What career are you hoping to go into that has a starting salary of £30-£40k??
Actuarial, either at a Big Four firm, or at another reputable firm (Towers Watson, Mercer etc.) Although I might change my mind if I hate the internship.
Anything around £20k is a damn good starting salery for grads.
What youve gotta remember is new grads are a huge risk for companies. You cost alot in training and they have no idea how you'll perform. One girl on my company's grad scheme had a 1st class honours and a masters in IT.. and yet hardly performed at all.
My company's view is; Start on a low salery, prove yourself and then quickly rise.
I started on £15.5k which then rose to £28k in 6 months.
You can't expect to make a speech like that and not mention what industry you work in