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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder what others are earning in my location, sector and AGE?

62 replies

rummy41 · 04/05/2011 16:54

we constantly struggle for cash (we're very good though, not getting into debt, paying back student loans regularly)

and i can't help but think i've never received much payback for working so hard at uni, working long hours, it is making me feel a bit down

i'm 27 (28 next month), earn £23.5k a year, but work hard for it (stressful job don't want to go into details, butit IS office based, which is ok). i studied for 5 years at uni - 3 year undergrad in the south where i ran up student loan debts (no other option, no financial support from family, only emotional, which is fine) but nothing over and above basic living costs.

then another 2 years where i did a part time postgrad course which was professionally relevant, again helped by getting into debt with a bit of employer support. it's maths related so don't judge my english please Smile i live in a city which has relatively high living costs compared to the city i lived in whilst a child - think something equivalent to Bristol i think.

at 27, earning 23.5k a year , is that about normal for the educational level i've put in? i seem to mix within relatively affluent circles and i KNOW it's all relative/perception, butit's hard to keep saying that when I see we have X coming in this month and Y going out!

(i suppose it doesn't help that DH is a SAHD, he would earn less than me, NMW, so it made more sense.

does anyoen know of any websites where it breaks down salary levels by sector, job and AGE? i know there are salary checkers but they're msotly based int he USA, not the UK, and besides, it doesn't take age into account (not that it should matter when it comes to earning negotiations Hmm)

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 04/05/2011 16:57

My son is 23, he finishes Uni this year and his first job is paying £45k plus bonuses. He will work in London.

I think it depends on the type of degree you as to what you can hope to achieve with it.

Iggly · 04/05/2011 16:58

But what is he doing Fabby? Investment banking?!

Original poster
rummy41 · 04/05/2011 17:00

wow fabby! that's impressive

you've just reinforced my "what was the fucking point of my degree then" attitude when i see our basic living costs are going up and up - this thread was prompted by me checking my account and seeing i have £33 for the next two weeks after all the direct debits, to feed us / emergencies/etc.

OP posts:
FabbyChic · 04/05/2011 17:02

All of his friends will also be earning the same, comes of taking a Maths degree, hence his brother is starting at Uni this year taking the same degree.

DuplicitousBitch · 04/05/2011 17:02

do you enjoy your job? that is worth alot

indulged · 04/05/2011 17:03

I am 40, have 2 degrees and 3 postgrad quals and earn £45K. Cheshire.
Shit really. Depressed.

steamedtreaclesponge · 04/05/2011 17:05

Are you public sector or private?

I was earning £23k in my first proper job post-uni - that's for administrative work in London. I'm 28 now and looking at jobs in the region of £45k. I do have a degree (which isn't strictly necessary for the kind of job I'm doing) but no further qualifications. But I work in the private sector. I have several friends in their mid-twenties who are earning about as much as you who are working in the public sector or for charities.

There are some UK-based salary checkers around - try on Monster or TotalJobs.

Sarsaparilllla · 04/05/2011 17:08

I'm 33, have a degree and earn £32.5k in Manchester, I haven't had a payrise in 3 years which is shit because prior to then it was moving up quite nicely :(

LisasCat · 04/05/2011 17:09

I think the killer for me is that several of my friends, upon leaving uni, started in jobs that paid six figure salaries within a couple of years, so by the time they turned thirty they were on well over 100k. Now I admit they work bloody hard (yes, law is the main field), but I don't think they work 4 times harder than the rest of us.

The main subject areas which have benefitted them are (in descending order) law, maths, sciences, languages, humanities. Ironically most of the lawyers did a language or history degree followed by a law conversion course, which seems to be the only way to make a humanities degree pay.

peediddy · 04/05/2011 17:11

When i first was interested in goimg to University (back in the 80's)., my strength was maths. I asked the department for some career info and what i could do with a maths degree. All they suggested wa teaching, so i said stuff that.

darleneoconnor · 04/05/2011 17:15

When I was at uni I got it into my head that my salary should increase in line with my age eg £22k at age 22, £25k at age 25, £30k at age 30 and so on. It didn't quite work out like that.

