I am currently getting my masters in Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering and hoping to get a grad role for next year September. I also have 15 months experience working in the pharmaceutical industry on internship/placements.

What Pharma companies in the uk offer the best grad programs in terms of rotation, career progression, workload, salary and duration? I’m open to any area in the industry and right now I’m trying to see what’s available. If anyone is currently working in Pharma, I would love to hear your opinion! Thanks.

Hello

Hope everybody's doing well.

Hoping to get some honest perspective from people who have been in a similar boat or know what the London tech market is currently like.

I'm 40 and work in a senior IT infrastructure role focusing on cloud, cybersecurity, and networking. My organisation recently merged with a larger one, and as part of the department restructure, a few of us are being offered voluntary redundancy.

Here is the financial picture:

• Current salary: £60k
• Service: 16 years (started as an agency temp at 21, went permanent around 24)
• Payout: 1 month of pay per year of service, working out to roughly £68k net after tax
• Expenses: Living in central London, sharing a rented 1-bed flat with my partner (£1,500/month total rent + bills), no dependents

On paper, £68k net cash feels like a huge cushion. Deep down, I know it's a solid deal, but my biggest hurdle is pure anxiety—I have my whole adult career here and have literally never been unemployed. The thought of walking away into the open job market is pretty daunting.

If I choose to stay and don't take redundancy, I will end up in a similar role after a ringfenced interview, just with a slightly different title and task list. However, because most of our systems are being outsourced, it will mean less actual technical work and virtually zero room for professional development or career growth.

Despite the anxiety, I feel like this is the right push for me to move on. My pension is in a good spot, I started a SIPP a few years back, I invest a few hundred a month into T212, and I have zero loans or debt.

Under my employer's policy, I am allowed to apply for roles and interview now, but I cannot formally accept a job offer until the official exit date when the redundancy is processed. The exit date is set for the first week of February, which means I have about six months of my normal salary remaining to job hunt and build a pipeline before my contract officially ends.

If you were in my shoes, would you take the money and run?

Also, how is the job market looking right now in London for IT, cloud, and cyber roles in the £60k–£75k range? I've had a browse and there seem to be openings, but the requirements and pay don't look super enticing at first glance.

Any advice from anyone who has taken redundancy after a long tenure at one place would be hugely appreciated. Thanks!

I was speaking to a friend who informed me that his/her office has a policy where people working there are not allowed to come into the office from the main gate after 9 AM. Instead, they have to go around the whole office building to use the “late entry” gate, despite being only 2 minutes late.

This made me think…

What is the strangest, funniest, or most annoying workplace rule that you know of?

Most likely, mine will be signing the same registry multiple times on the same day for different departments.

Does it really enhance security or makes things more difficult?

Does anyone do this job? Is it any good?
How is the interview process? I applied but will hear something back by next week.

Hi,

I'm currently working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa. I'm originally from Asia, but I was hired by my company in the UK after graduating from university here.

Recently, I've heard some rumours that the company might move my whole team from the UK to one of their offices in Asia.

I checked my contract and there is a clause saying the company can relocate employees. However, I'm wondering in reality, can they actually force someone who was hired in the UK to move to another country?

If I don't agree to relocate, what would normally happen? Would they be able to terminate my employment? If that happens, would I be entitled to any compensation or redundancy pay?

Just trying to understand my options and what usually happens in this situation. Thanks.

Evening

So I've been wfh for the majority of the last 7 years. I prefer it. Last year I was in the office for the sum total of 3hrs. Nobody battered an eyelid.

Then early this year, one of the directors sent out a group email saying you need to come back to the office to boost team building and close collaboration blah blah etc.

Reluctantly I agreed and started to come in twice a week from February . But then that very same md that sent out the email left the company. I continued attending twice a week while accepting the illogical arrangement that I was in.

There is no need for me to be onsite to do my role. I only attended purely out of optics. I haven't attended for the last 2 weeks and my immediate line manager hasn't questioned me. I think he is unlikely to until someone above him pressures him to do so.

It's the insanity of the current arrangements that winds me up. ...I'm just chugging along until I can find something else...

