Electrical engineer Salary and conditions

• Range of typical starting salaries: £20,000 - £25,000.
• Experienced or incorporated engineers can earn between £28,000 - £38,000.
• A chartered electrical engineer can earn £40,000 - £50,000 or more.
• Salaries vary considerably according to location, the size of the employing organisation and the nature of its business.
• Working hours vary and are job-specific. You may need to work extra and unsocial hours to meet deadlines or resolve design difficulties. Some jobs offer flexible working.
• You may be located in a production plant, workshop, office, laboratory, factory or on site, or possibly a mixture of several of these. Conditions may be hot, dusty or cramped, although most electrical engineers work in comfortable offices.
• Jobs are available throughout the UK, with jobs in the manufacturing sectors concentrated in industrial areas.
• Travel within the working day is common. Jobs in multinational organisations may involve overseas travel.
• Women are still underrepresented in all areas of engineering, although the number of women working in SET (science, engineering and technology) is increasing and is now around 12%. Some firms and organisations, such as WISE (Women into Science, Engineering and Construction) , The UKRC  and Women's Engineering Society (WES) , actively encourage and promote the entry of women into engineering education, training and practice.
• Self-employment and consultancy are possible after building up expertise and a reputation within the profession. It would be normal to hold chartered engineer status before entering consultancy work.
• There are good opportunities for working overseas, particularly in the oil, petrochemical and power sectors, large consulting firms and large building contractors. This could be either an overseas posting with a multinational employer or by applying for a job based overseas.