Average Consultant Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Consultant 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 a Consultant Make in United Kingdom?

A Consultant working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 86,400 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 45,000 GBP to the highest average salary of 128,400 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
86,400 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
7,200 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
45,000 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,750 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
128,400 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
10,700 GBP

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

Consultant 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 Consultant Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries a Consultant will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Consultant can earn between 45,000 GBP and 128,400 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 a Consultant in United Kingdom is 82,300 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 82,300 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 82,300 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 Consultant salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 57,100 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 57,100 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 100,700 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 100,700 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.

Consultant 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 consultant 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. A Consultant in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 49,800 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Consultant salary would increase to 67,900 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Consultant, the average salary would be 86,600 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 107,300 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Consultant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 114,300 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Consultant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 123,000 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
49,800 GBP
2-5 Years +34%
67,900 GBP
5-10 Years +30%
86,600 GBP
10-15 Years +21%
107,300 GBP
15-20 Years +9%
114,300 GBP
20+ Years +5%
123,000 GBP

Consultant 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 a Consultant 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. A Consultant in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 71,000 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. A Consultant in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 99,600 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
71,000 GBP
Master's Degree +39%
99,600 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.

Consultant 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 consultant will earn an average of 87,700 GBP, while a female consultant will earn around 81,300 GBP.

This means that a male consultant earns approximately 8% more than a female consultant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
87,700 GBP
Female -8%
81,300 GBP

Consultant 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 a Consultant 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 a Consultant 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%

Consultant 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.

A Consultant is a moderate bonus based job, with 56% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

44% 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 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus
56%
No Bonus
44%

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 a Consultant

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Consultant in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Adoption Services Director Counseling 99,400 GBP
Alcohol and Drug Counselor Counseling 75,800 GBP
Assistant Instructor Counseling 34,300 GBP
Career Counselor Counseling 89,900 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 80,200 GBP
Abingdon 73,900 GBP
Armagh 77,600 GBP
Bangor 68,400 GBP
Belfast 82,300 GBP
Birmingham 87,050 GBP
Bradford 86,900 GBP
Brighton 86,100 GBP
Bristol 88,450 GBP
Cambridge 74,000 GBP
Canterbury 72,900 GBP
Cardiff 86,700 GBP
Chester 76,150 GBP
Coventry 86,650 GBP
Derby 81,800 GBP
Derry 76,300 GBP
Dundee 77,900 GBP
Durham 73,650 GBP
Edinburgh 88,400 GBP
Exeter 80,000 GBP
Glasgow 90,950 GBP
Gloucester 76,700 GBP
Hartlepool 73,850 GBP
Inverness 70,950 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 85,700 GBP
Kirkwall 68,200 GBP
Leeds 90,650 GBP
Leicester 86,200 GBP
Lincoln 74,600 GBP
Lisburn 75,300 GBP
Liverpool 88,950 GBP
London 93,400 GBP
Manchester 89,700 GBP
Newcastle 80,950 GBP
Newport 79,500 GBP
Newry 74,700 GBP
Norwich 77,500 GBP
Nottingham 82,350 GBP
Oxford 80,000 GBP
Peterborough 82,700 GBP
Plymouth 81,950 GBP
Poole 76,500 GBP
Portsmouth 81,150 GBP
Ripon 70,300 GBP
Salisbury 71,500 GBP
Sheffield 85,550 GBP
Somerset 87,700 GBP
Southampton 80,550 GBP
St Davids 66,950 GBP
Stirling 75,050 GBP
Stromness 68,450 GBP
Strontian 69,450 GBP
Swansea 79,900 GBP
Truro 71,950 GBP
Wakefield 69,550 GBP
Wells 67,850 GBP
Winchester 72,350 GBP
Wolverhampton 85,650 GBP
York 80,250 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
England 152,950 GBP
Northern Ireland 69,100 GBP
Scotland 111,400 GBP
Wales 74,900 GBP

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