[mischanix]

My (uninformed) view of the UK is that the reward for being in tech there is dismal, real money is hard to come by, pays and benefits are just enough to scrape by, etc.; the article brings up the point that while historically Scotland has been on the forefront of technology, it hasn't been very active in the last few decades, which leads me to wonder if the poor rewards have led to the emigration of those who would otherwise base their tech startup in the UK.

[matthewmacleod]

That's pretty uninformed, yes. There's a pretty big tech scene in the UK; lots of money is available for good engineers. A developer with a few years of experience in London will probably make £65k or so, or about $110k. Cost of living is quite high, but that's pretty good money by any standards.

A major problem is that Scotland's tech talent has drained to London.

[mischanix]

Thanks for the info. My perception was driven by the fact that every job ad from the UK I've with an openly advertised salary that I've seen has that salary in the range of 25~35k GBP while requiring the candidate to live in London and be well-experienced which, to me, just seems completely unfeasible.

[fennecfoxen]

Anecdotal input for you -- I've had a preliminary interview with a group in London which might end up hiring me (from the US no less) and which is more likely to be paying around £70k/yr -- the highest I've seen. Stuff on the order of £50k seems to be more common. Overall it seems like a step down from New York, given that it's also just as expensive, but it's hardly as bad as what you've seen...

[felipellrocha]

For reference, what's the cost of living there? (average housing cost, utilities, etc...)

[pjc50]

real money is hard to come by

Conversely, HN is full of stories of people in SF earning vast salaries but having to live in a cupboard because property prices are so high. A tech job in Edinburgh will get you a 3-bed apartment right in the centre or a nice house in the suburbs. I'm not sure what you'd consider "real money"?