UK Recruitment Glossary
Total Reward
In recruiter context
Increasingly used by UK employers to communicate compensation value beyond headline salary. Components typically include: base salary, target bonus and historical achievement rate, equity grant value (using current valuation), pension contribution match, private medical insurance value, life insurance value, holiday allowance, training budget, flexibility (remote/hybrid), and growth potential. Strong UK employers issue annual Total Reward Statements showing the full economic value. For job-seekers: comparing offers requires Total Reward calculation, not base salary comparison. A £75k role with 10% pension match and 25% target bonus often outperforms a £85k role with 3% pension match and no bonus.
Related terms
PAYE
Pay As You Earn — HMRC's system for collecting income tax and NI directly from your salary, before y…
Talent Pool
A pre-built list of candidates a recruiter has already screened for future roles.
IR35
UK tax legislation that determines whether a contractor is genuinely self-employed or a "disguised e…
Cold Application
Applying to a job without any prior contact, referral, or recruiter conversation.