Average Optical Engineer Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer Make in United Kingdom?

An Optical Engineer working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 60,900 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 30,000 GBP to the highest average salary of 92,300 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
60,900 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
5,075 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
30,000 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,500 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
92,300 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
7,691 GBP

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

Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer Salaries in United Kingdom

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

Salary ranges

We already know that an Optical Engineer can earn between 30,000 GBP and 92,300 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 Optical Engineer in United Kingdom is 56,800 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 56,800 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 56,800 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 Optical Engineer salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 40,000 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 40,000 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 69,400 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 69,400 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.

Optical Engineer 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 optical engineer 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 Optical Engineer in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 34,400 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Optical Engineer salary would increase to 47,800 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Optical Engineer, the average salary would be 62,600 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 73,500 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Optical Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 80,000 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Optical Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 85,400 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
34,400 GBP
2-5 Years +34%
47,800 GBP
5-10 Years +30%
62,600 GBP
10-15 Years +21%
73,500 GBP
15-20 Years +9%
80,000 GBP
20+ Years +5%
85,400 GBP

Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 50,500 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. An Optical Engineer in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 70,000 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
50,500 GBP
Master's Degree +39%
70,000 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.

Optical Engineer 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 optical engineer will earn an average of 58,800 GBP, while a female optical engineer will earn around 57,400 GBP.

This means that a male optical engineer earns approximately 2% more than a female optical engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
58,800 GBP
Female -2%
57,400 GBP

Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer in United Kingdom is around 12% 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 = ( 12 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that an Optical Engineer 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%

Optical Engineer 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 Optical Engineer is a low bonus based job, with 30% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

70% 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 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
30%
No Bonus
70%

