If you're on the 'mumsnet six figures' salary what do you do and what geographical region is the role in?

[flashbac]

I'd love to earn six figures and keen to look into how I could make this happen if possible.

@TenoringBehind .. you may not have noticed it isn't Dh's salary op is asking about!

I have 4 children, all in my thirties, when I was admitedly "only" earning 60-80k, but it didn't stop me earning 100k plus in my forties. It is possible to do both, though was hard work and does take grit and determination. I agree that the 'career OR kids' is out of date and unhelpful.

I am pretty sure I've never met a single person on a 6 figure salary. But I know that those who do earn large amounts need education, commitment, a dash of luck and nearly always years - a decade at least - of experience in a profession that's properly valued in a capitalist society. I don't think it's as simple as loving the idea of being a high earner and moving to an area where salaries skew higher.

@BertieBotts

I'm just explaining what it seems like to me.
I once worked out the average MN salary on a thread about earnings and it far exceeded the RL average.
However I'm aware that it's a relatively small pool of (well paid) people, and not indicative of the population as a whole. A lot of people on NMW will be in jobs where they don't have access to their phone or a laptop to post on MN anyway.

Some salaries are joint though. We have three children with disabilities. Four years ago one of our kids needed a ft carer.

We both earn't the same with similar prospects for progression.

I found work stressful and caring for kids played to my natural strength and resilience. DH would have given up his career and offered many times, but he is younger than me and I knew he could have a good career ahead.

It has paid off for us but it is a team effort and wouldn't work without us both 'doing our job'.

@Jooox

The in-house lawyers - what practice area please?

Google in house lawyer salary survey and look at a few, will give you some ideas b

IME the best paid roles are often things like derivatives, financial services regulation and tax structuring. Specialist roles and many roles are in investment banking. IB generally largely pays well for in house if you directly support the business. Other financial services generally pay less.

Less well paid is generally working in industry although there are some strong payers. The larger the company the more likely there will be well paid roles. Commercial lawyers seem to be paid less than corporate and higher end litigators.

Some specialisms have few in house roles but even so can be hard to fill with the right people so sometimes need to lay well. Pensions is an example.

Public sector generally doesn’t pay well although better at senior levels but less than the people would earn elsewhere.

@ChazsBrilliantAttitude

OP you need to give us some idea of what you want to do and what your current skill set is. I work in the City and have done so for all my career. I earn what I do because I am well qualified with shedloads of experience. People pay me well because they can chuck a complex situation at me and I can sort it out. I suspect the same is true for many of the people on this thread. We are paid for our insight, our ability to cope under pressure, our experience and the courage and clarity to make complex decisions. What are you an expert in (or would like to be an expert in)? How resilient are you? How do you cope under pressure? Can you see both sides of an argument and weigh up the right course of action quickly? Can you persuade others if needed? Can you make difficult decisions and handle the consequences?

Most of the above will apply to the academic, medical, business and legal roles people have posted about.

I think there’s a lot of truth in this. Entering an industry where £100k salaries are available is absolutely no guarantee of attaining one! Aspects such as your personality, drive, communication skills and attitude to work/life balance will be just as important. Not to mention luck.

I’m very much in the below £100k camp. I have the top degree, Masters and am working in an industry where £100k is attainable. But I’m just not suited to a high level high-pressure role with lots of meetings and responsibilities. Therefore I quite happily bumble along earning £40k

I was making the 6 figure income. I started my own manufacturing company. I was at the right place at the right time. The long hours and stress almost killed me.

Don't go into academia. Even the best paid professors struggle to make 6 figures. The admin is just as mad for e.g. Head of Department as a HT, IME (from watching ours). But you don't earn as much.
The PhD - the only qualification to lower your earning potential.

I have my own online clothing business. Earned just under 100k last tax year. Based in Essex

I’m in my early 30s and have three children, took a year maternity for each - I also didn’t go to uni but straight to work. It is possible. I also wouldn’t say I work exceptionally hard, my friends who are teachers work far longer and harder than I do. I just happen to be good at a job with high pay attached - most people know what these are and increasingly there are more routes of access. Especially for women returning to the workplace.