£17k first graduate job (no postgrad but 1 yr of unpaid experience)
ended up in £26k job at age 27

I think it's really sad that thousands of graduates (who were promised better career prospects if they went to uni) are stuck (permanently) in sub £25k jobs. I dont think a degree is financially worthwhile unless you are sure to earn £30k+ for most of your working life. (of course this is even worse for Mums, who often go p/t and only get pro-rata salaries)

jcscot · 04/05/2011 17:21

It's not really relevant to your situation but my husband earns c£53k (due to rise to c£70k later this year due to a promotion). He's 37, has a BSc and an MSc and works in the public sector.

muminthecity · 04/05/2011 17:24

I am 27, no degree, a couple of professional qualifications which I did on the job but nothing impressive. Up until March I was earning £32k, the project I was working on then folded due to lack of government funding and I am still struggling to find a new job. I will probably have to accept a much lower wage just to get back into work Sad

ccpccp · 04/05/2011 17:28

27 year old should be on 27k or more. Thats the basic guideline I've always used.

If you arent earning, you need to move jobs. Even within the same sector, a switch to another company normally results in 20/40% pay rise.

Does anyone get promoted up the ladder any more? Jobs for life are gone in most industries.

Serenitysutton · 04/05/2011 17:29

Tbh I don't think that's a good wage, although it really depends on your sector. However my first post grad job (2005) paid the same and that was a finance assistant in a local authority , which is what makes think it's low.

peediddy · 04/05/2011 17:30

I have a BSc and an MSc and am around 37 and get less that your husband jcscott. He is doing well!

shushpenfold · 04/05/2011 17:32

At 28 I was on £28.5K but this was 13 years ago so probably worth a bit more now. Similar quals to you. It sounds like you;re being underpaid a bit, but it really depends on your field and the sort of organisation you work for...mine was a large accountancy/consulting firm and hence the salaries were pretty decent.

mumtoabeautifulbabyboy · 04/05/2011 17:32

32 yr old primary school teacher, I am a member of the senior team so get a TLR (extra payment on top of basic salary) - £38,500 in the South East. I work .7 so that salary is obviously reduced.

I am in a similar situation to you in that I achieved a first in economics from a Russell Group University so see many (nearly all) of my friends on far higher (well in excess of £100k) salaries.

However, I am extremely happy with the decision I made to teach, I love my job so it is worth the fairly low (in comparison to what I could be earning, I know it's not bad in comparison with some) pay. If you are not happy then is there an option to retrain? Something else that interests you? I can't imagine working for the rest of my life in a job that didn't satisfy me...can you?

KvetaBarry · 04/05/2011 17:38

I'm 29, did 8 years of uni (undergrad then PhD), and earn about the same as the OP working 0.7 FTE. I'm in the SE, but in academia.

DH did 4 years undergrad and earns about twice what I do, but in finance.

tyler80 · 04/05/2011 17:39

I have a 2:1 from an RG university, I'm 31 and only earn 21k a year. But it's all relative as that's average salary round here, and houses are (relatively) cheap.

I pissed around for spent 4 years after uni living abroad and doing jobs I loved but are pretty unsustainable long term if you actually want to earn money. That time is reflected in the amount I earn currently, but I don't regret those years a single bit.

chirpchirp · 04/05/2011 17:41

I'm 29, no degree, no uni, left school at 16, worked in retail for 10 years earning pretty pitiful wages before doing a short secretarial course and now currently earn 22k working as a PA in a law firm. Have been there for about three years and have received a payrise each year. Really happy in the job and only work 9-5, paid for any overtime, not stressful at all compared to boxing day sales working in retail!

nikki1978 · 04/05/2011 17:43

I am 30. I have 9 good GCSEs and two average A Levels. I earn £31k pro rata and I live in Surrey. I was lucky and fell into this work (book keeper) and this is a well paid job. In this area if I had a degree and proper career I would hope to be on more than £40k.

noodle69 · 04/05/2011 17:45

I did admin in the military and started on about 12k and when I left I was on 17.5k. Then I got a degree in Early Childhood Studies and now work with disadvantaged children and my pay rate is £6 an hour. I am hoping to go back and do postgrad for Social Work and then in my area I will be on 19k starting.

I think 23k is a very high wage and is much higher than the majority of people in my area. Local average wage is 19k and I think that is a pretty huge salary.

Bennifer · 04/05/2011 17:46

I have masters and PhD, and work in academia, and at 30 (not in the south east) earn £29k, which is ok, but when I think of the people who earn the big bucks in the city, I do sometimes think I'm a fool. Still, I like my job, and with my qualifications, I'm fairly confident that if I wanted the money, I could go into something more lucrative (I'm an engineer).

I do think that at 18-21, I had no idea how important money was, and thought the people becoming accountants were fools!

nikki1978 · 04/05/2011 17:48

Most of the people I know who earn a lot of money have GCSEs and nothing else. Lots did not end up in the same career path as their degree. Those who did seem to be on lower wages. Ambition, confidence and hard graft are the best path by the look of it.