About to give up a pretty cushy gig.
Posted by RealAgent0@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 89 comments
Well, cushy-ish. NHS Position. About £45K a year. Support Entra, Intune, AD, Basic L2 Switch Stuff, Cisco Telephony, Teams Telephony, some bespoke systems plus about a dozen other things and supporting 10,000 users in a team of 6 System Admins (Of which I am one), 10 Service Desk members and 8 Hardware Technicians. I started as nothing more than a Cleaner at this place, went to the Service Desk, then Hardware and now an Admin.
Despite the workload, I love my job most of the time. I get on with everyone except my immediate manager (Although I get on with all three of her Managers), actually hang out with some of my colleagues outside of work hours and consider them my friends and 90% of the time, when there's a problem, I know the fix immediately.
Despite all that, I do need to leave the job. My girlfriend of five years, who I met at this job and we actually managed to keep the relationship under wraps this whole time (There have been issues with workplace relationships in the past in the department) broke up with me.
It wasn't so bad before but now she works closely with the IT Department and I have to see her every day. It physically hurts just to see her. There's no WFH option, there's no changing offices. Even I told the higher ups, there's not really anything that would change since there's no other office either of us could work from. Plus, the higher ups are "Mens men" where if I brought this up, they would look and treat me differently because of the fact that my "Feelings" are affecting me.
I've always wanted to move back to London so have started looking for jobs there. Except it's really dire out here in the UK for us Sysadmins. Even then, 45K in London is not the same as 45K elsewhere. I'm happy to live in a small shitbox sharing with 5 other flatmates but it's still hard to actually find decent jobs there that fall within my skillset.
killerpotti@reddit
I'm about to quit my job at a hyper scaler with nothing in hand.
Mental (and physical) health is always more important than jobs
Zaaper2005@reddit
All that for 45k is insane. Does the U.K under pay most IT jobs?
FireLucid@reddit
They don't seem to be doing great over there. I read this a few days ago, opened my eyes a bit.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-06/broken-britain-poverty-crisis-pushing-voters-to-reform-uk/106354940
gloomndoom@reddit
Equivalent $60k USD for a sysadmin in 2026? This seems woefully low. I made $66k as an early sysadmin in 1993.
Maro1947@reddit
How about you consider it outside of a US lens? It's literally posted in the OP that it's in the UK
gloomndoom@reddit
And this whole thread is full is US/UK comparisons. This salary seems to be an underpaid role in the UK especially combined with public sector employment.
Maro1947@reddit
Outside of London, it's likely the norm, not underpaid
The UK market is massively different to America
itskdog@reddit
Public sector is always underpaid (besides the top civil servants in Westminster) as they're always strapped for cash.
I make the same as a teaching assistant (bottom rung of the pay scale, IT technician, but basically do everything besides make decisions) - the only pay rise I've had has been an increase to my holiday allowance above the statutory 20 days for 5 years of service.
BenDestiny@reddit
£45k at NHS?! That’s insane! I am earning 47k as a senior sysadmin at a fintech, serving the biggest banks, and I was duoing with my manager the whole stuff. From 1st line to full project and sec audits. 200 users in 4 offices! I was told the whole time, that my wage is insane! They have never seen such an overpaid sysadmin!
mcsey@reddit
WTF? You can double that in rural America. Standard would be about $100K (~75K pounds?)
Maro1947@reddit
Then you'd have to live in Rural America.......
Honestly, apply some critical thinking there mate
mcsey@reddit
Right and the job in NYC pays $300K. Living in the bumpkin part of America where shit is cheap for the USA, and it's still at least a $90K job for OPs skillset.
itskdog@reddit
But what additional bills come out of that 90k? Capitalism is actually regulated over here.
mcsey@reddit
I'm not arguing any of that other than a system that has someone thinking $60K a year in a high income area in that job is "cushy" is a system that sucks for the worker.
But hell, what do I know? Maybe all the kids in the UK learn LDAP, QoS, and VLANing from primary school like Russian kids putting together their AKs
itskdog@reddit
As long as you're earning enough to live comfortably and within your means, who cares?