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 Optical Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Optical Engineer in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Acoustics Engineer Engineering 62,500 GBP
Assembly Engineering Technician Engineering 50,000 GBP
Assistant Chief Engineer Engineering 68,100 GBP
Associate Engineer Engineering 55,500 GBP
AutoCAD Drafter Engineering 36,900 GBP
Autocad Operator Engineering 40,700 GBP
Automation Engineer Engineering 67,000 GBP
Automation Engineer Engineering 69,100 GBP
Avionic System Support Engineer Engineering 60,100 GBP
Biochemical Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
BMS Engineer Engineering 61,700 GBP
Bridge and Lock Tender Engineering 33,000 GBP
Broadcast Engineer Engineering 61,600 GBP
CAD Design Engineer Engineering 69,400 GBP
CAD Designer Engineering 39,100 GBP
CAE Engineer Engineering 59,800 GBP
Ceramics Engineer Engineering 58,700 GBP
Chemical Engineer Engineering 63,500 GBP
Civil Drafter Engineering 39,100 GBP
Civil Engineer Engineering 68,900 GBP
Civil Site Engineer Engineering 65,400 GBP
Civil Technician Engineering 40,300 GBP
Commissioning Engineer Engineering 60,900 GBP
Communications Engineer Engineering 68,200 GBP
Condition Monitoring Engineer Engineering 54,300 GBP
Contract Associate Engineer Engineering 63,200 GBP
Contract Engineer Engineering 64,900 GBP
Control Systems Engineer Engineering 64,800 GBP
Controls Engineer Engineering 61,200 GBP
Controls Software Engineer Engineering 54,100 GBP
Corrosion Engineer Engineering 62,100 GBP
Design Engineer Engineering 69,700 GBP
Director of Engineering Engineering 123,800 GBP
Drafter Engineering 40,300 GBP
Drafting Manager Engineering 74,300 GBP
Drilling Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Drilling Foreman Engineering 18,200 GBP
Electrical Draughtsman Engineering 32,200 GBP
Electrical Engineer Engineering 70,000 GBP
Electrical Engineering Manager Engineering 93,100 GBP
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist Engineering 69,700 GBP
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler Engineering 31,700 GBP
Energy Engineer Engineering 65,800 GBP
Engine Assembler Engineering 30,800 GBP
Engineer Engineering 64,900 GBP
Engineering Account Manager Engineering 74,500 GBP
Engineering Chief Designer Engineering 77,000 GBP
Engineering Consultant Engineering 86,100 GBP
Engineering Key Account Manager Engineering 90,600 GBP
Engineering Lab Technician Engineering 59,800 GBP
Engineering Manager Engineering 92,400 GBP
Engineering Planning Manager Engineering 93,200 GBP
Engineering Production Manager Engineering 114,900 GBP
Engineering Project Analyst Engineering 73,100 GBP
Engineering Project Coordinator Engineering 72,400 GBP
Engineering Project Director Engineering 128,200 GBP
Engineering Project Leader Engineering 80,400 GBP
Engineering Project Manager Engineering 84,600 GBP
Engineering Research and Development Manager Engineering 105,800 GBP
Engineering Safety Coordinator Engineering 50,500 GBP
Engineering Sales Manager Engineering 83,800 GBP
Engineering Technician Engineering 45,600 GBP
Engineering Technologist Engineering 49,400 GBP
Environmental Engineer Engineering 60,600 GBP
Equipment Engineer Engineering 59,500 GBP
Equipment Engineering Manager Engineering 86,100 GBP
Estimator Engineering 51,900 GBP
Fabrication Specialist Engineering 45,600 GBP
Fabricator Engineering 31,300 GBP
Facade Engineer Engineering 61,300 GBP
Fiber Analyst Engineering 38,100 GBP
Field Engineer Engineering 63,200 GBP
Field Engineering Manager Engineering 109,000 GBP
Fire Engineer Engineering 63,000 GBP
Fitter and Turner Engineering 21,200 GBP
Forestry Strategic Planner Engineering 76,000 GBP
Generation Engineer Engineering 67,500 GBP
Genetic Engineer Engineering 67,500 GBP
Geological Engineer Engineering 64,300 GBP
Geotechnical Engineer Engineering 68,200 GBP
Heavy Equipment Mechanic Engineering 34,000 GBP
Highway Engineer Engineering 59,800 GBP
HSE Professional Engineering 58,600 GBP
HVAC Engineer Engineering 66,400 GBP
HVAC Supervisor Engineering 62,100 GBP
Industrial Engineer Engineering 61,800 GBP
Industrial Engineering Technologist Engineering 63,900 GBP
Instrument Engineer Engineering 61,400 GBP
Instrument Technician Engineering 35,300 GBP
Instrumentation and Control Engineer Engineering 61,400 GBP
Instrumentation Designer Engineering 51,800 GBP
Instrumentation Engineer Engineering 65,100 GBP
Instrumentation Manager Engineering 64,300 GBP
Irrigation Engineer Engineering 64,600 GBP
Licensed Aircraft Engineer Engineering 67,800 GBP
Locomotive Engineer Engineering 61,800 GBP
Maintenance Engineer Engineering 58,500 GBP
Maintenance Fitter Engineering 23,200 GBP
Maintenance Manager Engineering 62,600 GBP
