The industry jobs market has a glut of senior candidates who have been ‘let go’ by the big corporates.

However, a number could find they are welcomed by independent estate agency owners looking to retire – but finding this is not the best time to sell.

Josh Rayner, of Rayner Personnel, said that such owners are actively looking for quality people to keep their businesses running in the interim.

Rayner said: “The market for senior individuals managers, regional directors is swamped.

“This is due to senior management changes with the larger corporates but there are only very limited roles for regional positions paying £120k+.

“I would personally hate to see these people leave the industry.

“However, if they were realistic and would consider taking a hit on their job title, they could earn these kinds of numbers again as senior branch managers for leading independents.”

Rayner Personnel, in conjunction with EYE, has conducted a new salary survey for 2016.

In a year that was not so much one of two halves, but one of a quarter followed by three very different quarters, the survey shows that average earnings across the UK but excluding London are as follows:

Position                      basic                 OTE

Trainee neg           £12k-£15k             £18k-£20k

Neg                            £15k-£16k             £20k-£25k

Senior neg             £16k-£19,500      £30k-£50k

Assist mgr             £18,5000-£22k   £40k-£60k

Branch mgr           £25k-£28,500      £50k-£75k

Lettings mgs        £25k-£28,500      £50k-£70k

A further breakdown – between sales and lettings – shows there is no difference in the basic pay for trainee negotiators and negotiators, and no difference in the overall total earnings for trainee negotiators.

However, lettings negotiators can command higher OTE packages, at £25,000 plus.

Senior negotiators in sales earn an average of £15,000 to £19,500, and OTEs averaging £25,000 to £30,000.

Senior lettings negotiators may earn lower basics, at £15,000 to £17,000, but have better OTEs at £30,000 plus.

At assistant manager level, salespeople have better basics than lettings assistant managers, but the OTEs are exactly the same, at £25,000 to £30,000.

At branch manager level, however, it is sales that pays better, despite lower basics.

Basic pay for a sales branch manager is £25,000 to £30,000 against £30,000 for a lettings branch manager, but the OTE for a sales branch manager at £50,000 plus is significantly better than for a lettings branch manager at between £30,000 and £35,000.

In sales, OTE have gone up this year – by 6.6% for a trainee negotiator, 12.5% for a negotiator, 0% for a senior negotiator, by 11.4% for an assistant manager and by 5.2% for a branch manager.

A lettings survey was not carried out last year by Rayner so there are no comparables.

All the earnings figures exclude central London.

The full survey can be seen here