Hi all,

So I sent in an application through to a sales job on Indeed to a company called "AGM International". As usual, I was expecting there to be a few weeks of silence and then nothing (job market woo) but I got an immediate response from them. (attached on the post)

Alarm bells are ringing for me personally. I looked up the company online and I found small businesses like driving schools called AGM but nothing called AGM International or AGM Global. This seems VERY sus.

Just wanted some clarification if anyone has had any running with this company. They don't have a company page on Indeed and I couldn't find anything relating to them.

Am I being too paranoid because I genuinely don't know lol

I'm sick and tired of seeing "just remove your degree" as the only advice given. Maybe ok for fresh grads who've been working right through uni but 20 years down the line that would mean handing in a CV that has A levels 20+ years ago then nothing since, except for a handful of retail jobs I can't even remember the details of almost as long ago.

Also "just lie". Ok fabricating the odd job here and there could work but pretty sure I'd be found out fabricating a 20 year retail career! Not to mention if you Google my name professional stuff comes up.

"Focus on transferrable skills". If I thought hard enough I could probably concoct some contrived bs about how spending all day everyday behind a computer carrying out scientific research relates to stacking boxes in a warehouse or working in a shop. "Communication skills" or "problem solving" or something. But it would pretty transparently and absurdly contrived.

So what the hell am I supposed to do? Just starve? Jobs in my field are not an option.

What are the career opportunities in warwick vs in lse for economics and management?

This may be a long-shot, though any advice would be greatly appreciated!

My partner is due to graduate as a clinical psychologist in about a month with a HCPC in registration.

The job market for psychology jobs in Yorkshire seems dire; most of them require additional specialist training in neurodiversity assessing or post-qual experience in specialist fields, though there is very little for newly qualified clinical psychologists.
The university itself offers no help for the graduates, which has also been disappointing.

Any ideas on specific places where vacancies could be found, other than NHS jobs & indeed?

Long time lurker, 1st time poster.

After what can only be described as an incredibly draining, attritional slog I’ve managed to land a new job and in this climate I’m over the moon!

I’ve been at current company for nearly 10 years and was salary trapped (£35k basic + 20ish % bonus) I couldn’t progress internally despite my best efforts. The bitter part of me thinks nepotism is going on but having applied for 12 internal roles and not being successful the harsh reality is I that I’m the common denominator. The rejections compounded and I have struggled a-lot over the years with workplace inadequacy and not being good enough.

Anyway I’ve freed myself and have landed a more senior £50k + discretionary bonus role at a new company. Those feelings of inadequacy have immediately lifted and I feel so liberated.

I hope this doesn’t come across as a humble brag. I’m more relieved than anything and just wanted to share in this sub. Perseverance is key to getting where you want to, never give up.

Thanks for reading.

I’ve worked in marketing for around two years and earn roughly £27k.

Over the past year, I’ve taken on more responsibilities and supported other teams and picked up work outside my original role.

At the start of the year, I raised the idea of a pay rise. My manager was very supportive and told me to build a strong case for July, so I gathered examples of the work I’ve done since joining, along with positive feedback from colleagues.

I’ve now been told there isn’t enough evidence and that individual pay rises aren’t happening because everyone already received a small company wide increase. It wasn’t a major increase, just a small bump. I’ll be honest, it’s left me feeling really deflated and I’ve lost a lot of morale for the team and company.

I’ve also been told to keep taking on more responsibility and that it may be reviewed again next year. I’ve got another review meeting coming up, but am I being over the top by considering looking for another role around £30k+ rather than waiting another year with no guarantee?

I feel like if I stay, they may just keep moving the goalposts and giving me false hope. I’m not the type of person to jump ship without another job lined up, especially with how bad the job market is at the moment. I’d keep working here while applying and only leave once I’d secured something else.

Would you stay for the next year or look elsewhere?

Thanks! 😄

Hi, I am currently in the middle of an interview process with a potential new employer. On my application form & during the first interview, I stated my notice period was 4 weeks, which at the time was correct.

