Salaries and career progression
29-Oct-09
As with any profession, career progression is possible for those who work hard and show enthusiasm and an aptitude for the work. There are jobs at all levels, from assistant/support type roles through to Manager and right up to Director level.
Public Sector
In the public sector, starting annual salaries for newly-qualified planners (Graduate Planners or Assistant Planners) can range from £16,000 to £28,000. Members of the RTPI (chartered town planners) will often start higher in the salary scales than non-members. Principal Planners and Team Leaders can earn between £29,000 and £45,000. Chief Planning Officers, Heads of Departments and Directors can earn between £55,000 and £80,000, and occasionally even higher than that. The higher salaries in these ranges are paid by local authorities where there is a scarcity of planners, for example London boroughs or local authorities in the South East.
Public sector employment carries with it excellent benefits such as generous annual leave and pension schemes, essential car user allowances, flexible working hours and job share. In London, public sector employers will often provide interest-free season ticket loans.
In terms of career progression in the public sector, Assistant/Graduate Planners can move to Senior Planner posts after gaining three to five years of experience. Progression may be quicker once planners become chartered, i.e. once they gain Chartered Membership of the RTPI. It is possible to specialise in different areas of planning (see our career profiles) and move between departments within the same organisation or to move into managerial posts. There are also opportunities to move between public sector employers, between private sector employers or between the two sectors.
Private Sector
Pay in the private sector should be comparable to that in the public sector. There may not be set scales and individual salaries may be a matter for negotiation with the employer. Holiday entitlements and pension schemes are likely to be less generous than those in the public sector.
- Where do planners work?
- Salaries and career progression
- Jobs in planning
- Choosing a university course
- For planners who want to work abroad
- For overseas planners who want to work in the UK
- Resources for Schools
- Author:
- Dushy Large - updated by Cheryl King
- Publisher:
- The Royal Town Planning Institute
- Date:
- 29-Oct-09
- Categories:
- Planning as a Career
- Sections:
- Education & Careers
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Pay for graduates in the private sector is comparable to that in the public sector. However, it can increase more rapidly once chartership is attained. 4 years after graduating, planners in the private sector should expect to be earning upwards of £32,000 p.a.
Annual leave allowance will be at the statutory level (21 days plus public holidays I think). Flexi-time is rare in the private sector however. You do normally get a car allowance/company car however and, in some companies, a good bonus, which increases overall earnings.
Planners who become land buyers and managers for developers are generally the best renumerated and would earn good bonuses (depending on performance).