Feeling overworked and underpaid? The grass might not be greener on the other side. New research released by credit comparison website TotalMoney.com has revealed that the United Kingdom is in fact the second-best country in Europe to work in as a lawyer. With an average 32-hour work week, 28 days paid leave per year and an average annual salary of £76,434, lawyers in the UK are getting one of the best deals in Europe. However, if warmer weather is enough to pique your interest, you might want to consider Cyprus, Greece, Portugal or Spain, all of which ranked in the study’s top five locations for legal professionals. Though none of the other top five outweighed the UK in terms of base salary, all four boast considerably lower costs of living. But beware – in Greece you’ll need to be willing to pull an average 40-hour work week, while in Cyprus you’ll only get an average 20 days paid leave each year.

British lawyers dissatisfied with salaries

TotalMoney.com’s survey of legal professionals found that around 60 per cent have considered moving to another country, though only 38 per cent said they would move in pursuit of better job opportunities. More common reasons considering an overseas move were better life style (66 per cent), weather (48 per cent) or love and relationships (40 per cent). However, many lawyers in the United Kingdom feel underpaid despite the country boasting the highest average lawyer salary in Europe, with 58 per cent of survey respondents believing that their work is worth more than their compensation. Perhaps they should try living in the Republic of Ireland, where the cost of living is 11 per cent higher than in the UK but the average salary for a lawyer is just £37,949. 

Check out the study's full findings here.