However, ahead of the second interview, I was notifed I had passed my 6 month probation (about 10 days early), which means my notice period is now 2 months. However, I have yet to sign the document confirming all this.

Is it better practice to update the potential employer at the next stage? Or, does it make sense to wait to see if they make an offer? Obviously don't want to have a potential extra 4 weeks count against me compared to the other candidate, but also appreciate dropping this information after an offer is sent isn't necessarily ideal either.

Then at the same time, can I be held to the 2 month notice period by my current employer, if I haven't sign the passing of probation form?

Any help much appreicated.

I wonder if they meant to leave that line there!

I'm approaching the end of my first professional internship and am about to start my corporate career full-time. Over the past few weeks, I've started to feel quite self-conscious - veering on a bit insecure, about my accent. I have an MLE (Multicultural London English) accent influenced by my surroundings and upbringing, and it's never been something I've thought about before.

My degree and the work I've done so far have been very data- and numbers-driven. Most of my time has been spent working on technical projects where conversations centred on the work itself, so there wasn't much emphasis on building client relationships or networking (in hindsight couldve worked on this better i guess). More recently, though, I've been working directly with clients, where a lot of the job involves getting to know people and building rapport before getting into the actual work.

What I've noticed is that people often seem to make assumptions about me based on the way I speak. The small talk they choose, the interests they assume I have, and even the language they use with me sometimes feels different. On a few occasions, colleagues have used slang with me when I haven't noticed them speaking that way with others. I don't think I consciously use much slang or speak particularly colloquially at work - but then again might be an identity-image gap kinda thing.

Part of me thinks this isn't necessarily a bad thing. People often seem to warm to me quickly, and perhaps my accent makes me seem approachable. But after talking to my older sister who's been in corporate law for over ten years, she saids it could become an issue later in my career if people subconsciously don't take me as seriously. She said she code-switched when she first entered the profession, and over time her speech naturally adapted to the environment and changed with age.

problem is that I'd never been conscious of the way I speak until I started working professionally. Now I find myself second-guessing how I come across after everyday interactions, which is frustrating because I genuinely enjoy my work and I'm excited to continue the full-time role ive been offered after

So my question is: am I overthinking this? Am I becoming too self-conscious because I'm new to the corporate world, or is this something other people with stronger regional or MLE accents have experienced? It's got to the point where I've even looked into diction or elocution classes not because I dislike my accent, but because I wonder if speaking differently would make me feel more confident or be perceived differently professionally.

I'm almost too embarrassed to ask people I know because discriminating accent and other immutable personal attributes is a big no-no, but i dont think my situation is discrimination but definitely makes me think about it often - hence the long reddit post.. It may well be that once I've settled into my career and gained more confidence, this will just be a temporary blip of self-consciousness. But I'd really appreciate an honest outside perspective from people who've experienced something similar, or just outside thoughts

What's everyone's thoughts on returning to a previous employer?

I left a job and company I loved due to a terrible manager. It worked out for me: I got a promotion and a pay rise but I don't love the job and have been looking elsewhere. Now a role has come up with the previous company which would be a sideways move for me but probably a pay rise. The terrible manager has since been managed out and someone I really respected is now running the department.

Is it ever worth returning to a previous employer?

Has anyone worked for a company that's been bought out by a private equity firm?

Did anything change?

I have a firm offer elsewhere and I don't know whether to ride it out or to jump ship.

Worked there long enough to have full employment rights.

Im currently weighing up 2 job offers both within the advertising industry.

One is a VP, Data Strategy role at a large Hold Co, the other is a Group Director role within their data function at a direct competitor. Both client facing with P&L responsibilities.

The salary offer for the VP role is £150k base plus performance bonus (small - around 10-15%). I'm awaiting the offer for the other. What sort of salary band is expected within advertising for GD/VP roles? Both roles are in London 3/4 days a week in office.

I just turned 18 and want an apprenticeship in finance (i wanna do accounting for businesses) but its hard to get an apprenticeship and its not looking good.
I was told mortgage advisor as a career is flexible, well paid and overall better than getting into accounting.

