Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

What do people consider a good salary?

93 replies

user1471267414 · 04/08/2023 07:33

I am on 60k plus a 20k bonus and hoping to negotiate a pay rise. What do people think is a good salary?

OP posts:
VisionsOfSplendour · 04/08/2023 08:20

What's the purpose of this thread, posters on lower salaries might think yours is good, people on much larger ones will think yours a pittance

It's a total piece of string question and doubly daft as we dont know what your job is, where you live, what your outgoings are, if you have debt, children etc

ActDottie · 04/08/2023 08:22

Once I was earning £50k I felt quite comfortable. Now on £72k and have a lot left over each month but we’re saving up for baby’s arrival in January!

WalkingThroughTreacle · 04/08/2023 08:23

Not quite covered everything. You've missed out the fact that the OP didn't state where in the world they are. People are assuming they are in the UK but they could be in Uzbekistan for all we know. Even in the UK, total comp of 80k+ is much more enabling and impressive in Cumbria than it is in inner London.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Employment advice
CloudPop · 04/08/2023 08:28

BumpyaDaisyevna · 04/08/2023 08:05

£20k more than you actually earn 👍

Yes !

runnerbeanqueen · 04/08/2023 08:31

Depends on what you do, where you live and how many mouths to feed.

TheaBrandt · 04/08/2023 08:49

Isn’t it like your perception of youth ?! Young is always 15 years younger than you are!

Shadowboy · 04/08/2023 08:52

I’m a teacher. To me your salary sounds really good. My OH earns £70,000 plus a 4% each year. I always thought that was a fab salary until I came on mumsnet and found that loads here earn over £100,000 which is well and truly out of my reach and I’d always assumed was a fabulous salary.

Yusay · 04/08/2023 08:53

I would define good salary as a salary able to buy you a good quality of life. That depends on where you are physically located, if you have dependents, and what is viewed as a good quality of life in your social circle.

If you rent a flat in London with zero dependents and want to be able to buy a drink in the pub without noticing the cost while saving a bit for the future, I’d say you need at least £80k, probably more like £100k.

If you live in Wales and inherited a house, perhaps £30k will get you a nice life.

If you live in Surrey, have 3 kids you want to send to private school plus a large mortgage yet haven’t inherited anything you probably need to be on £300k+ to not feel stressed about school fees.

LoobyDop · 04/08/2023 08:55

My income is high six figures, but I only actually take a very small proportion out of the bank and give quite a lot to poor people, so does it count? Oh and I’m DEFINITELY working class and happy to post lots of disingenuous examples of things I do that (obviously completely inadvertently) demonstrate the opposite. But I hate all that kind of stuff.

MMorales · 04/08/2023 08:57

CrapBucket · 04/08/2023 07:34

Regardless of the job you should definitely get at least £84,425 per year and free lunches.

I would be happy with that

TinyTeacher · 04/08/2023 08:58

Where do you live and what are your outgoings?

I used to live in London and rent was nearly £2Kpcm. Now I live further out and my mortgage is £700pcm. It makes makes big difference!!!

(To the person who mentioned free food - I LOVE free school lunch. Brilliant perk. Love the effort it saves me, and means I get decent salad without despairing at the waste by DH/DC who treat it merely as plate decoration)

Lysianthus · 04/08/2023 09:04

@vdbfamily did you not get the June bonus?

CFornot · 04/08/2023 09:07

50k more than they currently earn. Everyone wants more than they currently have.

SunnieShine · 04/08/2023 09:14

I'm clearly a Mumsnet pauper on my 30k. But I do alright. 😁

PinkCherryBlossoms · 04/08/2023 09:14

Depends on context. I don't think anyone's mentioned hours yet?

Usernamen · 04/08/2023 09:20

It’s pointless talking in absolute £ amounts because that depends on the job.

But if you’re changing jobs aim for a minimum 20% pay rise and if you’re negotiating in your current job, aim for at least a 10% pay rise (assuming it’s the same role and you’re not going for a promotion).

YourCrackersMiLord · 04/08/2023 09:23

BumpyaDaisyevna · 04/08/2023 08:05

£20k more than you actually earn 👍

Yeah. It's this.

I've earned varying amounts between £150k - £80k over the last 10 years. The answer is ALWAYS about 20k more than you're currently on Grin

limons · 04/08/2023 09:36

@Lysianthus that was a cost of living payment not a bonus I believe?

Girasoli · 04/08/2023 09:45

I'd be happy with 10k more than I actually earn and the same for DH.

(also my dream office would have free breakfast pastries, so many times I rush out of the house and have to make due with just free office fruit for breakfast)

BarbaraofSeville · 04/08/2023 10:06

I think you're paid more than enough already, especially given that you're not very good at expressing yourself objectively.

A 'good salary' under what circumstances?

Upsizer · 04/08/2023 10:12

vdbfamily · 04/08/2023 08:01

I am senior in NHS, have worked for nearly 35 years, earn about £50,000 and have never had a bonus. Your salary sounds great but it does depend what you do I suppose.

This isn’t senior in the NHS! It is Band 7, so over 1/3 of NHS staff are earning this or more.

Senior salaries are Band 9 and up, which starts at 100k.

(pension contributions add 50% to the salary benefits)

bunchofboys · 04/08/2023 10:23

£200k. I don't earn that by the way but i think that is what i would now need to earn to continue the lifestyle I have had over the last 15 years.

There was a woman on here last week whose income including UC top up was equivalent to what someone on £80k would take home.

Cost of living is so high now, that is what i think you need to earn to have the same lifestyle as someone earning £80k 5 years ago if you have anything other than a sub £100k mortgage.

limons · 04/08/2023 10:32

This isn’t senior in the NHS! It is Band 7, so over 1/3 of NHS staff are earning this or more.

Have you worked that out because band 7 is 2/3s of the way up the scale or because the stats demonstrate 1/3 of people are on £50k+? There will be more people in the lower bands. If it's similar to the civil service salaries of £50k are G7-6 which is classed as senior management, SCS (next level up) is director level which I assume the NHS £100k+ salaries are? Seems a bit nit picky to tell someone they're not senior, I would expect someone on £50k in much of the public sector to have a fair bit of responsibility. You don't have to be at director level to be senior.

junkyardcars · 04/08/2023 10:37

limons · 04/08/2023 08:17

Shall we get this thread wrapped up?

It's ok, not high, £200,000 is high.

You're in the top 10% of earners, this thread is SO tone deaf

That wouldn't buy a caravan by me

Oh but it's all relative isn't it, you could buy a castle in "the north" but you'd be on the breadline in London.

Umm have I covered everything?

😂

I just roll my eyes now when I see the 'how much do you earn' threads. It's all relative. I have enough to pay my bills, go on holiday and save each month. Some people who earn the same amount wouldn't, due to debt, outgoings or where they live, so a figure is really meaningless.

Charlotteowensdodgydad · 04/08/2023 11:17

@limons so in terms of experience, knowledge and ability I’m a ‘senior’ staff nurse. My manager admits that clinically I know more than her. I have a lot of responsibility in my specialist area. But my grade is just above non qualified so I’m pretty junior. Never earned more than about £30k. Can’t see the problem with earning £50k tbh.