Salaries can be varied. In the academic sector, a recent postgraduate aged 22 years would start at around £20000. This would rise by annual increments to rather more than £30000 on the lecturer scale and up to around £40000 if promoted to senior lecturer or reader. Further promotion to professor would lead to higher salary. Please see our page on a career as a university lecturer for further details.
Salaries in civil service jobs are broadly comparable, but are generally higher in the pharmaceutical industry, but this will depend on the company and individual performance. Some people prefer the academic lifestyle which can include fairly flexible (though long!) working hours and the opportunity to work on your own projects at your own pace. Other people prefer the stimulus of working for large commercial organisations.