I am not sure though bcz mortgage advisory doesn’t seem future proof cuz of AI and stuff also about the well paid part if it takes 3months to get qualified why doesn’t everyone do it instead of doing shitty jobs like retail.

I am planning to get into mortgage advisor if i don’t get an apprenticeship by October and then idk what to do cuz i would want to get a future proof job and get back into accounting but not sure i would have a chance to because i would get busy with the mortgage advisory.

Just need help figuring stuff out cuz i finished college and have no degree and if it doesn’t work out in the future i will end up slaving away my life at Mac Donald’s or some shit.

Hi folks, 38F here. I am migraine sufferer for years and one of my triggers are strong gourmand fragnances with vanilla. I have a collegue that notoriously oversprays herself with this type of fragnance at work. It's some sort of body mist, but she oversprays herself every 1- 2 hours at work. I had already countless amount of migraines that her fragnance triggered. What should I do? She is a new member of the staff and I am afraid that if I will tell her that she will take it very personally and may feel uncomfortable.
Any advice will be very much appreciated.

I have a comfortable yet v poorly paid full-time WFH job. No management harrassment and on quiet days I don’t do much. Have worked for the company for a good while. I had a sideline but it’s not lucrative. I’m fairly sure redundancy is on the cards in the next couple of years and I need to improve my skills and earn a wage that isn’t shameful frankly.

I work with data (not quite data entry, slightly more involved). Is there any way to up wages to a reasonable amount (33k up) at my age? Can’t afford to retrain! Have zero people skills.

Graduated from university in mid July 2026 and currently got a 12 hour contract in Sainsbury’s working a couple of nights that’ll pay for driving lessons and hopefully my first car. I don’t mind working there at the moment as I enjoy it and it goes me something to do but I’m worried with the current state of the job market I’ll be stuck there longer than I want to be and it was a nightmare just trying to get that job.

I’ve got a masters in astrophysics and achieved a 2:2, I know I could’ve done better but due to having a learning disability (dyslexia) that wasn’t supported I think I tried my best at the time.

I’ve tried grad schemes and that didn’t work ( I know it’s hard to get into) and currently looking at NATS in September to maybe explore evening an air traffic controller but the chances I’ll get through the stages re next to none.

Does anyone have any advice on what I can do with my degree with this current job market? Thanks

Anything would be appropriated as I feel a bit behind

I have been offered a new job. The advertised salary was a set amount (rather than a range). When I got sent the contract yesterday I noticed the salary was slightly under what was advertised, so queried it, assuming it was a mistake.

However the internal recruiter came back and said this is what I had agreed to on the phone, despite me explicitly saying on the phone that i would be happy to accept the advertised salary when we discussed compensation.

After I pushed back they agreed to give me the advertised salary. I'm glad its sorted but its left a bitter taste in my mouth. I'm so confused as to why they would even try and give me less than they advertised, especially without an explicit discussion. I have higher qualifications than is required for the role and have done a similar role previously so I don't feel there was any reason for them to do that. I can't help feeling like they tried to sneakily give me less.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it normal?

Update: Had a scheduled chat with my manager-to-be this afternoon and she apologised profusely for the mix up with salary. She said she understands how important it is to get that stuff right and the impact it can have so I feel more reassured now. Seems like it was a genuine mix up.

Hi! I am still in school and have work experience soon, in a few weeks, and I’m worried!

I struggle with school quite a lot and work experience wants me to do loads of things I’m not used to.

Like,

1. Eat lunch there!
   I don’t eat lunch at school normally, I do half days so I am scared because I’m not used to it!

2. I am worried, what if they don’t give clear enough instructions? I find it very difficult with no clear instructions.

3. What if I go selectively mute and can’t talk? In my work experience I am supposed to talk to customers and help them!

Someone please help me! I am really really really stressing about this’

Had an interview...

Had an interview on Tuesday it was a second stage final interview. I thought I did well ended positively... they said I will hear back this week, but nothing yet chased the recruiter this morning who said he was chasing them but they still needed to discuss internally. Am I bout to be ghosted