Salary Recommendations
for the Record-Keeping Sector
The ARA is committed to supporting and promoting the archives, records management and archive conservation professions.
Salaries should reflect the skills, expertise and qualifications required to perform the duties of the post regardless of employer, sector or job title. We regularly review salaries across the sector in order to give you a guide on what to look for and expect.
ARA’s Salary Recommendations
The ARA Salary Recommendations establish expected salary ranges for all tiers of management. A supplementary document provides guidelines for freelance professionals.
The recommendations are designed to help employers set salaries for archive, recordkeeping and conservation posts. For ARA members, the recommendations are a useful advocacy tool when raising the issue of pay with employers and funding bodies.
Salary Recommendations
| Level | Salary | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Para-professional | £23,392/€23,788 minimum | Eg: support staff, performing some tasks independently. Possibly working towards qualification as a Foundation Member of the ARA and/or towards a degree/diploma. |
| Lower Management Level 1 |
Starting in the range of £30,233 -£35,832 or €32,438-€37,845 | Eg: responsible for a discrete area of work/delivers on short term targets. Basic level of responsibility. Recently completed a specialist degree and/or qualified as a Foundation Member of the ARA. |
| Lower Management Level 2 |
Level 2: £35,832 or €37,845 minimum | Eg: manages some resources, people and/or services; possibly working towards qualification as a Registered Member of the ARA. |
*All figures are gross and do not include London weighting.
For more details, please see the published ARA Pay Review Group Report.
Guidance for freelancers
ARA recognises that increasing numbers of professionals are working independently on a freelance, contract or agency basis, often at an hourly or daily rate. The Guidance for Freelancers is designed to help inform those considering a move into freelance work. However, ARA advises members to undertake detailed research according to their own specific circumstances before committing to contract work.
Trainee roles
Graduate traineeships, apprenticeship and internships are not explicitly included in the recommendations.