GBP
Scotland 109,000 GBP
Wales 74,500 GBP

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