MY SALARY PROGRESSION

MY SALARY PROGRESSION as an accountant in London 🇬🇧 From 21K salary to £100K+ salary tips, tricks, lessons and everything in between £21,000 ACA Trainee Accountant | Small Practice Straight out of university, my priority wasn't earning the highest salary possible. It was learning & development. I specifically wanted an employer that would fully fund my ACA qualification because I knew becoming Chartered would significantly increase my future earning potential. The strategy: optimise for learning before earning. £38,000 → £45,000 Part-Qualified → Exam-Qualified After Year 1: £38k base + performance-related bonus After Year 2: £45k base As I passed more ACA exams and gained more experience, my earning power started increasing quickly. I wasn't qualified yet but I'd gone from £21k → £45k in just two years. £49,000 + 5 figure sign on bonus Qualified Accountant → Big Four Senior Associate Once fully qualified, I made my first major career move. £49k base salary + a five-figure sign-on bonus. That bonus actually formed part of the deposit that helped me get onto the property ladder in my early 20s. This move wasn't just about money though. I wanted the experience and opportunities that came with working at a Big Four firm. £55,000 → £65,000 Senior Associate → Manager Year 2: £55k Promotion to Manager: £65k This was probably the period where I developed the most professionally. I managed more projects, worked with FTSE 100 companies, travelled for work and completed a secondment into an in-house finance role for a key client. And I had the most supportive senior team. I learnt SO much here. (base excluding bonus) £100,000+ package Associate | Tier 1 Global Investment Bank Eventually I realised: If I wanted to materially increase my earnings, I needed to move into a sector that paid accordingly. For me, that was banking. I negotiated my ass off for a six- figure package. Leaving Big 4 was bittersweet because I genuinely loved my team... but I've always believed my 20s were the time to learn, take opportunities and maximise my earning potential. THE BIGGEST CAREER MOVE £21k → £100k → Entrepreneurship This year, I walked away from the corporate career ladder altogether and started Infinia Accountants. And now the metric I'm building isn't my salary. It's ownership. I'm building my own accountancy practice, working with incredible clients and creating something where my earning potential is no longer determined by a salary band or promotion cycle. And I'm only getting started.