Regarding your private sector point: I looked into contracting in the UK for a national agency a couple of years back. The day-rates they proffering were almos

Regarding your private sector point: I looked into contracting in the UK for a national agency a couple of years back. The day-rates they proffering were almost double a London day-rate (before negotiation; I can only imagine what could have been secured). There's a deeply invasive interview process but they would cheerfully pay outrageous amounts to secure talent (and I wasn't even particularly good!). I assume not many people have the skill-set they're after and even fewer pass the checks. Perhaps it's different in the US but that was very much the state of affairs in the UK circa 2015