Am I being unrealistic? How old are you, and how much do you earn?

[adhdneedsajob]

Doing my tax return and depressed at how little my self employment brings in.
I have a degree in the arts from a RG university and over 20 years experience in the workplace I am 45 ffs and barely scraping £1200 a month
But am barely making any money

What do you do and how have you got there and how can I charge more for what I do?

Sadly this is very true, and it is exactly why British systems can just not be trusted to do their jobs now. The whole country is corrupt and increasingly incompetent. Everyone is focused on climbing the hierarchy due to the economic stresses of the age instead of doing a good job. Education is actually training kids for this kind of corruption.

'Meanwhile, back in the real world.......
However, I am mortgage free now'

The irony! 😂 So many people can't even get a mortgage, never mind being mortgage free 🤦‍♀️ @PyongyangKipperbang

Anyway OP I'm on £72k but we have two massive mortgages which I'm regretting now but can't sell at this stage (bought both in 2021; not enough equity). I work in data analytics.

I'm 36 btw.

I am also a lot older than most of the people posting. I bought my house in 1999 at the arse end of the last recession and have never moved. It meant an awful lot of sacrifices in terms of making it work but we managed. A 3 up 2 down terrace that is not a place many people would even look at twice if I were to sell is not a big achievement, believe me!

I was simply trying to show that the vast majority of people in the UK do not "just about manage" on 200k salaries, combined or otherwise.

Your take home on £70,000 should be at least £4,000 not £3,500, unless you’re not in the U.K.?

I'm 40, no A-levels or degree, I work 30 hours per week and take home between 1500 and 2000 per month

Shortage of bid writers? Many organisations I know use AI now and don’t hire people anymore! Definitely not a field to start in now

You must charge quite a low rate?

How do you price?

I'm 39 and a client manager for a large insurance broker. I earn £63k per year plus bonus.

I'm 33, work 15,hrs per week and take home £800!

My DH and I earn c£150k a year between us, I earn 2/3 of that.

We are late 30s, no degrees, he has a trade and I work in the construction industry as a manager

30, social worker by background currently managing social workers. Take home £2900 per month, full time no over time and no invectives or bonuses.

good money but absolutely 0 passion

Instructional Designer 47250€ gros 52yo
Nuclear research engineer 55k€ gros 54yo.
Other income approx 70K€
Mortgages 40k€ (3 years left).

42, NHS ICU , Grade 8 inner lLondon , £63k. I work a 12 hour shift pattern that covers days/nights , weekends and public holidays which can include Christmas Day.

My husband works in the aviation industry on about £120k.

Heartwarming to read these types of responses on this thread. More realistic that not everyone is a high earner in a fantasy world.

I'm 28, work one day a week ad a private carer for a child with complex medical needs and earn 1000 a month, also do 5 hours a week as a VA for a photographer and earn 300 from that.

DH works as a paramedic practitioner and earns 49k before any bank shifts. He's off to med school next September on a 4 year post grand course so will only do bank shifts in the holidays at 90 an hour but I'll be stepping up to 3 days a week ( 3 young DC ).

Short term pain long term gain, right?!

👏

Agree with this, my friend is a bid writer and there is demand. Can be high pressure though, deadlines etc. But that's not always a bad thing.

I work for a charity on slightly above minimum wage in a job I enjoy. So I'll join @Mulhollandmagoo in balancing out those who are in the high earner camp.

There's a lot more than age and earnings to consider
Physical location has a huge bearing on salary as does industry
It's often a balance between what is of value to each person? paid work balanced with ability to disconnect from it to live a life outside of work.what are you outgoings?
At what £ point does increase in salary have little bearing on you?

I'm amazed at this thread, I do think lower earners have been put off replying. I'm currently a sahm so earn nothing but I've applied for a carers job, nights, dementia ward. Would be £337 a week before tax has been taken off. How sad is it the most important jobs in society are so woefully underpaid.

31 and earn 40k a year (although in discussions with another job for a huge jump to 50k)
Partner is 33 and earns 30k per year

Hear hear! I'm astounded that some people earn 250k in the corporate world!

33. Earn 84k in a bank.

OP,don't do this to urself. There seem to be a lot of high earners. I'm.a teacher. Wage ok but conditions,health and morale crap. Are you happy doing your job? Are you able to pay for what you need? If not then that should realky be your driving force. There is a crisis in teaching,although I'm.not sure I would reccomend it.