I've been offered a senior software engineer role maintaining a complex C++ codebase that has been around for several decades. I have more than 30 years of industry experience, including over 15 years with C++, although my more recent work has focused on C# and .NET.
We're now discussing compensation, and I'm unsure what figure to suggest. I don't want to undersell myself, but I also don't want to ask for an unrealistic amount based on outdated assumptions about C++ salaries. The role is based in the English Midlands rather than London.
Does C++ typically command a premium over technologies such as ASP.NET? How much should someone with my experience reasonably pitch for in the UK?
2 Answers
For a senior developer in London, I’ve seen salaries around £75k–£100k, though that reflects the location and a role requiring four days in the office. The Midlands will usually come in lower, and the overall package, flexibility, sector, and how much ownership you’ll have are just as important as the language.
C++ by itself doesn’t automatically mean a higher salary than C# or ASP.NET. Pay is more strongly driven by the industry, location, seniority, autonomy, complexity of the product, and how difficult the legacy system is to support. Your decades of experience and ability to take responsibility for a complicated codebase are probably more valuable negotiating points than the language choice. It would be sensible to ask for the upper end of the local senior-engineer range and let the employer respond.
That makes sense. I was wondering whether the relative scarcity of current C++ experience justified a premium, but I’ll put more emphasis on my experience and the responsibility involved.
Thanks—that’s useful context. Since this role is in the Midlands, I’ll factor in the regional difference rather than using London salaries as my baseline.