Why It’s a Great Time to Be a Software Engineer in London

London’s the place to be if you’re a software engineer. It trails just behind the United States and China in number of tech unicorns, or private startups with a valuation of $1 billion, according to CB Insights. 

There are also established tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon to name a few that have established office centres in London. With a burgeoning tech scene and a supportive community, it’s a great time to be a software engineer in London. Tech companies need talent and high wages reflect that trend.

London needs tech talent

Glassdoor released its UK’s 10 Highest Paying Entry Level Roles report for 2019 earlier this year. The median salary for software engineers in London was £34,106, the second-highest paying entry level job. “Four of the 10 highest paying entry level roles are technology roles. This shows that employers are willing to pay handsomely to find technology talent,” says Amanda Stansell, Glassdoor Economic Research Analyst, in a statement. 

At the time of publication, there were over 15,000 open software engineering jobs in London posted on Glassdoor within the last month. Banks, retailers, online travel agencies, traditional tech companies, telecoms, and more were seeking software engineers. 

Scaleups, or companies that are past the startup stage and are in a period of high growth, are hiring a lot of tech talent, according to according to Tech Nation’s “UK Tech on the Global Stage” Tech Nation Report 2019. InsurTech, FinTech, SaaS, e-commerce, and cybersecurity scaleups in London have employed the most tech talent between 2015 and 2018, per the report. 

The software developer capital of Europe

With this growth in tech, London is the top destination for software developers in Europe, according to London & Partners. The report, using data from Stack Overflow, states there are 357,900 software developers in London across all industries.

The U.K.’s growing tech scene has helped foster a thriving tech community. There are over 1 million Meetup members in London alone, according to the Tech Nation Report 2019. There are over 300,000 members in Software/Web/Mobile Development Meetup groups, per the report. When you start a tech career in London, you will find a great community where you can gain new skills and grow your professional network. 

Be a part of London’s tech community

So, how can you join this exciting industry? Education alternatives like Flatiron School help students gain the in-demand skills they need to launch successful tech careers today and the soft skills they need to succeed in the future. 

At Flatiron School London, our immersive Software Engineering program has already helped Londoners join the tech industry. If you want to learn more about starting your tech career with us, you can contact Flatiron School at Admissions@flatironschool.com. We encourage anyone who’s interested in attending Flatiron School to schedule a 10-minute chat with admissions. They’d be delighted to hear from you!

Disclaimer: The information in this blog is current as of October 30, 2019. Current policies, offerings, procedures, and programs may differ.