Should a Polish University graduate get the same salary as a British graduate if they both live in UK?

Question

And studied exactly the same subjects?

Answer 1

Yes of course they should.

Answer 2

Yes why not?

Answer 3

Only if they're working at the exact same job for the exact same company.

Answer 4

Absolutely not.

In no way is this a slander against this school, or Poland or Polish people.  I'm not giving you an opinion on who DESERVES a higher salary, but just what goes on in the mind of a hiring manager when evaluating a candidate.

But there are some hard facts that differentiate this circumstance from being "discriminatory",

at least by most legal standards in the US.

I don't know British labor laws - so you might want to research that a bit more.

I have been a manager at serveral companies and hired very many people and established their starting salaries.

Your starting salary is a direct reflection of how much the business values what you bring to the table, right at the start.

Companies value to having someone who is accustomed to the native culture, customs  and language.  Especially if the business is one that  interfaces with domestic clients.  

A hiring manager might be concerned about your ability to communicate effectively or comprehend in English. And again, this is even more important if your communication is customer-facing.

Also, the quality of the education at a foreign university is not quite so easily verifyable, as it is with a domestic university.

So these are reasons that a hiring manager might give a higher salary to someone who is educated domestically.

Now, I assume that this is a real-life issue for you.  If so, do realize that there may be other factors of that decision that you're not aware of.  Was your UK-educated competitor slightly more experienced?   Does he/she have some other valued skill set?  What about physical appearance and professional demeanor?  All of these things could factor into that decision.