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Average Drilling Foreman Salary in United Kingdom for 2026

A drilling foreman in United Kingdom earns about 18,200 GBP a year. That's 74% below the national average of 69,700 GBP.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in United Kingdom sit around 11,440 GBP a year, while the very top stretches to 29,400 GBP. Everything on this page is in British pound (GBP, symbol £), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in United Kingdom, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

To turn a gross salary in United Kingdom into a take-home figure, use our United Kingdom salary after tax calculator, which works the latest tax brackets and contributions through the math for you.

How much does a drilling foreman make in United Kingdom?

Average salary
18,200 GBP
1,516 GBP per month
Lowest reported
11,440 GBP
953 GBP per month
Highest reported
29,400 GBP
2,450 GBP per month

A typical drilling foreman working in United Kingdom brings home around 1,516 GBP a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 11,440 GBP, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 29,400 GBP for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior drilling foreman working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around. For a cross-country comparison, see the drilling foreman salary in Guernsey or Jersey, both of which pay in the same currency.

How drilling foreman pay ranges in United Kingdom

A good way to think about salary in United Kingdom is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all drilling foremans in United Kingdom earn less than 20,900 GBP a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 15,100 GBP (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 27,800 GBP (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of drilling foremans sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 11,440 GBP. The highest stretch to 29,400 GBP, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

11,440
Low
20,900
Median
29,400
High
15,100
25th
27,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in GBP

Drilling foreman pay by experience in United Kingdom

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a drilling foreman in United Kingdom, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical drilling foreman salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    12,200 GBP
  • 2-5 Years
    +6% from previous
    12,900 GBP
  • 5-10 Years
    +64% from previous
    21,200 GBP
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    25,700 GBP
  • 15-20 Years
    +2% from previous
    26,200 GBP
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    27,400 GBP

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 64%. That is the point at which a drilling foreman typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Drilling foreman pay by education in United Kingdom

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving drilling foreman pay in United Kingdom. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average drilling foreman salary in United Kingdom broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    12,900 GBP
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +78% from previous
    23,000 GBP
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +31% from previous
    30,100 GBP

Drilling foreman gender pay gap in United Kingdom

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and United Kingdom is no exception. Male drilling foremans in United Kingdom earn an average of 20,900 GBP a year, while female drilling foremans earn around 17,800 GBP. That works out to a 17% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Drilling Foreman gender pay gap

15%

Men earn this much more than women on average in United Kingdom.

Men 20,900 GBP
Women 17,800 GBP

Pay raises for a drilling foreman in United Kingdom

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in United Kingdom sees a raise of about 11% every 14 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in United Kingdom, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in United Kingdom:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Drilling foreman bonus rates in United Kingdom

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

32%

32% of drilling foremans in United Kingdom reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a drilling foreman a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 68% of drilling foremans reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in United Kingdom

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Drilling foreman: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in United Kingdom is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in United Kingdom on average.