@PaulRuddsWife

I think it refers to the fact that in RL (I think) about 7% of people earn a 6 figure salary, whereas on MN it seems more like 50%

Not only that, but they manage to earn it through a part time job or have a very understanding employer, whereby they can spend 75% of their time on Mumsnet.

I've noticed this 😂

Don't go into academia in the UK. It's very well paid in some other parts of the world.

Well, well-paid roles are often self-made or come with high autonomy. Not that surprising.

I'm with @HerculesMullligan, I'm just not the six figure 'type'. I'm sure it involves a bit of getting up early and having to dress smartly, or commute, so it's an absolute non-starter for someone like me ;)

So given my lack of experience at those rarefied heights I don't know if this idea will be useful or terrible, but...

How about looking at and saving copies of relevant job adverts (both job description and person specification) and making a note of what they're looking for and 'plotting a course' from where you are to where you'd like to be.

Job ads tend to be in the wild for a maximum of 6 weeks so unless a job is currently being advertised then there's not much info available about it (and that info might be useful?).

Of course some higher salary jobs are marketed via networking and headhunting rather than published job ads but you can certainly filter high salary jobs on jobs sites such as Gov/DWP's 'Find A Job' site findajob.dwp.gov.uk/search and I assume on the others too.

Good luck OP :)
Jo

you don't have to dress particularly smartly in technology Jobs, thankfully 😂

Fwiw I work from home 4 days a week in joggers and dressing gown, clock on at nine and off at five. Not that stressed either, I properly lucked out with my job.

@MrsBaublesDylan

Some salaries are joint though. We have three children with disabilities. Four years ago one of our kids needed a ft carer.

We both earn't the same with similar prospects for progression.

I found work stressful and caring for kids played to my natural strength and resilience. DH would have given up his career and offered many times, but he is younger than me and I knew he could have a good career ahead.

It has paid off for us but it is a team effort and wouldn't work without us both 'doing our job'.

Agree, I am torn as I too cringe when posters mention their Dh salary- but for a pp to compare a sahm to only fans and sugar daddies. Pretty disgusting analogy and quite offensive. Perhaps those with the luxury of not having a different situation might consider that.

Surprised at the in house lawyer salaries, they have definitely improved recently it seems, especially for PT.

@Sonex absolutely, unfortunately one guy in our department took it too far when he came into the office in bermuda shorts one day and they had to reinstate (a very relaxed) dress code after

@Gumps

I run a boarding cattery in London. I only work part time but run the business. It’s amazing and I love it. Had to have capital to start it up though.

I think this may just be my dream job!

What bullshit. I absolutely DID NOT compare a SAHM to women doing Only Fans and you know it. I was saying that women not believing they can earn like men in conventional salaried roles is why many feel they have to do things like Only Fans. That's got fuck all to do with being a SAHM which is a perfectly valid choice for some. They don't earn a slaary though and there's no such thing as a joint salary, unless they are doing an actual job share role with their husbands or run a business together. Don't try and derail yet another women and earning potential thread with the tedious SAHP vs working parents shoulder chips. It's not about that, it's about encouraging women to earn well, of they want to.

I am looking to leave academia so might have a read later on:)

I have a science degree and a science PhD, has anyone ever left academia for well paid job on here and wants to share their tips?:)

Hah yes. I would be a earning a fraction of what I do in the UK.
But the grand narrative of how do you handle motherhood and work is this:

• had kids in my 30s including one when I was 37.
• big age gap
• enormously supportive DH who genuinely does everything and briefly stopped his tenure clock for my career (long story).
• financial freedom to outsource stuff like cleaning and get reliable childcare
• work insane hours and prioritise some stuff over others (in my case that’s the kids over DH time and vice versa for him but it was a joint decision to do that when they were young). I work before they wake up and after they go to bed and DH does the same.
• be hideously organised.
• sacrifice ‘self care’ etc.
• be very very very lucky. I am lucky I got the scholarship I did. So did DH. We emerged from grad school with minimal debt. I got a TT job in my first year on the job market. I then got tenure. There is a LOT of luck involved.