Average Occupational Therapist Salary in Cambridge, United Kingdom for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Occupational Therapist salary for 2026 in Cambridge 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 Occupational Therapist Make in Cambridge?

An Occupational Therapist working in Cambridge will typically earn around 45,000 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 23,000 GBP to the highest average salary of 71,700 GBP.

Average Annual Salary45,000 GBP
Average Monthly Salary3,750 GBP
Average Lowest Salary23,000 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary1,916 GBP
Average Highest Salary71,700 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary5,975 GBP

These are average salaries for an Occupational Therapist in Cambridge and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Occupational Therapist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Occupational Therapist 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 Occupational Therapist Salaries in Cambridge

So we've looked at the average salaries an Occupational Therapist will earn in Cambridge. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Occupational Therapist can earn between 23,000 GBP and 71,700 GBP on average in Cambridge. 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 Occupational Therapist in Cambridge is 48,300 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 48,300 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 48,300 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 Occupational Therapist salary in Cambridge, 25% of the population are earning less than 33,200 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 33,200 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 67,400 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 67,400 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.

Occupational Therapist Salary by Experience Level in Cambridge

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 Occupational Therapist 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 Occupational Therapist in Cambridge that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 22,400 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Occupational Therapist salary would increase to 30,300 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Occupational Therapist, the average salary would be 49,000 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 57,400 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Occupational Therapist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 64,100 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 68,900 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
22,400 GBP
2-5 Years+34%
30,300 GBP
5-10 Years+48%
49,000 GBP
10-15 Years+22%
57,400 GBP
15-20 Years+9%
64,100 GBP
20+ Years+8%
68,900 GBP

Occupational Therapist Salary by Education Level in Cambridge

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 Occupational Therapist in Cambridge based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Occupational Therapist in Cambridge with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 26,300 GBP.
  • Bachelor's Degree. An Occupational Therapist in Cambridge with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 55,400 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma-
26,300 GBP
Bachelor's Degree+93%
55,400 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.

Occupational Therapist 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 Cambridge, a male occupational therapist will earn an average of 44,900 GBP, while a female occupational therapist will earn around 43,800 GBP.

This means that a male occupational therapist earns approximately 3% more than a female occupational therapist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Cambridge

Male-
44,900 GBP
Female-3%
43,800 GBP

Occupational Therapist Average Pay Raise in Cambridge

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 Occupational Therapist in Cambridge is around 11% 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 = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that an Occupational Therapist in Cambridge can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Cambridge for 2026

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%

Occupational Therapist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Cambridge

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 Occupational Therapist is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% 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-
60%
No Bonus-
40%

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 Occupational Therapist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Occupational Therapist in Cambridge.

Job TitleCategorySalary
AromatherapistFitness / Hair / Beauty78,700 GBP
Art TherapistFitness / Hair / Beauty53,300 GBP
Assistant Spa ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty58,200 GBP
Beauty AdvisorFitness / Hair / Beauty54,200 GBP
Beauty EducatorFitness / Hair / Beauty66,200 GBP
Beauty Shop CoordinatorFitness / Hair / Beauty38,700 GBP
Beauty SpecialistFitness / Hair / Beauty53,800 GBP
Beauty Supply ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty100,500 GBP
Beauty TherapistFitness / Hair / Beauty54,500 GBP
Cosmetic SalesFitness / Hair / Beauty30,800 GBP
CosmetologistFitness / Hair / Beauty49,800 GBP
Day Spa ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty98,700 GBP
EstheticianFitness / Hair / Beauty27,400 GBP
Fitness InstructorFitness / Hair / Beauty38,000 GBP
Fitness and Wellness CoordinatorFitness / Hair / Beauty58,500 GBP
Grooming Salon ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty89,300 GBP
Hair Replacement SpecialistFitness / Hair / Beauty89,400 GBP
Hair StylistFitness / Hair / Beauty34,000 GBP
Health CoachFitness / Hair / Beauty76,600 GBP
Health EducatorFitness / Hair / Beauty89,900 GBP
Manicurist and PedicuristFitness / Hair / Beauty21,100 GBP
Massage TherapistFitness / Hair / Beauty45,000 GBP
MasseurFitness / Hair / Beauty35,100 GBP
Natural Remedy ConsultantFitness / Hair / Beauty79,000 GBP
Naturopath and AcupuncturistFitness / Hair / Beauty30,800 GBP
Occupational Therapy AssistantFitness / Hair / Beauty35,100 GBP
Physical Therapy AttendantFitness / Hair / Beauty34,000 GBP
Recreational TherapistFitness / Hair / Beauty44,700 GBP
Salon AssistantFitness / Hair / Beauty32,600 GBP
Salon ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty92,400 GBP
Spa ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty105,800 GBP
Spa SupervisorFitness / Hair / Beauty78,400 GBP
Sport and Recreation ManagerFitness / Hair / Beauty109,700 GBP
Tattoo ArtistFitness / Hair / Beauty27,800 GBP
Weight Loss ConsultantFitness / Hair / Beauty100,700 GBP
Yoga InstructorFitness / Hair / Beauty65,900 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.

CityAverage Salary
Aberdeen68,350 GBP
Abingdon60,250 GBP
Armagh70,200 GBP
Bangor60,200 GBP
Belfast72,250 GBP
Birmingham76,800 GBP
Bradford77,350 GBP
Brighton72,250 GBP
Bristol74,350 GBP
Canterbury60,050 GBP
Cardiff74,900 GBP
Chester64,050 GBP
Coventry72,850 GBP
Derby71,950 GBP
Derry64,450 GBP
Dundee67,500 GBP
Durham63,750 GBP
Edinburgh75,900 GBP
Exeter65,900 GBP
Glasgow79,550 GBP
Gloucester67,900 GBP
Hartlepool66,200 GBP
Inverness62,850 GBP
Kingston upon Hull71,750 GBP
Kirkwall58,450 GBP
Leeds80,050 GBP
Leicester74,100 GBP
Lincoln69,900 GBP
Lisburn64,100 GBP
Liverpool78,400 GBP
London75,400 GBP
Manchester78,350 GBP
Newcastle70,550 GBP
Newport68,900 GBP
Newry68,350 GBP
Norwich67,850 GBP
Nottingham74,800 GBP
Oxford66,450 GBP
Peterborough71,050 GBP
Plymouth71,200 GBP
Poole69,650 GBP
Portsmouth71,000 GBP
Ripon60,250 GBP
Salisbury64,600 GBP
Sheffield77,700 GBP
Somerset77,000 GBP
Southampton72,700 GBP
St Davids57,350 GBP
Stirling66,250 GBP
Stromness58,100 GBP
Strontian61,100 GBP
Swansea73,600 GBP
Truro60,900 GBP
Wakefield61,600 GBP
Wells60,550 GBP
Winchester63,150 GBP
Wolverhampton71,350 GBP
York70,050 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

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

StateAverage Salary
England127,900 GBP
Northern Ireland63,500 GBP
Scotland93,200 GBP
Wales65,350 GBP

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