Manufacturing Engineer Engineering 62,100 GBP
Marine Engineer Engineering 65,900 GBP
Materials Engineer Engineering 58,600 GBP
Materials Researcher Engineering 58,200 GBP
Materials Technician Engineering 46,400 GBP
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Engineering 68,900 GBP
Mechanical Design Engineer Engineering 71,100 GBP
Mechanical Designer Engineering 51,800 GBP
Mechanical Engineer Engineering 67,400 GBP
Mechanical Engineering Manager Engineering 88,500 GBP
Mechanical Inspector Engineering 63,700 GBP
Mechatronics Engineer Engineering 72,400 GBP
Mining Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer Engineering 65,800 GBP
Optical Instrument Assembler Engineering 32,200 GBP
PCB Assembler Engineering 23,800 GBP
Photonics Engineer Engineering 70,800 GBP
Photonics Technician Engineering 57,400 GBP
Pipeline Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Piping Designer Engineering 34,000 GBP
Piping Engineer Engineering 57,400 GBP
Planning Engineer Engineering 65,900 GBP
Pressure Vessel Inspector Engineering 30,200 GBP
Principal Cost Engineer Engineering 67,400 GBP
Principal Engineer Engineering 63,200 GBP
Principal Support Engineer Engineering 63,900 GBP
Process Engineer Engineering 61,500 GBP
Process Operator Engineering 36,500 GBP
Product Development Engineer Engineering 66,400 GBP
Product Development Technician Engineering 49,000 GBP
Product Engineer Engineering 68,200 GBP
Product Safety Engineer Engineering 58,500 GBP
Production Engineer Engineering 63,700 GBP
Project Engineer Engineering 65,900 GBP
Proposal Manager Engineering 79,600 GBP
Purchasing Engineer Engineering 57,200 GBP
Quality Assurance Engineer Engineering 64,900 GBP
Rail Engineer Engineering 67,800 GBP
Regional Field Engineer Engineering 69,100 GBP
Robotics Engineer Engineering 75,400 GBP
Robotics Technician Engineering 51,100 GBP
Safety Engineer Engineering 62,600 GBP
Safety Inspector Engineering 45,600 GBP
Safety Manager Engineering 73,500 GBP
Safety Officer Engineering 32,200 GBP
Sales Engineer Engineering 66,400 GBP
Scheduling Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Service Engineer Engineering 69,100 GBP
Solar Engineer Engineering 65,900 GBP
Staff Engineer Engineering 59,900 GBP
Static Equipment Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Stationary Engineer Engineering 57,800 GBP
Stress Engineer Engineering 57,200 GBP
Structural Analysis Engineer Engineering 63,100 GBP
Structural Designer Engineering 52,300 GBP
Structural Engineer Engineering 64,500 GBP
Structural Technician Engineering 42,300 GBP
Supply Chain Specialist Engineering 64,600 GBP
Surveyor Engineering 47,400 GBP
Technical Affairs Officer Engineering 32,600 GBP
Technical Assistant Engineering 32,200 GBP
Technical Engineer Engineering 54,200 GBP
Technical Support Engineer Engineering 54,300 GBP
Tender Engineer Engineering 54,700 GBP
Test Development Engineer Engineering 63,400 GBP
Test Engineer Engineering 60,700 GBP
Transportation Engineer Engineering 58,800 GBP
Validation Engineer Engineering 58,800 GBP
Verification Engineer Engineering 60,100 GBP
Wastewater Engineer Engineering 63,000 GBP
Wind Energy Engineer Engineering 66,000 GBP
Wind Energy Operations Manager Engineering 87,400 GBP
Work Planner Engineering 45,000 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 64,900 GBP
Abingdon 55,600 GBP
Armagh 61,200 GBP
Bangor 57,800 GBP
Belfast 64,600 GBP
Birmingham 73,700 GBP
Bradford 67,600 GBP
Brighton 68,100 GBP
Bristol 72,400 GBP
Cambridge 60,500 GBP
Canterbury 59,500 GBP
Cardiff 68,400 GBP
Chester 60,900 GBP
Coventry 67,400 GBP
Derby 61,500 GBP
Derry 61,700 GBP
Dundee 58,600 GBP
Durham 60,400 GBP
Edinburgh 71,000 GBP
Exeter 61,400 GBP
Glasgow 68,500 GBP
Gloucester 58,600 GBP
Hartlepool 62,100 GBP
Inverness 53,800 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 66,900 GBP
Kirkwall 57,800 GBP
Leeds 67,300 GBP
Leicester 71,100 GBP
Lincoln 62,500 GBP
Lisburn 56,600 GBP
Liverpool 65,700 GBP
London 72,700 GBP
Manchester 68,800 GBP
Newcastle 66,000 GBP
Newport 61,300 GBP
Newry 56,600 GBP
Norwich 61,400 GBP
Nottingham 67,900 GBP
Oxford 59,800 GBP
Peterborough 65,900 GBP
Plymouth 65,100 GBP
Poole 59,100 GBP
Portsmouth 66,100 GBP
Ripon 54,500 GBP
Salisbury 54,200 GBP
Sheffield 71,200 GBP
Somerset 69,800 GBP
Southampton 65,400 GBP
St Davids 57,100 GBP
Stirling 60,500 GBP
Stromness 53,600 GBP
Strontian 56,100 GBP
Swansea 65,400 GBP
Truro 56,100 GBP
Wakefield 54,100 GBP
Wells 54,900 GBP
Winchester 57,800 GBP
Wolverhampton 61,800 GBP
York 64,900 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
England 121,800 GBP
Northern Ireland 55,400 GBP
Scotland 87,700 GBP
Wales 57,800 GBP

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