Does Cancer Research UK pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Cancer Research UK employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Cancer Research UK. This rating has decreased by 9% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Cancer Research UK?

59% of Cancer Research UK employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Cancer Research UK 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 2.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Cancer Research UK?

Volunteer (124) , Sales Assistant (26) , Shop Assistant (24) , Shop Manager (22) , Project Manager (19) , Assistant Manager (18) , Intern (18) , Manager (18) , PhD Student (13) , Retail Assistant (11) , Scientist (11) , Shop Volunteer (11) , Store Manager (10) , Marketing Executive (9) , Relationship Manager (9)

What are the pros of working at Cancer Research UK according to real employee reviews?

"Great people to work with" ((in 123 reviews)); "Great culture and focus on well" ((in 56 reviews)); "I really enjoyed getting involved in my local community and the shop volunteers as well as staff are friendly." ((in 54 reviews)); "✔ Great Team – Staff and volunteers are supportive and passionate." ((in 51 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 31 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Cancer Research UK according to real employee reviews?

"Salary is low in some sectors" ((in 53 reviews)); "High expectations for low pay" ((in 51 reviews)); "Poor management and nobody cares about changing anything." ((in 36 reviews)); "No career progression as they prefer to hire from outside instead of developing their employees." ((in 22 reviews)); "Senior leadership seem to have their blinkers on and are oblivious to the horrendous turnover situation (which was an issue pre" ((in 16 reviews))

Cancer Research UK "people" Reviews

5.0

1 Mar 2026

Great place to work

Policy manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Inspiring mission and talented people, great buzz

Cons

Probably on a par with any large organisation - sign off and decision-making/clarity of how you work with other teams can be difficult

Cancer Research UK Response

3mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

1.0

13 May 2026

Brilliant colleagues overshadowed by self-serving management

Media relations officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Some brilliant, dedicated people work here.

Cons

Lots of career managers looking after their own interests, wanting to make their own mark and not listening to - or valuing - talent and experience. They make the right noises about values, goals etc but these don't reflect how senior management actually behave towards staff. One of the criticisms you will hear is about their deeply held 'human' value. Too often the behaviour of management is anything but.

Cancer Research UK Response

2w

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, and we’re sorry to hear of your experience. We want our staff to be able to reach their full potential in a positive environment, and importantly, to feel able to speak up. We encourage you or anyone who may have experienced or witnessed any form of unacceptable behaviour to come forward so we can investigate. We have different channels to do this, including a confidential whistleblowing phoneline or we can put you in touch with a member of our HR team. Please contact us on hrservicecentre@cancer.org.uk.

4.0

15 May 2026

Great culture and flexibility but staff shortages hinder growth

Research programme manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Treats you very well, great people, flexible working, interesting projects.

Cons

Not much money for projects, employees sin competition for it, can't work as ambitiously as i would like, Hiring freeze, so becoming increasingly under-staffed No in-role progression

Cancer Research UK Response

2w

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

4.0

22 Apr 2026

Good environment to work in

Performance analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good to work in People are great Working towards a good cause

Cons

None that i can think of

Cancer Research UK Response

1mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

5.0

18 Nov 2025

Great company

Data analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Great people and supportive environment

Cons

Salary not as competitive as commercial comapanies

Cancer Research UK Response

5mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

2.0

21 Jan 2026

Low pay. Good people

Product owner

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Mainly good people Flexible working

Cons

Lack of opportunities Low pay No direction Politics Dont believe their values on their website

Cancer Research UK Response

4mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, and we’re sorry to hear of your experience. We want our staff to be able to reach their full potential in a positive environment, and importantly, to feel able to speak up. We encourage you or anyone who may have experienced or witnessed any form of unacceptable behaviour to come forward so we can investigate. We have different channels to do this, including a confidential whistleblowing phoneline or we can put you in touch with a member of our HR team. Please contact us on hrservicecentre@cancer.org.uk.

4.0

18 Apr 2026

Good

Campaigns officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Good people, good work, good cause

Cons

No progressions whatsoever. Conversations about it have been continuing for years without any change

Cancer Research UK Response

1mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

3.0

16 Mar 2026

Rewarding Work

Shop manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Every day is unique, you meet some amazing people who keep the job fun and interesting.

Cons

Long hours and lack of support from area manager.

Cancer Research UK Response

2mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.

4.0

25 Nov 2025

Really flexible and great people but poor progression

Research communications and marketing manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Flexible arrangements Great colleagues Mission-oriented

Cons

Very little ability to progress upwards in the same role No ability to have a payrise (except for general company-wide inflation payrise)

Cancer Research UK Response

5mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Feedback from current and previous Cancer Research UK employees and volunteers helps us to understand where we need to focus on improving our employee experience, as well as celebrating the areas where we see we are doing well. We are committed to becoming a more diverse and inclusive workplace for all our researchers, staff, and people who volunteer with us, so that everyone feels like they can succeed and belong at Cancer Research UK.