AIBU to think many Mumsnet posters seem to be high earners?

Easy to call it “fun” when you don’t need the land to make a living.

Thank you. I didn't mean to come across as quite as brusque and embittered as I probably did either. I've had jobs which served no-one but my capitalist pay-masters, and which were inconceivably dull -I know which I prefer, obviously. But MN has been a real eye-opener for me in terms of how our society assigns value, and how this is reflected in earnings.

It varies so much across the UK though. £60k might seem like a lottery win in some areas whereas in central London you’ll feel skint as fuck and probably have to live in a house share with 5 other people.
I think to feel well off in London & environs you need to be making over £200k. Sadly I am not 😂

Nope. It’s only small and it’s more for fun than to make a living from. I may become pretty self sufficient though.

I think the issue is we have real income inequality in this country. And it's so localised by area. So if you earn £30k and everyone around you does, the idea of someone else earning 100k or 200k seems unfathomable. And similarly if you live in London in a (non trendy) neighbourhood where the average terrace costs £1m, you can't see how anyone could live on 30k.

We've had low productivity and stagnant wage growth for 20 years, which combined with the cost of living crisis means even people who thought they were earning well are struggling more. I think if you earn high amounts it's easier to avoid this - a 5% raise on 100k is a lot more than a 5% raise on 30k.

I don't really think it's beneficial to compare to the average, because I consider we're quite a low paid country. But we're all (salary earners) far more in the same boat than the super rich, whether we earn 30k or 400k , I think that's where we should be directing our ire!

I have an ex from years back who works in the same field, but his focus is bats.
He is not on great money either, but he is living dream life working in that field. He is autistic and has always had a special interest in bats.

Work takes up a large proportion of your life. You are winning if you have a job you love.

My partner and I are high earners on paper but of the £10k that is paid into our bank each month £5,500 goes on mortgage and school fees for the child we have who is autistic (mainstream state was a total non-starter). Then we have (very high) commute costs, council tax, utilities, insurance, car, food, other kids hobbies, put some money in the holidays / Christmas / birthdays pot and there’s no way I can afford Sky, fancy mobiles, etc etc. My mum pays for our Netflix, we cut each others hair, we watch every penny. But it’s worth it as the school means our daughter can cope with life instead of constantly trying to harm herself.

So yes we earn well but the money disappears rapidly every month.

Top surgeons in the UK can earn 500kbplis, I don't think there will too many on those kind of salaries though

I don't think most people are lying about their salaries because I refuse to believe people are that daft!

I do understand how high salaries can seem totally unachievable and unrealistic. I actually feel this way about my own previous salary!
I knew I was overpaid for the role at the time (working remotely for a London company) and would unlikely get the same salary again. I left after a couple of years for various reasons but mainly I wanted hybrid and I live in the North.
I now earn considerably less and would have to manage a huge teams of people to get close to my old salary but I'm happy with just the one direct report.

Consider me schooled.
it wasn’t meant to be patronising, the poster mentioned that the sector was highly competitive; ergo, to get into it would be rewarding/satisfying. I apologise if it sounded condescending.

My perspective is that it's a range - those on benefits, low earners, middle earners and high earners....just like real life 😁

Wow, I would! Amazing 👏🏼

I get told this a lot: "Wow, your work must be so satisfying." It's kind of the same as when people refer to my tiny house as cute. Satisfying pays no bills and cute is a neat euphemism for crowded. For years, I too subscribed to this backward notion that if you were lucky enough to be able to serve the greater good through your employment, you were, ...well, lucky, even if you were also chronically under-valued, under-resourced and under-paid. I think it was a kind of psychological hack to protect myself from the glaring cynical injustice of it.

Really admire you, especially as the fruits of your efforts must sometimes take years to make an impact 🌎, but imagine there is immense job satisfaction along with it.

That’s one example. And wow that’s a very boring way to earn £60k and my mind boggles at such waste in an organisation. Anyway I didn’t say the senior executives shouldn’t be paid more. But the gap between top earners and median salary workers has increased. And There are plenty of employers paying wages that cannot be lived on so the state tops them up.

Well said. It upsets me that some people really believe someone on 350K compared to my 35K is doing ten times the work or ten times smarter.

I do tough work in the wildlife conservation sector that is highly competitive to get into, but simply not a well-funded area as it doesn't make big companies money to protect the environment. In hindsight I should have done something better paying, but someone has to do this job either way.

I’ve never earned over £25k but I do work 30 hours and get the same job done as my colleagues that work 37 hours., I’m an efficient fool.

Then in another breath complain they can't get benefits if they have more than £16k in savings. They did "the right thing" by saving, and are now "punished" for it.

It’s a site with a high standard of written English, and (usually) comprehension so I don’t think it’s a surprise that attracts people who are more likely to be educated, and higher earners.

i know not every high earner is educated, and vice versa, but on average there is a strong correlation

I see a lot of posts saying they’d be better off giving up their job and going on benefits. So there must be a whole benefit structure I’ve not heard of where you can get £200k a year!!

I'm at the senior end of a long career in my field, supposedly at the top of my game, leading a team and earning £48k. My role is frequently and sentimentally described as a 'vocation', the presumption being that I'm somehow doing my job for the love of it and for the societal good it represents. I do a lot of good, and my work supports some of the most vulnerable people in society, but the 'rewarding' aspect of my work is hardly rewarding. For the last week, I've averaged 4 hours sleep per night, bookended by work.
On MN, I often feel like a huge under-achiever, wondering whether my energy would have been better spent in a different, more generously remunerated sector.

People on higher salaries probably have more freedom than people on minimum wage I would guess.

So is working in the financial sector, and doing your job well enough to earn a £200k bonus.

TBH OP YABU for posting this when it's been done many times

DH and I each earn about £70K but I don't consider us high earners. To me over £100K is a high earner but I appreciate we are comfortable and earn more than average.

Most people we know earn the same or more than us as we work in certain professions.

You asked if people in finance earning £400k did anything worth while.

a nurse works as a nurse. A finance person works as a finance person. Why should the latter do “worthy” things in their spare time?!