If you are minted....

[FeralBeryl]

*What is your/ partner's career or job?
*
Not a TAAT more a TIBAT (inspired by a thread)

Someone has a monthly take home pay of £11k
Not going to lie, I fully intend to suddenly obtain the necessary qualifications overnight for whatever it is. sure there'll be an online course....

I know there will have been a great deal of sacrifice, no work home balance etc. I'm not wanting to judge at all-I'm enthralled

Please.

I'd be interested to know if there are women out there who are earning the mega bucks themselves, who took time out of work to look after children, as a poster a couple of comments up thread is planning to do.
Is it possible to continue to make the mega bucks if you had then before the break and then returned, or is it possible, not having earned them before the break for kids, to get there later after returning? Or did all of the women mega Buck workers just push on through? Might be a bit different I guess for those working in family businesses with partners.

Nobody bankrolled my business. I built it from scratch without any help from anywhere, my website went live a month before I found out I was pregnant, I worked right through pregnancy and was sending emails from hospital waiting to go down to theatre. Had no maternity leave. My success is sod all to do with luck and everything to do with hard work, massive risks and having faith in what I was doing.

For the first 4 years I was a single parent too, ran the business entirely by myself and had no family or savings to fall back on.

I'm in a similar position to Bananafish - I am now a self employed consultant in a niche area of financial services. I was a SAHM until youngest was 5 but did masters and short term contracts - then worked in govt jobs - longer hours than do now - have a very supportive DH who is very proud (and very pleased) I am the bread winner now. Set up own business last year and has paid off. I went to a comp - appreciate I have been lucky with the choices I've made. Would never send DCs to public school - live in London and trying to pay off mortgage quickly and save to retire early - but may need to do a fair bit of overseas work (though don't see this as a hardship!).

I would say study and work in fields that interests you - maintain a conscience and remember how lucky you are - I know I earn more than 99% of women in the world - I don't think I earn an absolute fortune - or in deed work harder than other women - and try and help all women in work - especially those just starting out!

That's difficult chocolatewombat. Roll back to the early 90s and the capital was mine. The capital that was sunk into our first married home (about £250k) which we bought with a large mortgage and it was a massive risk at the time. People said we were bonkers. We sold it 20+ years later for almost £4m. When my father died, I bought two buy to lets, ex la, circa 2002, The dividing line becomes difficult - my equity created the capital in our home and the flats are mine and pull in about £2k pcm after costs. I went back to work about 13 years ago, starting at the bottom on £7,500k half time. They let me do prof quals and I have worked my way up from the age of 44. Not mega bucks,but I clear almost £3k now, plus my flat money. It's complicated. So many who know nothing of my home life have asked how I did it and I don't know. Some of it's hard work, some of it's being always willing, finding a way to get things done. Some if it's being reliable. I'm quite sure I could earn double if I'd been prepared to work further away but local works with kids. I'm 56; I've had five jobs (an 8 year break). I've had seven interviews in my entire working life. DH has never changed job base.

At work nobody has any idea. They know DH is a lawyer, they know the area we live in. I never mention when DH is in NY or LA or Paris or Brussels. I never mention the children's schools - if I leave at five because we are going out I say I've an appointment. I get ready at the hairdressers. They think I get the extra holiday because of the school holidays and because I garden.

I'm not sure where it begins and ends to be honest.

I am returning to my career in 10 days. I have had a break for each of the kids and to run mine and dhs business.

I am returning to a well paid job. The reasons I have been able to is complicated. I had my first child young then established my career when she was 18 months. Had my second a good few years later and took a year off for mat leave then took another year as career break. My company allowed anyone a year career break. I returned for a while, then left to work on our company.

I was well established and respected at work. In my job at that company, no one has been able to do the job as well as I did. When I left they had to replace me with two people. I left on fantastic terms and they knew I wouldn't have been leaving if not for our company.

I don't have a degree. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I spent all my time at work trying to get the skills I needed and taking every opportunity to progress. I also kept in touch with my senior managers when I left and stayed on friendly terms with them.

They have asked me to go back a few times. But it's never been the right time. Now it is.

I think it's been easier for me to return to work as I have been actually working around my kids. Running my own business has taught me new stuff. So I am going back with more skills.

I think it must be extremely difficult if you have been a sahp and out of work completely.

The office I worked in has changed loads in the time I have been gone. Even though I have been working it was odd being back in the office a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't been working for whatever reason, it must make it harder.

I would have liked to have spent more time at home with the kids, although the last few years I have worked around them. Working while they are at school and in bed. But I also like my own financial independence. I am a child of multiple divorces. My need to be financially independent from dh, is what I consider a flaw. Because it comes from seeing mum financially screwed over twice. Being financially independent on dh or only having income from a joint venture, terrifies me.

Dh knows why I am the way I am. He doesn't take it as a slight on him that I want to make sure I have my own income if we split. He knows I am not planning a split. He knows it's something I need to do. He has always done 50:50 at home without being asked, always been a partner and understands why I am the way I am.

Haven't rtft but felt annoyed from the first page where people started saying they 'work hard'. Poor people on shit wages also work very hard. It is also normal to work six or seven days a week ..long hours . And still be poor.

I hate it when people start explaining how they got rich by explaining that of course it's because they work hard.

Please try to understand the structural reasons behind inequality of income.

In my experience, taking time out for a year or two (but no longer) doesn't necessarily affect your earning potential long term. However, appearing or being less committed when you return to work is a problem in a competitive and high reward field. It's very obvious that many of my male colleagues have a wife at home to run their lives and find it a lot easier to do long hours even when their children are very young. There is also a slightly masculine culture of getting in early and working late, and boasting about how little sleep they get.