Average wages are just lower over here, even in the private sector. A 6 figure salary means you're very wealthy.
Maro1947@reddit
I don't think you are thinking about this .....
ron_mexxico@reddit
Idk what his definition of rural America is but for me thats off. 100k is easy in any moderately sized metro area. True rural would be lower than 100k probably by a fair bit
RockinOneThreeTwo@reddit
47k is fucking measly admittedly for that kind of position, local government will pay you that much for a Senior Specialist Technician, and that's in the North
smshing@reddit
Yeah if I was you I wouldn't ask what your colleagues are getting paid, I just got offered at fintech for 70k and bonus.
RockinOneThreeTwo@reddit
Yes
ManyInterests@reddit
If you're used to tech salaries in big US cities, everywhere else looks like peanuts, pretty much.
usernamedottxt@reddit
Bronze handcuffs man. I’d have to become a CISO in Europe for a 15% pay cut. Want out of this shitty fucking country but once you’ve beat the rat race it’s so hard to leave.
arcimbo1do@reddit
The cost of living is also way lower and quality of life in Europe can be way higher. But if you plan to travel back every now and then it might be a problem.
Jackalrax@reddit
People say this, but it just doesn't seem true in any of the usual countries people talk about (the UK in this instance). This is a sys admin making £45k per year and living with 4 additional roommates, and it doesnt sound like they are that financially comfortable.
When I have looked at rents in the past they don't seem cheaper, but they may at least beat out the big cities, I doubt food is cheaper but maybe, products I imagine are more expensive (VAT at least), gas is significantly more expensive, electricity is more expensive, etc.
I would like the low pay in most of Europe to be offset by a lower cost of living in Europe, but it just never seems to add up.
Time_IsRelative@reddit
£45k is about $60k USD. You'll be lucky to find a shit hole and 4 flatmates that you can afford in New York City on that salary. London is one of the highest cost of living cities in the world, only slightly behind New York.
Food is definitely cheaper if you cook for yourself; I was shocked at how cheap basic staples were in London even compared to small town grocery stores in the US.
Plus there's the whole healthcare cost issue in the US.
pdp10@reddit
The lack of 20% VAT on uncooked food in the UK is not remotely all of the difference, but it's part of the reason why uncooked food seems cheap.
Time_IsRelative@reddit
I live in a fairly rural, low cost of living area of the U.S..
I can buy a single apple at a mid-range grocery store for $1 - $2 USD. Meanwhile, Tesco in London sells half a dozen apples for the equivalent of $2 USD. A kilo of sweet potatoes in that same tesco is $0.10 USD more than a single sweet potato in the US. Alternately, I could buy bulk sweet potatoes for $4.99 USD for 3 pounds, or 3 times the price of that single kilo for 30% more potato.
The price of meat is much closer when comparing, but the produce price difference is insane.
arcimbo1do@reddit
I was replying to someone who says that getting a 15% paycut and moving to Europe would not be an option because he was making way too much. I simply said that what one should look at is quality of life, and the absolute value of the salary is irrelevant. Why do people keep arguing over trivialities?
Ah, it's reddit, I guess that's why.
usernamedottxt@reddit
A 15% pay cut if I got four promotions mate. I’m an individual contributor making $200k/year in the Midwest. My house cost $300k.
arcimbo1do@reddit
Do you have any idea what 60k buys you in Spain?
usernamedottxt@reddit
Yep, trying to convince work to let me go for a digitial nomad visa and get the best of both worlds lol
Jackalrax@reddit
Well, because pay and cost of living is a significant aspect of quality of life.
Additionally, we have looked into moving casually in the past and these comparisons are part of that calculation.
shacksrus@reddit
Fwiw the gdp per capita of France one of the leading European countries is about the same as Louisiana of the lagging American states.
