It’s Official! The Best Places to Work in the UK Have Been Decided

Slough is the best place to work in the UK, according to recruitment site Glassdoor. The company’s report ranks 25 towns and cities according to four factors: job satisfaction, the number of job openings, the average salary and the value of the average home.

Tempted to relocate this year? Whether you’re looking for your first job, a new job or a complete change of career, don’t make any decisions until you’ve read our guide to the five best places to work.

Guildford applied for city status in 2002 but was turned down, despite the fact that it has a cathedral.

Population: 77,050

Average House Price: £593,761

Guildford can trace its origins back to Roman times, so the town boasts plenty of historical architecture and some impressive buildings. These include a Norman castle, a museum and a cathedral that was built in 1926. Often called “the heart of Surrey”, this attractive town is just five minutes drive from the Surrey Hills, a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is excellent for hiking and cycling. London is also a forty minute train ride away, offering commuters the best of both worlds.

If you enjoy shopping head to Guildford, as an Experian survey recently named it “the luxury shopping capital of the UK.” Walk along the historic cobbled high street and you’ll discover a range of boutique shops, high fashion outlets and specialist jewellers. There are also several well established galleries and antique dealers.

Because of its proximity to the countryside, Guildford is ideal for professionals wanting to improve their work life balance. However, it also appeals to London based families who are looking to up-size, as there’s an abundance of large properties and a number of Ofsted outstanding rated schools.

On the jobs front, Guildford is certainly one of the UK’s best places to work, as Surrey Research park is home to 140 mainly tech focused companies including BAE Systems,  Surrey Satellite Technology and BOC. Between them, these employ over 4000 people! The local business park is home to Ericsson and Philips and other companies hiring in Guildford include Waitrose, Epic Games, Bupa, Xceptor, Jack Wills, Royal Mail and Allianz Insurance.

Have any of Glassdoor‘s top five towns and cities inspired you to consider relocating? If not, we recommend checking out the full report, where you’ll find plenty of other options or explore our guide to the best places for work in Europe.

Reading is the UK’s largest town that doesn’t have city status.

Population: 218,705

Average House Price: £432,241

Reading is home to 318,000 people, making it one of the biggest towns in England.  Set in the Thames Valley where the River Thames and the River Kennet meet, it’s known for its riverside restaurants, its medieval abbey and its annual music festival.

Situated Just 37 miles from London, this affluent town has excellent transport links. The Great Western Main Line Railway and the M4 provide easy access to the capital city, while the Crossrail link takes passengers to St. Pancras station and on to the Eurostar.

Reading’s infrastructure has received regular funding over recent years and the town has a large number of business parks. It’s often referred to as the UK’s Silicon Valley due to the area’s successful tech economy, which has attracted some of the computing industry best companies. These include Microsoft, Compaq, Symantec, Cisco and The Oracle Corporation.

According to Glassdoor, many other major businesses including Honda, the Prudential and British Gas have also chosen to base themselves in Reading, along with top accounting firms KPMG, Ernst and Young, Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Reading is the UK’s largest town that doesn’t have city status.

Population: 123,900

Average House Price: £464,852

Home to one of the UK’s most prestigious universities, Cambridge was recently named as one of Country Life magazine’s best places to live. Visit this atmospheric town and you’ll probably recognise some of its beautiful landmarks, including the iconic Mathematical Bridge and King’s College.

But this historic town also has a modern side. Due to the science and engineering talent emerging from Cambridge University, the city has become a technology, science and engineering hub, which attracts many young graduates and entrepreneurs. In fact, over 4000 knowledge based companies are now based there, including AstraZeneca, Apple, HP, Micro Focus and Software AG. These companies employ a grand total of 60,000 people!

Cambridge is also a great place to be self-employed, as it boasts an 80% success rate for new businesses after three years. Fast trains to Kings Cross take just 47 minutes, making it super accessible.

Population: 128,488

Average House Price: £239,054

Glassdoor ranks this historical cathedral city more highly than any other town or city in the South West, including Bristol. Nestled between the Cotswold Hills and the Forest of Dean, it’s close to the M5 motorway, which make it easy to access from the midlands and the southwest. London is also fairly accessible via the M4 corridor.

Gloucester is a great place to work, as it’s experiencing extremely strong business growth due to its Regeneration and Economic Development Strategy. This will see over £700 million pumped into the city by 2021. The council is also offering grants to new startups, growing business and businesses wanting to relocate.

While Gloucester’s Roman roots and 11th century cathedral make it attractive to history loving tourists, it’s also a great place for career growth, as it’s home to a number of high tech companies such as BAE, Boeing, and Horizon Nuclear Power. Other employers based in Gloucester include Hilary’s Blinds, Holland and Barrett, Great Western Railway and Idex Consulting.

Snooker, the Mars Bar and the zebra crossing were all invented in Slough.

Population: 149,400

Average House Price: £391,218

Ever since it became the setting for Ricky Gervais’ sitcom The Office, this Berkshire town has been perceived as a soulless and drab place. However, according to Glassdoor‘s report, Slough is a prime spot in terms of jobs, cost of living and employee satisfaction.

Situated on the western edges of Greater London, Slough’s employment levels and average salaries are consistently high, making it great place to work. There are also plenty of career opportunities, as it’s home to one of Europe’s biggest trading estates. This houses over 400 companies, including several large multinational businesses such as Mars, Nintendo, Microsoft and Nando’s.

With three Ofsted rated outstanding schools and an average house price that’s almost £100,000 less than the London average, it’s no surprise that there’s been an increase in the number of people moving from London to Slough. Slough’s excellent transport links will be even better after the opening of Crossrail in 2019 and the town offers easy access to London and Heathrow by road. A £1 billion regeneration project is also transforming Slough’s town centre, which already boasts 42 parks and green spaces.