Public sector 72,700 GBP
Private sector 68,200 GBP

Drilling foreman salary by city and region in United Kingdom

Drilling foreman pay is not even across United Kingdom. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • England
  • Scotland
  • Birmingham
  • Somerset
  • Bristol
  • Cardiff
  • Liverpool
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • York
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
EnglandRegion37,300 GBP38,100 GBP19,200-56,400 GBP
ScotlandRegion27,300 GBP26,400 GBP14,500-41,100 GBP
BirminghamCity24,400 GBP26,200 GBP12,200-36,500 GBP
SomersetCity23,800 GBP20,700 GBP10,000-33,000 GBP
BristolCity23,800 GBP22,800 GBP13,000-34,300 GBP
CardiffCity23,200 GBP20,000 GBP12,100-33,000 GBP
LiverpoolCity23,000 GBP20,200 GBP12,300-32,300 GBP
GlasgowCity22,800 GBP22,400 GBP13,000-36,400 GBP
LeedsCity22,800 GBP22,400 GBP13,000-36,400 GBP
YorkCity22,600 GBP22,600 GBP12,200-31,700 GBP
CoventryCity22,300 GBP23,800 GBP11,300-33,000 GBP
LondonCity22,200 GBP23,600 GBP9,900-35,400 GBP
SheffieldCity22,100 GBP21,300 GBP10,800-33,800 GBP
EdinburghCity21,700 GBP19,100 GBP13,000-32,200 GBP
Kingston upon HullCity21,100 GBP20,900 GBP12,300-29,400 GBP
AberdeenCity21,100 GBP20,300 GBP10,800-30,000 GBP
SouthamptonCity20,900 GBP19,200 GBP9,900-30,000 GBP
LincolnCity20,900 GBP22,000 GBP8,770-28,900 GBP
WolverhamptonCity20,500 GBP21,100 GBP7,530-30,600 GBP
OxfordCity20,500 GBP19,300 GBP10,120-32,900 GBP
BrightonCity20,400 GBP16,300 GBP9,500-29,200 GBP
ManchesterCity20,400 GBP20,400 GBP10,800-35,300 GBP
BradfordCity20,200 GBP20,200 GBP12,200-32,600 GBP
LeicesterCity20,100 GBP21,700 GBP13,200-32,600 GBP
NottinghamCity20,100 GBP21,100 GBP12,200-33,300 GBP
PortsmouthCity20,000 GBP20,100 GBP9,470-33,200 GBP
PeterboroughCity19,400 GBP20,200 GBP11,000-30,800 GBP
NewportCity19,400 GBP23,000 GBP8,480-29,400 GBP
NewcastleCity19,300 GBP19,200 GBP13,000-29,400 GBP
StirlingCity19,300 GBP15,700 GBP7,480-25,500 GBP
DerbyCity19,300 GBP22,000 GBP12,400-30,200 GBP
WinchesterCity19,300 GBP19,100 GBP8,900-25,800 GBP
CambridgeCity19,200 GBP19,300 GBP8,100-28,900 GBP
InvernessCity19,200 GBP16,000 GBP9,250-25,800 GBP
WalesRegion19,200 GBP15,700 GBP11,300-29,600 GBP
WellsCity19,100 GBP20,300 GBP6,430-27,400 GBP
PlymouthCity19,100 GBP22,600 GBP9,590-30,300 GBP
NorwichCity19,000 GBP20,200 GBP8,480-29,900 GBP
NewryCity19,000 GBP18,600 GBP11,430-26,300 GBP
SwanseaCity18,900 GBP19,400 GBP12,200-27,300 GBP
DurhamCity18,600 GBP19,200 GBP6,600-26,300 GBP
ExeterCity18,600 GBP18,600 GBP8,980-30,300 GBP
BelfastCity18,600 GBP21,100 GBP8,390-29,600 GBP
StromnessCity18,600 GBP19,200 GBP8,480-29,600 GBP
KirkwallCity18,400 GBP19,200 GBP7,760-27,100 GBP
StrontianCity18,400 GBP18,400 GBP7,660-24,800 GBP
PooleCity18,200 GBP19,400 GBP11,000-31,400 GBP
Northern IrelandRegion17,900 GBP18,900 GBP8,270-27,400 GBP
GloucesterCity17,800 GBP19,400 GBP12,200-27,300 GBP
DerryCity17,800 GBP16,300 GBP11,300-30,100 GBP
ArmaghCity17,800 GBP19,300 GBP12,400-30,800 GBP
DundeeCity17,800 GBP20,400 GBP9,670-29,100 GBP
HartlepoolCity17,100 GBP20,300 GBP9,410-29,300 GBP
LisburnCity17,100 GBP19,200 GBP6,850-29,900 GBP
SalisburyCity16,900 GBP17,000 GBP10,210-24,200 GBP
TruroCity16,900 GBP19,300 GBP8,000-27,100 GBP
BangorCity16,100 GBP19,100 GBP9,270-27,800 GBP
St DavidsCity16,100 GBP16,100 GBP10,170-27,400 GBP
CanterburyCity16,000 GBP19,200 GBP6,610-26,200 GBP
RiponCity15,700 GBP15,700 GBP10,080-25,800 GBP
WakefieldCity15,700 GBP18,300 GBP8,030-27,300 GBP
ChesterCity15,700 GBP18,300 GBP7,450-27,300 GBP
AbingdonCity15,300 GBP19,300 GBP7,090-25,800 GBP

Drilling Foreman in United Kingdom: FAQs

  • How much does a drilling foreman make per month in United Kingdom?

    A drilling foreman in United Kingdom earns about 1,516 GBP a month before tax, based on an annual average of 18,200 GBP.

  • What's the salary range for a drilling foreman in United Kingdom?

    Entry-level drilling foremans in United Kingdom start near 11,440 GBP. Top-end pay reaches around 29,400 GBP. The middle 50% of earners sit between 15,100 and 27,800 GBP.

  • Is the median drilling foreman salary in United Kingdom higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 20,900 GBP, higher than the average of 18,200 GBP. Half of drilling foremans in United Kingdom earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for drilling foremans in United Kingdom?

    Men working as a drilling foreman in United Kingdom earn around 17% more than women on average (20,900 vs 17,800 GBP a year).

  • Do drilling foremans in United Kingdom get bonuses?

    About 32% of drilling foremans in United Kingdom reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do drilling foremans earn more in the public or private sector in United Kingdom?

    In United Kingdom, the public sector pays a drilling foreman about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do drilling foremans in United Kingdom get a pay raise?

    A drilling foreman in United Kingdom sees a raise of around 11% every 14 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.