Shock the us is wealthier than other countries. But that doesn't really help if you're poor in Louisiana or hurt if you're rich in Paris.
billy_teats@reddit
I think the quality of life thing is kind of moot when comparing 45k to 120k. For the least privileged lowest incomes, the social safety nets in Europe are great. When you’ve “made it” the US is fantastic
arcimbo1do@reddit
I disagree. Quality of life is what people really care about. 45, 120 or 300 are literally just numbers.
billy_teats@reddit
Those numbers directly affect your quality of life. You can’t do much travel making 45k a year. You’re worried about how much heat you’re using because that has a real cost. The difference in quality of life inside a 10k used vehicle is different than in a 80k luxury car, especially when your transmission blows and you don’t have any disposable income to fix it because you only make 45k a year.
When paying your bills causes you zero stress, that’s quality of life. When you are worried about how one major issue is going to impact you, and you are constantly worried about it, that’s not a great quality of life
arcimbo1do@reddit
Ok let's talk about trivialities. Clearly, money affects the quality of life. But the amount of money needed vastly depends on your needs, location, family, etc. 150k in San Francisco when your family lives in the Philippines and you want to travel 4 times a year to visit them is different than 30k in Zadar if your family lives there and you love the sea. And no, nobody needs a luxury car to improve their quality of life.
billy_teats@reddit
You are comparing living away from your family and living near your family. That is not impacted by salary and is a disingenuous comparison.
The simple fact is money allows you to do more and to stress less.
ManyInterests@reddit
Haha. I feel that. I have dual citizenship. Would move to Europe, except taking a $300K+ paycut to do that would not be the smartest move for me right now. Maybe when I retire 🥲
michivideos@reddit
I work for a non-profit for 65k - 80k in NYC. 45k is not even small tech, that's slavery tech
wrincewind@reddit
you say that, but £35k is 'live comfortably in a 2-bed flat / small house in the nice suburbs of a decent city' money around here.
Jackalrax@reddit
Let's say you work in London (pick where within it). Where would that small house be? I've tried looking and I can't imagine £35k being comfortable for what you described based on the 2 bed home prices I see
Also, "live comfortably" may mean very different thing in the US vs UK
wrincewind@reddit
Well, that's london prices - you can expect a significant pay bump for working in london (or within commuting distance of it)
But if you were to say, live in Oxford, or Manchester, or hull or Newcastle - I live somewhere like that, within a half hour of the city centre by public transport (closer by car), and 32k is "mortgage, car, takeout a couple of times a month, and disposable cash to go out once a week or so without worrying about savings". There's no health insurance, taxes aren't too bad, it adds up...
Jackalrax@reddit
Yeah, if I look at Oxford I can't imagine buying a home on 32k a year from what I can see is available (again, don't know where people usually search for this). It looks like you can buy an apartment potentially, and rent may be affordable, but that is just a decent bit away from what I think of as "comfortable."
I would be interested to see what actually hits a bank account each month at that wage, but I'm not asking you to post that
Breezel123@reddit
45k in pound is not 45k in dollars.
Dal90@reddit
It's $68k on a purchasing power parity basis, which adjusts for things like healthcare expenses, education costs, rent, food, etc. when economists try to make things as apples-to-apples as possible. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.PPP
It's not great.
I live the opposite corner of Connecticut about three hours from New York; the new warehouse in the area is starting folks at $26/hour ($54k a year) https://www.uline.jobs/ct
Wolfram_And_Hart@reddit
lol what’s your rent?
pdp10@reddit
I know, right? No wonder the NHS is broke and doctors are on strike for more money.
TheJesusGuy@reddit
£45k outside of London is really good.
akima@reddit
Better than what you would make in Canada in that position
Spider-Thwip@reddit
Salary in the UK sucks for most IT, but still better than a lot of other jobs.
hey_mr_crow@reddit
UK underpays pretty much all jobs
sqnch@reddit
In fairness it’s £45k and an NHS pension which is worth substantially more than any private sector pension. But yeah it’s still underpaid.
stiffgerman@reddit
Eh, that's like $90k, USD. Not horrible unless you live in one of the big metro areas.
I imagine there's some decent perks working for NHS to make up for the difference? Lots of holiday time/comp time?
karlos-the-jackal@reddit
You get 33 days paid leave with the NHS on top of public holidays. Also a very generous pension scheme.
madclarinet@reddit
UK vacation time is pretty decent (unlike the US). The amount doesn't seem high but is decent (could be better) - you don't get the big healthcare payout due to the NHS being paid from the normal taxes.
