If you were privately educated in the UK, what job do you do and how much do you get paid?

[MNisMyGuiltyPleasure]

You often hear that people who were privately educated had a better start in life and that's why they are more likely to secure better-paid jobs.

I was not privately educated but I am well paid. So I'm curious to see what jobs people who were privately educated in the UK have as adults, an how much they earn from those jobs.

Lots of drugs/bad behaviour in private schools too

This is a very interesting point of view
Not many think like this ime

I think many parents DO think like this. A good education is about so much more than future earnings potential!

I do

Lots of drugs/bad behaviour in private schools too

Really? Has that been your experience? I wouldn't choose and spend money for such a school personally.

I went to a private school. I work in the public sector & earn 70k.

Friends who were privately educated - one works in a shop and the other as a kitchen designer in Wren.

I just got through my GCSEs and no a levels and ended up in a much better job on lots more money.

I was privately educated.

There was bad behaviour in all the other (private) schools we socialised with
Lots of underage drinking/ drugs and a fair amount of underage sex too
In my extended family there are ten of us in my generation born between 1970 and 1980 only two were state educated
Only two are decent earners really: one is state educated, the other is not.

Of the other eight it's a mishmash of sahm/nmw

In my experience there's a heck of a lot less bad behaviour in private school. I've worked in a good state secondary and a private school. It's night and day behaviour wise. There were very minimal drug 'incidents' in both schools but at the private it was dealt with swiftly. The pupil involved was expelled.

There are going to be well paid people from ALL schools.

So many factors other than which school you went to affect your earnings!

@sequincardi that is exactly why my DC are at private school. I want them to enjoy their school years and love learning. There is literally nothing else I would rather spend money on than that and I expect no material return on investment by way of their future careers from our fees (though obviously I want all options to be open to them!) If you want good education you have to pay for it, particularly teachers salaries and their conditions of employment.

In my experience there's a heck of a lot less bad behaviour in private school. I've worked in a good state secondary and a private school. It's night and day behaviour wise. There were very minimal drug 'incidents' in both schools but at the private it was dealt with swiftly. The pupil involved was expelled.

Parents wouldn't pay fees if the school management was bad and tolerated bad behaviour!

I was privately educated but not at a prestigious school. Most of my former classmates are doing jobs like teaching or nursing or NHS back office admin (not running the NHS) tbh. A couple are academics in niche fields (successful in their fields but not highly paid). The odd GP and family/ local solicitor.

Most but not all went to university but hardly anyone (in fact nobody I can think of) is really a massive earner - nor could any of them send their own children to private school if they paid the fees out of their own salary.

I'm not sure private schools like mine are as common as they used to be though - parents either were in the military or worked abroad in "unsafe" countries and employer paid fees, also children of missionaries and ministers who's fees were either paid or waived, and there were a fair number of farming and doctor's children who couldn't pay private fees these days. The school doesn't exist any more.

I enjoyed my school experience but academically it was pretty mixed, and it was also pretty odd in retrospect 😂

SIL was severely bullied in his state school. Sends kids to private for the more pleasant experience. Nothing to do with future earnings.

You often hear that people who were privately educated had a better start in life

Yes, depending on the schools, they may indeed have a happier childhood. But it does not necessarily translate into higher earnings .

Parents are not looking for a return on their investment when spending money on their children.

Numerous reasons but I think these include:

• a perception that paying for education buys you a better education (this is definitely not always the case when it comes to academic results)
• more opportunities in school for sports, drama, societies etc (although these could often be found outside of school too)
• most private schools offer wrap around care / activities so it suits working parents (my friend's kids are at school from 8am-after 5pm most days)
• poor local state schools
• people who went to private schools themselves I suspect are more likely to send their own kids

Not at my children's school fortunately! I wouldn't be paying 20k a year for them to be in classes with poor behaviour.
I'm sure in the older years there are some drugs but there aren't children vaping in the loos like at our local state.

Zero and my children also go to private.

This is going to be a classic Mumsnet triple figure salary bullshit thread so... my exH and siblings are privately educated and a teacher, estate agent and soldier (not an officer). Their parents probably should've saved their money, tbh.

My DC are at private school. I can only think of 2 families that go without to send their children there. The majority of us don’t cut back. We have frequent holidays abroad, the children will get house deposits / gifted properties in a lot of cases.
I think this narrative of Mr and Mrs average driving old bangers and camping in wales once every 6 years so William can go to private school is only ever trotted out on MN and rarely the true picture.
The majority at DCs school have real wealth. Not an 85k a year salary and a hefty mortgage.

I will also point out; lots of us also don’t send our DC private so they can “get a better job” for some it’s for privacy if their parents are in the public eye, for some it’s the oppurtunities, the facilities or the small class sizes, for some it’s SEN.

School isn't just about securing a decent job, and also high pay doesn't equate to someone's dream job and isn't the only measure of success. Smaller class sizes, more access to the arts and sports, better trips and facilities, the resources to instill confidence and self belief in a child are important as well as academic attainment and a future career. There are a lot of issues in many state schools too, if you can afford to remove your child from that why wouldn't you.

I work for the family business. So technically paid minimum wage but our income is higher than that. My sister is early 6 figures in a niche professional role, she has the equivalent of 2 degrees as well though.

Would my parents say it was money well spent? Probably, because it wasn't all about end earnings and more about opportunities at the time, as well as a certain level of polish. Despite being a very anxious character I wouldn't appear it on the surface.

I'm interested (just out of curiosity) as to why you're on this site if you don't have children?

I do.

All my kids are state educated btw, which I am conflicted about but there you go. DH was state educated and is a chartered aerospace engineer who has since set up our quite successful business, so he is less conflicted!

Well this is where I am.
My oldest dc is y10 now but when we started looking at schools I started a thread on here (under a different name) how sad I was that my child wasn't getting the same "advantages" I had because we just can't afford the fees
One glib MNer pointed out "it can't have been all that good then, can it? "
As per previous poster it was all quite odd in retrospect, lots and lots of safeguarding issues in the boarding sector some of which continue even now from what I have seen/heard of kids I know.