Salary guide · updated August 2026
Every week, recruitment agencies tell employers like us what engineers across the South East are asking. We log every signal, anonymised, and publish the picture here. No survey of last year's adverts: this is the current market, updated as it moves.
| Role | Experience | Asking |
|---|---|---|
| Fire alarm engineer | 2 to 3 years in | £28k to £32k |
| Fire alarm engineer | 10+ years in | £38k to £40k |
| Security systems engineer | 2 to 3 years in | £28k to £32k |
| Security systems engineer | 5 years in | around £35k |
| Security systems engineer | 10+ years, SSSTS | around £40k |
| Fire & security engineer (multi-skilled) | experienced | £35k to £40k |
| Sprinkler project engineer | 10+ years, BAFSA | around £42k |
Source: asking salaries observed in the South East recruitment market, logged August 2026. Small sample, honestly labelled; it grows every week. Trades not listed yet simply haven't crossed the desk; their bands publish as the data lands.
The table above is the market asking. Our own advertised bands are set ahead of it: across the skilled trades, experienced engineers top out in the mid to high £40s base, and £50k+ total is realistic once paid overtime and shared call-out are in. Every role on the live roles page carries its band.
From live market data (August 2026): around £28k to £32k at two to three years in, £38k to £40k with ten or more years. Asking salaries, not advertised ones.
From live market data (August 2026): £28k to £32k at two to three years, around £35k at five, and around £40k with ten years plus SSSTS.
Current signal: a BAFSA-qualified sprinkler project engineer with ten or more years is asking around £42k on the South Coast.
Our advertised bands are set ahead of the market picture above: across the skilled trades, experienced engineers top out in the mid to high £40s base, and £50k+ total is realistic once paid overtime and shared call-out are in. Every role we advertise carries its band.
Weekly logging of what recruitment agencies tell employers engineers are actually asking across the South East, anonymised. It updates as the market moves.
The 2027 Fire, Security & Building Services Salary Guide is being built from this rolling dataset: bands by trade and county, what the tickets add, and what employee ownership does to total reward. Register and tick the salary guide box; it lands in your inbox on release, and you hear about roles that beat these numbers first.
How we pay: bands published on every role we advertise, market-checked against this data. See the trades: fire alarm · security · sprinklers · all 13.