A Bengaluru engineer contrasts the work culture and pay scales in India and the UK following his relocation to London
Arnav Gupta shares his personal experiences and observations of the key differences in tech industries between India and the UK after relocating six months ago
Arnav Gupta, a Bengaluru engineer, who moved to London six months ago on a Global Talent Visa, took to X to share his insights on the differences between the work cultures of the Indian and UK tech industries. Gupta, who has worked with startups such as Elevenlabs, Onfido, and Robin, finally settled at a large tech company, where he noticed stark contrasts between the work environments, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
Gupta’s biggest ‘vibe shift’ was the overwhelming passion for work itself in the UK, which he felt was absent in India.
“The biggest ‘vibe shift’ for me was seeing the average level of passion for the ‘work’ itself — not just the job or product, but the work in its purest form.
The difference was just off the charts compared to what I have seen in India,” Gupta shared. He was impressed by how everyone in the UK workplace was deeply engaged in understanding the intricate details and participated in thoughtful discussions.
Gupta also noted the contrast in salary structures between India and the UK
While tech salaries in India can vary widely from ₹8 LPA to ₹150 LPA for similar roles, the UK offers a more balanced pay scale, Gupta pointed out. “Unlike India, tech here doesn’t pay 10-20x of every other job. Tech pays well in the UK, but it isn’t all about the money,” he said, observing that most people are genuinely passionate about their work, which makes a noticeable difference in the work environment.
In the UK, software engineering salaries range from £60K to £200K, and the salary increases are gradual, with employees typically needing to improve their skills by 30-40% to achieve a 20% pay increase once they are earning over £100K. This trend emphasizes skill development rather than aggressively seeking higher offers for quick pay jumps, he explained.
***********************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken a small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, running a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will make a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com