to think that the more superfluous your job the more money you earn

[ohdobehave]

ie. nurse, social worker, mp, police officer, teacher, fireman, street sweeper, midwife, etc. pretty badly paid compared to ... footballer, actor, merchant banker, model, etc.
just wondering

[bubblewrapped]

I wouldnt say MP's were badly paid.. lol!

[deliakate]

Public sector v private sector. The public sector spends money and the private sector brings it in.

[smashingtime]

In many cases - yes! Would also question whether MP's are badly paid

Having been around doctors and nurses a lot whilst in hospital with dd I would say nurses work a lot harder for so much less money.

[noodle69]

Yes I agree. I am a nursery nurse for vulnerable children, most who are SS referrals. We get £6 an hour. It is difficult to ensure staff retention with that wage which I think is often a problem for the children who have very chaotic backgrounds.

Same goes for carers, youth workers, etc.

[bubblewrapped]

Nobody is forced into any job though. For some, the money is less important than the quality of the work, and for others the money is the ultimate goal

[liquiditytrap]

Not sure about that, but I do think that often people who get paid more do a lot less than people who don't get paid much, even if their job sounds hard work (like hospital consultant - I know some that don't do the equivalent of 9-5 Mon to Fri solid work but still get loads)

[cupcakebakerer]

Doctors? Lawyers?

Also I don't think teachers or police officers are badly paid at all - both very good starting salaries with yearly increments. I have a 'good' job and am paid nowhere near as much.

[defineme]

There was an article in a newspaper recently that listed the best paid jobs. Doctors, dentists and lawyers were all in the top ten and I don't think we could do without any of those.

[WilheminaAteHer]

There are lots of badly-paid jobs in superfluous industries, such as broadcasting. Radio is notoriously badly paid. So is theatre - actors included. Think you're oversimplifying the picture quite a lot, OP.

[smashingtime]

I agree defineme - but we couldn't do without nurses, midwives, teaching assistants or care workers either.

It's the discrepancy between their pay and those on the higher wages that is wrong!

[FabbyChic]

What MP's don't earn they make up for in their expenses.

Have you seen what they can claim for?

What other job allows you to have two homes and the Company pays for all expenses relating to it.

[WilheminaAteHer]

Nurses - yes! What a crime! There has never been a time that nurses in the NHS have been paid what they're worth. Even though they're now all required to have degrees. IMO a decent starting salary for a nurse/ midwife would be £25-£30k. And it's not just due to stretched budgets - the NHS is notoriously wasteful of money.

[juneybean]

OP didn't say badly paid though, she said badly paid compared to the following careers. Which I agree, a footballer earning millions a year compared to a teacher working 14 hrs a day for £20k

[ohdobehave]

WilheminaAteHer ... yeah I'm sure there are - DP works in theatre and I've worked in media but I'd consider both of us well paid for what we actually did/do .... but are there any truly important, worthwhile jobs that pay really well ? I'd kinda like to exclude lawyers cos I think they make work for themselves and whoever is opposing council and there is such a big difference between the law and justice. I know they're important in any society but they make a lot of money for sending letters to each other

[cupcakebakerer]

Doctors are very we'll paid and we need them. Top level police are on over £100k a year - we need them too. Heads of councils - same. Headteachers. There are lots of very well paid jobs that aren't 'superfluous'. Also if you are talking about footballers, actors, models who are top earners you're talking about the top-level in those professions - I'd guess (and it's only a guess) at less than the top 1%. Footballers that aren't in the top leagues are very modestly paid and do it in addition to another job. Same with actors and models.

[onceamai]

Footballers, models, actors, and even MP's, don't earn incredible money for very long, very few earn spectacular amounts and they have very little job security. For ever a kneecap, a wrinkle, a bad review or an election away from unemployment.

[Chocolocolate]

I know top hospital consultants get paid loads but actually for the hours that younger doctors put in I think that the pay is justified.

Junior doctors do lots and lots of hours and are not paid great sums for it. They have lots of responsibility, lots of student debt, have worked hard all of their lives have to pay thousands to sit exams and spend their free time doing more learning, writing papers, doing audits etc.

It bothers me when people say that nurses do more work and are worth more than doctors. I am not saying that nurses don't deserve more (they work really hard) but really anyone saying that doctors are paid too much has an incorrect impression of what being a doctor pays and entails.

[ginmakesitallok]

yabu

[WilheminaAteHer]

Choc - there is SO much wrong with the way junior doctors are treated. They have so much responsibility for people's health and very lives, and yet they have to work until they drop. It's a wonder more people don't die unnecessarily in their hands - in any other industry they'd be able to go on strike over the horrendous working conditions.

[happiestblonde]

Recruitment Consultant

[purplepidjin]

I earn £6.25 ph as a carer.

I have come close to nervous breakdown twice, both either caused or exacerbated by work, and am on a high dose of anti-depressants (I also work now work for a lovely company)

I have a degree in music and a postgraduate qualification in 19th century literature, and an NVQ3 in Health and Social Care.

I am unemployable outside the care industry.

[WilheminaAteHer]

Wow, purple. What a life you've had.

Would you not use your musical background to do one of those freelance jobs singing with young children in nurseries, etc etc? It's far better paid and I should think a hell of a lot less stressful.

[Changeisagoodthing]

I think that mps are badly paid for London. My colleague became an mp - infact 3 of my friends were elected last year. They all took a pay cut.

An mp earns less than a head teacher and much much less than a doctor.

[darleneconnor]

It doesn't make economic sense that 'celebrity' type jobs, for which there is a huge supply of available and willing labour are paid highly. The compettition should bring their wages down!

Surely lots of people would do these jobs for free?

[happiestblonde]

A couple of my friends were elected too last year - all of them took a pay cut. It's also an expensive business getting a seat and running the campaign with a lot of downsides. MPs get a hard time but lots of them work bloody hard and politics is a nasty business.