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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About the supposed average earnings?

92 replies

Orda1 · 30/11/2015 20:31

So this morning I read an article on Sun (I follow every main newspaper on social media). It said the average wage for a 30 something was 24k. I don't earn that much, I've only been working for two years but I get various other benefits. The article had a lot of comments which I assumed would be saying it was too low, but infact they were saying it was way too high. There was even someone that worked as a manager for 17k.

Am I completely out of touch?

OP posts:
ilikebaking · 01/12/2015 07:50

Wow, that seems very high to me. (NW)
I earn 16k- full time but am only paid pro rata- so take home about 13k.
It isn't a very professional job though, in my old job, supervisory positive, auxillary nursing, I was on 19.5k.
My DH is in a graduate role- on 14k.

ZoeTurtle · 01/12/2015 07:57

Agree with BuggersMuddle about 'I'm a manager' being meaningless. I was a full time manager for a charity on £13k, a year after graduating. My best friend is 30 and just quit her job as a charity manager on £17k.

Three years later I'm not a manager, for a private company, on £32k.

treaclesoda · 01/12/2015 07:58

I graduated almost 20 years ago and in my area we were in awe of people who managed to start on a salary of £12k or more. I remember one school friend graduating and going to work in London on a salary of £23k and we were in awe as it was such an incredible salary.

If I was working full time in my previous children job I would probably be earning around that amount and it would have taken almost 20 years to get there.

My dh works in a professional, graduate level job, has 15 years experience in his field and his basic salary is only 23k (although in reality he does earn a lot more). He's not an underachiever, he is pretty typical of his peers.

Salaries in some areas of the UK are very low.

treaclesoda · 01/12/2015 07:59

That should say 'pre-children' job.

Egosumquisum · 01/12/2015 08:31

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Egosumquisum · 01/12/2015 08:32

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StealthPolarBear · 01/12/2015 08:42

That seems low to me too

ottothedog · 01/12/2015 08:51

This is a female dominated site so average wages will be lower

The Sun appeals to lower wage earners hence comments

There is another interesting table somewhere looking at household income and number of kids - larger families earn more

Sadik · 01/12/2015 08:59

Yes, I think if you live in the South East it's easy to forget that a lot of the country is very different.

Where I am £24K would be viewed as a good salary regardless of age, and in general the highest earners I know round here are teachers/health professionals. Not at all the same as London . . .!

Egosumquisum · 01/12/2015 09:26

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ComeLuckyApril · 01/12/2015 09:32

Graduate, mid-30s here, have never earned that much :(

Sighing · 01/12/2015 09:46

I thought it was higher (but I often look at full-time only or gender split figures). Certainly it's not a wage to support a family on in most areas.

Preciousxbane · 01/12/2015 10:11

Not an exact science but this is interesting from the Institute of Financial Studies.

www.ifs.org.uk/wheredoyoufitin/

I didn't go to University but went to night school as it was called then and was earning 19k with overtime back in 1989. I then took a huge paycut and accepted a dream job for 14k, previous dream job is only about 16k per year now. The real issue is however housing costs, to rent a room in Birmingham back in the early nineties cost me between 28 to 35 per week not including bills but as a shared house bills were only about £15 per week.

My sisters have all worked their entire lives in minimum wage jobs whereas DH sister and his friends all earn at least 50k per year. So how you feel about it is very influenced by the circles you move in.

That non graduate way of life to a good salary is incredibly rare these days. The woman that has my old job is a postgraduate.

Egosumquisum · 01/12/2015 10:20

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Preciousxbane · 01/12/2015 10:45

People on MN will have more idea about other people's lives but some people are very closed and don't mix or want to know about other people's lives. SIL is always moaning about money, she earns at least 50k per year and often gets full living expenses so her package is worth far more. She wouldn't have a clue nor be interested in my sisters minimum wage existences. I admit to not liking SIL though it's not for this specific reason.

angelos02 · 01/12/2015 10:49

What type of job earns around £24k?

I know minimum wage is around £12k, admin jobs around £16k. Teachers, nurses seem to earn around £30k+.

So genuinely wondering what kind of jobs pay £24k.

Naicecuppatea · 01/12/2015 11:11

When I graduated 20 years ago my starting salary was £17-18K in London. So median £24K across the country all these years later seems low to me as the prices of everything else has risen so much, especially house prices.

Sighing · 01/12/2015 11:15

Admin jobs around 16k? When I left uni in 1997 admin jobs were around that (my first one was £16,350. THAT is a disturbing thought. (Midlands)

Egosumquisum · 01/12/2015 11:17

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PennyPants · 01/12/2015 11:27

It seems a bit low considering I was earning that about 20 yrs ago for an average job.
I have read somewhere only 10% of people earn over £40k a year, which shocked me more but then I think most of them are on MN.
DH earns way over that amount and I now earn way under, I suppose that's where averages come from.

Discogeek · 01/12/2015 11:35

Im 33, work part time in the voluntary sector and my full time equivalent would be 26k so not far off.

I work in a specialist sector which is notoriously badly paid but love my job so don't mind Smile

My DH works in a family business earning 23k, he works hard and for long hours.

We are average amongst our friends with earnings. I don't think many people on here are aware that not everyone is a graduate in the south, there are a great many parts of the country where 24k is a cracking wage.

Bumdance · 01/12/2015 12:29

I graduated 10 years ago and my first proper job after university paid 21k (London). I don't know what it pays now but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't much more.

I'm 32 and earn around 34k (partly guaranteed bonus based). My job is as far from a graduate job as you can get and plenty of people here have virtually no qualifications so it is possible still to earn a good wage without a degree. Others in my industry earn as much as 60k also without much in the way of qualifications.

I think salaries have certainly stagnated and I don't know how some people will ever be able to buy a house.

Original poster
Orda1 · 01/12/2015 13:13

I don't live in the south. Frankly I feel better now - I was embarrassed about my salary but I see now it's not bad.

OP posts:
Original poster
Orda1 · 01/12/2015 13:13

I also thought trade men were well paid and they're not graduate jobs.

OP posts:
cleaty · 01/12/2015 13:35

Yes you are out of touch OP. But people who earn a lot tend to socialise with people who earn a lot. There are plenty of responsible and professional jobs which are relatively low paid.