I was paid a lot less in the UK that I get in the US now but my 'affordability' was better in the UK as I didn't need co-pays etc. The numbers are harder to quantify.
Kurkpitten@reddit
Yeah direct conversions are meaningless. Don't exactly know about the UK but in France people making 40-45k euros a year can have a very comfortable life even in a big city. That's like 45-50k dollars, which I've seen Americans call a low salary many times on this site.
Lower cost of living, cheap Healthcare, cheaper insurance, more vacation time, more sick days. That stuff compounds pretty fast.
lvdash426@reddit
It's not 90k USD lol. Not even close
thursday51@reddit
No, GBP to USD is like 1 pound to $1.35ish...so under $60k USD.
hxcsp@reddit
45k is not even 60k USD
spuckthew@reddit
Having worked in education early on in my career, it's a public sector and small business issue mostly.
I work in London and get paid almost double OP's salary, which even then isn't insane...but I also do considerably less, WFH most of the time, and am only salaried for 35 hours.
sidtec@reddit
45k is above average earnings in the UK outside of London. Bear in mind that we don't have to pay for medical insurance, high HOA (or service charges) for apartments and flats and the cost of living is generally lower.
AlexisFR@reddit
Under pay? I have a similar job but more sysadmin at 28K€ net a year. That's how it is with MSPs.
RealAgent0@reddit (OP)
Like I said, it's dire out here for us. Plus, it is the NHS which tends to pay less anyway.
dunepilot11@reddit
Have a look at similar industries in your area - schools, universities, and local govt can be places where your NHS experience would be valued
ManLikeMeee@reddit
That's very normal for IT jobs in the UK.
That's higher salary than average in the UK across all industries.
Average pay for UK is 36k.
IT entry can be 25k-30k
Mid level 30-45k, some even say 30-50k
50k upwards is senior or management depending on industry.
Raumarik@reddit
Pretty standard in the UK, bottom line is there are people lining up for these roles. NHS = good pension and job security generally.
However investment into staff training and tech tends to be poor.
5eppa@reddit
Understand the poind generally is stronger than the dollar by a bit. That said, yes when you look elsewhere in the world software engineer doesnt mean great high paying job most of the time. It means comfortable but mot rich quite often in Europe.
wabi-sabi411@reddit
Hence the 5 roommates as an admin.
alpha417@reddit
Apparently... the definition of cushy is highly subjective, as well!
thursday51@reddit
So what's that...about $82k Canadian? For the number of hats you're wearing, you are underpaid, but not as bad as some I've seen in the UK. Still, that would be a *real* tough sell for London rents.
During my divorce I briefly considered moving to the UK and found a hybrid sys admin job at the University of Manchester that looked really interesting, and paid approximately £60K a year. It was heavily VMWare and Nutanix, right up my alley, but I quickly decided to stay put. But my understanding is that you'd likely want something far above that range minimum for London yeah? Maybe a life in the burbs would be better?
Or maybe if the breakup is still fresh, give it a bit of time for the rawness of the breakup to pass before you make a rash decision. I feel ya mate, and I understand how rough it can be, but if you can keep your head down and buried in your work, the physical effects will pass.
Also, lads lads or not...if any of the 'higher ups' have been divorced before, they'll understand. Make sure you're doing something to deal with the stress so it doesn't actually affect you physically! Take it from somebody who tried to internalize everything and ended up having their blood pressure get to dangerous levels. Don't be stupid like me lol
mr_lab_rat@reddit
You can’t just convert currency like that. Yes, it seems low but you need to account for location and cost of living.
thursday51@reddit
Well yes, fully aware of that. I have family in the UK, travel there often, have a cottage in northern Wales.
For what it's worth, I'm basing my "underpaid" notion on the combination of skills, the breadth of experience, and especially the amount of responsibility required to support that number of users on that many business critical services. My man here is what we would call corporate glue. He's being paid better than a level 1/2 tech, but he should absolutely be making more than what he is.
