Consultant salaries: a guide to how much consultants earn in the UK

Generally, consulting is considered a well-paid sector. But what exactly does that mean?

We’ll take you through the average salary for consulting jobs and how it varies in different firms.

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• Average consultant salary in the UK
• Consultant earnings in the following firm types:
  • Large consulting practices
  • Strategy consulting practices
  • Boutique consulting practices

So, how much does a consultant earn? As not all consulting firms will publish salaries in job adverts, it’s hard to know how much you’ll earn in a consultancy job. However, government guidance and third-party data can help us get an idea of the average consultant salary in the UK.

According to the National Careers Service, management consultants typically earn between £27,000 (as a starter salary) and £60,000 (once they’ve gained more experience).

However, consultancy isn’t just management consulting. The consulting sector also includes financial consultants, strategy consultants, project management office (PMO) workers, IT consultants, change managers, risk and compliance consultants and more roles. Exact salaries will vary per specialism and employer. Other factors will also impact how much you earn, such as location.

Like any sector, there’s also the potential to earn more money through promotions. According to Glass Door data, the base pay for consulting partners is between £43,000 to £142,000 (with an average standard salary being £78,000). What’s more, Glass Door states that the average additional earnings for a partner (ie. bonuses) come to a further £24,000 – a big salary boost.

In addition, some consultants work independently as freelancers. That means they don’t receive a set salary. Instead, they’re paid directly by the businesses they consult on a project-by-project basis. How much they’ll earn will depend on how many projects they have, the number of hours they work and what they charge their clients.

Certain specialisms and particular firms will pay higher salaries than others. You’ll often only know exactly how much you’ll earn in a job once you’re interviewing for a particular role. However, grouping types of firms gives you an idea of how earnings differ across organisations.

Remember to also consider the perks of each firm when considering your potential earnings. Some firms will offer additional benefits like healthcare, pension contributions (beyond the legal minimum), bike schemes, interest-free loans, additional holidays and profit share arrangements.

Some of the biggest consulting practices are Accenture, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC.

Because firms don’t publish their salary information for every role, you can’t know how much you’d earn at every large consulting practice.

However, Accenture advertised its 2025 graduate programmes on Bright Network with starting salaries ranging from £27,500 to £31,400.

You’ll typically earn more once you’ve gained experience in the role.

Several large consulting practices focus on strategy consulting. Specialist strategy consulting firms include Boston Consulting Group (BCG), McKinsey & Company and OC&C.

Typically, salaries at strategy consulting firms tend to start higher and rise more quickly than those at broader management consulting firms.

Prefer something a little different? Look for roles at boutique consulting practices such as Alfa, Alpha FMC, Oliver Wyman, PA Consulting and Steer. Boutique consulting firms are typically smaller and sometimes specialise in particular areas.

Like any type of consulting firm, how much you earn in a boutique practice will vary from business to business. One thing to note is that boutique firms are more likely to have additional financial benefits like profit share schemes. So, consider potential bonuses when you’re comparing earnings between companies.

Don't forget that while knowing your likely salary is important, it’s just one factor when considering a role and a career. While it’s understandable you want to know what to expect from a consulting job salary, don’t let a high wage cloud your judgement. If you prefer management consulting to strategy consulting, think about whether the (typically) higher salary is worth it.