UK Executive Assistant Salaries

Here you can find some critical data on the pay range of Executive Assistant in the UK. All of the data was taken from Glassdoor, a well-known employment website that is commonly used for this type of study in the UK. We last updated this data in October 2022. During 2022, we have seen some rise in some UK cities and this may be connected to inflation that has been high through the majority of the year. Higher paid Executive Assistant Jobs are often quite a lot higher than the average Executive Assistant wage. The higher-paid jobs will often relate to senior roles like Executive Assistants to the CEO or similar titles. Cities with more headquarters or high paying industries also witnessed higher wages. Investment Banking, Law, Financial Services, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Technology tended to attract higher wages.

Executive Assistants

Executive Assistant Pay

As per last year, London Executive Assistant Jobs were the highest paying in the UK. This is primarily due to a more significant percentage of high-paying industries like Law, Financial Services and Technology. Additionally, London has many headquarters that offer senior Executive Assistant Jobs. Aberdeen, Bristol and Edinburgh also offered higher salaries than the national average.

Executive Assistant Salaries in the UK by city

Below you will see the Executive Assistants’ salaries in the UK. The major cities in the United Kingdom. All cities where there are enough jobs and data to post reliable averages have been added to the list.

CityAverage SalaryHigher End Salaries
London£44,000£63,000
Birmingham£33,000£46,000
Manchester£33,000£45,000
Leeds£34,000£46,000
Edinburgh£34,000£50,000
Swindon£37,000£51,000
Belfast£32,000£45,000
Cardiff£31,000£43,000
Aberdeen£35,000£51,000
Glasgow£32,000£49,000
Bristol£34,000£53,000

Executive Assistant Jobs in London

London offers the highest Executive Assistant wages in the UK. This does not mean all Executive Assistant salaries are high, but many higher-paying Executive Assistants Jobs are found in London.  Industries in London that offer high wages include Investment Funds, Private Equity, Banks, Insurance, Law and company head offices.

Work-Life Balance

There is also a correlation between higher wages and less work-life balance, and general well-being. This is a concern raised in many of the higher-paying industries listed above. London wages are also higher, but so is the cost of living. This is worth considering when choosing the location for your career and your target salary level. 

Leeds and Manchester Executive Assistant Salaries

Leeds, on average, was slightly higher than Manchester. However, the data found far more Executive Assistant Jobs in Manchester than in Leeds. Both cities increased during 2022. For many years now, Leeds and Manchester salaries have stayed at a similar level. 

Executive Assistant Pay in Scotland

The cities with the most Executive Assistant Jobs in Scotland were Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Each town had a similar pattern, with higher-end salaries of approximately £50,000 and averages identical to the national average. However, Aberdeen boasted a slightly higher high-end salary average of £51,000. The higher wage is mainly due to the Oil and Gas industry attracting higher salaries.

Executive Assistant Wages in Northern Ireland

Belfast is similar to the UK national average in terms of average and higher-end salaries. However, EAs in Ireland should take note of Executive Assistant Jobs in the Republic of Ireland boasting very high salaries, with an average of €45K and a higher end of €60K. Cork also posted an average of €40K and higher-end salaries of €66K. Large companies like Google, Facebook, Oracle, Apple, and HP have European headquarters in Dublin, or Cork explains these high salaries. 

Executive Assistant Salaries in Wales

Cardiff salaries are very similar to the UK national average. Swansea had very little data to base a reliable benchmark in Glassdoor, but from the available data, the average salary was £29K, with a higher-end salary of £44K. With the exception, the highest-paid town for Executive Assistants was Wrexham. This North Wales town recorded an average of £33K with a higher-end salary of £50K.

Benefits

Benefits packages and non-financial benefits vary significantly according to our research, but these elements are harder to quantify. However, Executive Assistants have stated that since the global pandemic, they have seen more working from home and more flexible working. Additionally, many Executive Assistants received cash bonuses in addition to their salaries. 

High-Paying Executive Assistant Jobs

High-paying Executive Assistant Jobs tend to hold senior Executive Assistant Job titles. These include Executive Assistant to the CEO, CFO and other C-Level Executives or Directors. Additionally, London offered the most significant number of high-paying Executive Assistant jobs. London high-paying jobs can often attract salaries over £60K. However, Bristol, Swindon, Edinburgh and Aberdeen boasted several jobs over £50K.

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