Greedy_Chocolate_681@reddit
I'm not doing half of that for $45k. I'd rather be an order picker and wear an earbud all day, getting paid to work out.
winmace@reddit
Look for something else but don't just throw away what you have over someone else, you don't owe them that kind of control over your life.
kosta880@reddit
Although I was in a situation where I would have prioritized my dick instead of the brain, she had more brain and said no. Good decision. Never shit where you sleep indeed. But, about your salary. Honestly, for a country in (continental) Europe, that seems extremely low. I don’t know your age, that might be a factor as well as you coming from a cleaner position, but that is like a minimum wage or something. Here, mid EU, I make almost double, and one other guy I know, which is in somewhat similar position, just got a contract for 70k. Depending on your age/experience, IMO you should be making at least 60-70k.
TheJesusGuy@reddit
Incorrect.
sykophreak@reddit
It may help to talk to a therapist. I know there can be, at least in the culture in the US where I live, a little bit of a stigma for some on admitting you work with a therapist, but honestly it can really help so much. I finally saw one several years ago and it was beneficial. Part of the issue I saw him for was a conflict with someone at work. I also saw a marriage counselor for a while at the end of my last marriage. My then-wife ended up acting childishly and decided to stop going, but I learned quite a bit from the therapist. They can help a lot with learning how to handle things like what you’re experiencing.
Liquidretro@reddit
If you like your job otherwise don't make a rush decision to quit just because of the breakup. Give it some time see if you can make it continue to work.
d47@reddit
Honestly, apply for jobs paying much more and see how you land. You might be surprised.
Drknz@reddit
Never fuck where you sleep or something like that..
mrender7@reddit
Don't shit where you sleep
Training_Yak_4655@reddit
So you've been on the NHS pension scheme. The obvious thing is to scour internal job boards/other NHS health trusts for vacancies. Existing NHS employees are strongly favoured due to bureaucratic reasons. You might as well try to keep the NHS pension deal, it's worth 20% of salary. By the way, 'started as a cleaner' sounds a bit AI scripted.
Winter_Engineer2163@reddit
that’s a rough situation man, not even about the job itself but having to deal with that every day will slowly eat at you
honestly if it’s affecting you that much, leaving is a valid move even if the job is “good on paper”. mental side matters more long term than a comfy role
but i wouldn’t quit without something lined up, especially in the current market. maybe widen the search a bit, not just london, or even look at remote/hybrid roles outside your immediate area
also worth thinking if there’s any short term workaround just to make it bearable while you search, like minimizing contact, different shifts, anything like that
you clearly built yourself up from nothing to admin, so you’ll land something again, just might take a bit of time
PrincipleExciting457@reddit
Honestly, in the current market, that sounds on par with jobs I’ve seen posted. Is it underpaid? For sure. Should you expect more? Probably not.
I have the same responsibilities in the US and accounting for the exchange i make about $25k more. I worry every single day about getting laid off.
enterprisedatalead@reddit
This is one of those situations where the job itself isn’t the problem, it’s the environment around it. From what you described, you actually have a solid role, good team, and strong growth path, but the personal situation is what’s making it unbearable day to day.
In my experience, leaving a good technical role purely because of a temporary emotional trigger can backfire, especially in a tough job market. I’ve seen people regret moving when the next role didn’t have the same team, learning curve, or stability, and those things are harder to find than we think. At the same time, mental health matters, so if staying is genuinely affecting you daily, even small changes like shifting teams, schedules, or internal roles can sometimes buy you time without taking a full risk.
Are you trying to leave immediately because of the situation, or could you give it a few months while lining up something better first?
Hebrewhammer8d8@reddit
That is the risk if you catch feelings at work, because if both parties are still at the same job after the breakup most of the time it will get wicked. Yes if you don't feel right got to search out there for another job.
JynxedByKnives@reddit
Can you move your desk to a different floor or area? Just giving you another option.
evantom34@reddit
Hey man, prioritize your mental health first and foremost. We work to live, not live to work. Just be realistic with a path forward. I don’t know how the market is in the UK, but here in the states it’s highly recommended to find a job before you leave.