The UK's best jobs for work-life balance
For some people, a job is more than just a way to pay the bills — it’s a passion.
But for others, a job is about funding things like holidays and nights out. It takes a back seat to other pursuits and life goals.
If you fall into the latter category, then prioritising work-life balance may be more important than things like pay or earning potential.
Glassdoor compiled a list of the UK’s 15 best jobs for work-life balance in the UK, based on reviews from its members over the last year. The website lets staff anonymously review employers, as well as share salary data and views on the CEO. It covers 900,000 companies across 190 countries.
“Not everyone prioritises money, so if you are looking for a job offering a good work-life balance then these roles definitely stand out,” Amanda Stansell, an economic research analyst at Glassdoor, said.
The ranking lists specific roles, rather than companies, so you have a better chance of your work-life balance remaining good even if you move between companies during your career.
“Despite very few jobs in the UK being advertised explicitly as ‘flexible,’ many of the jobs in our ranking can be found in a wide range of industries, which goes to show that there is potential to keep a reasonable limit on working hours with all sorts of different employers,” Stansell said.
She added that even though these roles offer great work-life balance, pay doesn’t always suffer.
“Many of them also offer well above average salaries for the UK, proving it is possible to find a job that pays good money yet doesn’t take over your life,” Stansell said.
Here’s Glassdoor’s ranking of the top 15 positions, based on roles with at least 30 reviews in the last 12 months:
Sales Development Representative
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.6
Median Base Salary: £27,000
Research Fellow
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.6
Median Base Salary: £34,000
Customer Success Manager
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.5
Median Base Salary: £40,000
Marketing Assistant
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.4
Median Base Salary: £20,000
Engagement Manager
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.4
Median Base Salary: £48,000
Data Scientist
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.4
Median Base Salary: £46,000
Recruiter
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.3
Median Base Salary: £25,000
Copywriter
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.2
Median Base Salary: £29,000
Web Developer
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.2
Median Base Salary: £31,000
Audit Manager
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.2
Median Base Salary: £52,000
Recruiting Manager
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Median Base Salary: £40,000
Operations Analyst
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Median Base Salary: £30,000
Executive Assistant
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Median Base Salary: £37,000
Product Manager
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Median Base Salary: £52,500
HR Business Partner
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Median Base Salary: £49,000