Communications engineer: Salary and conditions

Starting salaries for newly qualified graduate trainee engineers are currently in the region of £20,000 - £25,000(salary data collected July 09).
A typical salary at senior level with experience is £45,000 - £60,000 for a chartered engineer and £35,000 - £ 50,000 for an incorporated engineer (salary data collected July 09).
Benefits vary between employers. There may sometimes be share-related benefits or profit-share schemes on offer. Other possible benefits include discounted products and, in some cases, interest-free loans. Most companies operate a company pension scheme, which is usually a defined contribution scheme to provide participants with retirement and life benefits.
Typically, you can expect working hours to be nine to five. Extra hours are sometimes required, particularly in more senior positions. Flexible working and other arrangements are sometimes an option, but part-time work is not very common.
Self-employment is a possibility after a few years of experience, when you have built up the necessary network of contacts.
Career breaks are possible especially if you work for the same company for a few years.
The work is office based.
This is a male-dominated area of work, although there is a strong equal opportunities ethos in most companies and the number of women is increasing. The Women's Engineering Society (WES) runs a national mentoring scheme, mentorSET, sponsored by the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology to provide support for women and Women Into Science, Engineering and Construction (WISE) is another useful resource for women looking to break into the industry.
Opportunities are available in most major cities and towns across the UK, especially in the south of England.
A certain amount of travel within the UK is likely to be required, for meetings or site visits, for example.
Overseas work is sometimes possible and there are also opportunities for overseas secondments.