I think it is one of the biggest issues that women face in trying to have a very successful career. There is always somebody (usually a man) who is able and prepared to put in crazy hours but also have a family. I have never been able to find a man who is prepared to support me in the way their wives do!

As I think a PP has said, there is also the problem that as a man you are applauded for leaving work early for parents' evenings or to look after a child for one day a week after a divorce. As a woman you are still often judged for doing the same.

chocolat My female department head isn't on megabucks (approx £90k, public sector) but she is very high up in the organisation in a job that requires international and national travel and she has 2 (now teen) DCs that she took maternity leave of 6-9 months iirc, but this is a place where a year is the norm.

She has been 'senior' for at least 10 years and I know her DH has always been an equal parent at least and taken a step back in terms of prioritising home over work.

I can't get past £90k not being classed as "mega bucks"

waterrat you are right in what you say, of course people on poor wages work hard. I think though that there's a difference of responsibility which you get in higher paid roles, being responsible for the jobs and futures of an entire workforce (for those who are business owners); being responsible for far-reaching legal consequences that could affect your clients and/or your company for life, etc (for those who are legals). It's about never switching off from the job, getting emails and texts through the night, at 11pm, at 1am. Being woken with a huge decision to make at 6am and it literally being only you who can make it, because you are the top of the tree, that's what you're paid for but there's no delegation or asking the tier above because you ARE the tier above. You are where the buck stops and if you make the wrong decision you could put your entire company (and workforce) out of business in a month or two months. It's mentally taxing 24/7 rather than physically taxing within the hours of the role.

Good luck back at work Bruce

The people I know who are very rich or successful do mostly come from wealthy backgrounds, and I think that this is partly because they don't think that being hugely successful is an u reasonable aspiration, so they are less likely to self-sabotage, and partly because the stakes are much lower - they can afford to do the years of badly-paid work at the start, or get that start-up capital, or take a big risk, because if things go wrong, they are unlikely to end up in destitution.

They still work bloody hard, and have qualities that I don't, but generally speaking, it's easier to take full advantage of your talents if you come from a privileged background.

Shamelessly placemarking. I am so nosy and love hearing about other people's finances!

Not quiet that much but £8k a month post tax IT consultancy from many years experience plus senior public sector administrator

For big big money I think it needs to be city of London banking or financial services or top end of the medical or legal profession into which I think most people are born eg entry I think can be almost by stealth restricted to those from certain backgrounds - medicine perhaps less so or the other biggee for earning big is to have your own business - very few normal type jobs earn this type of dosh unless they are in very very senior roles

Other than that sales people earn well if you are very good

I am surprised at PP who worked in clinical trials and r and d saying they earnt around this because everyone I have known in this type of environment was highly educated and in relative terms low paid - to the point it sort of would put me off advising anyone down that route - but I guess there have to be exceptions!!

I am in the category of being "minted" by virtue of DH job. He works for a well known high st chain but as in many of these posts has a niche profession as well as a business qualification which is why his skills are so desirable. Plus he possesses that special factor that makes him a high earner which is hard to put your finger on. He works incredibly hard and I do the home stuff. It's not easy being the default parent. I often envy those who have a "normal" set up. Saying that, I am incredibly grateful for what we have and the financial security that comes with it. I know that my DD's will never want for anything. But I bring them up with no assumptions about getting anything for nothing.

Posted previously but just wanted to add that I think the OP was a bit tongue in cheek asking the types of job roles that achieved large salaries in case some of these were unexpected and/or achievable to access retraining into

The thread has in parts descended into a I work harder than you type debate which I am guessing was not the OP intention - we all know salary level is not always a direct result of the persons intelligence or hard work it can often be lack of opportunity or simply inadvertently choosing a lower or higher paying profession. Ditto that luck plays a part and that some people value job satusfaction above money

Wow. A lot of really high earners here! Makes our £5k ish (joint) a month seem rather paltry!

However I work part time in a job I love (a GP trainee). My husband deserves more for what he does (a project manager for an engineering firm) but is well respected in his company and there is room for promotion. He could make more if he was willing to travel and work much longer hours; but he doesn't want to.

We are comfortable and happy for the most part.

My partner is a rugby player. I work in a nursery, its obvious who makes the most money

Good luck back at work Bruce

Thank you I am excited and crapping myself in equal measure.

The thread has in parts descended into a I work harder than you type debate which I am guessing was not the OP intention

I don't think it has. I have said lots of times, I spent most of my working life working incredibly hard and still being skint. Lots of people said that people on low wages still work incredibly hard.

However I disagree that making money is purely down to luck. I have taken massive risks and worked incredibly hard. However that doesn't mean I didn't work just as hard when I was In a low paid job.

Anyone who thinks wage proves how hard you work doesn't live in the real world.

My husband is a bricklayer - we own the business but still spends his days with a trowel in his hand. I run the admin side, pricing jobs, payroll etc... it's bloody hard work, you never really have any time off but it's very much worth it

Earning the big bucks isn't the only way to be minted. Between dh and I we earn well over 100k but manage our modest bills entirely through dh's salary, so mine is all disposable income. We've saved hundreds of thousands and are on track to pay off our mortgage in 5 years.

The money seems to be in own businesses
Yes it can work well and give you a sound income, by usually after quite a few years of hard graft earning a low or modest salary if your lucky to ensure the business grows and remains stable then continued to flourish. Then you can earn a reasonable wage depending on the industry your in, some of which may provide you with a steady Monet income and a secure future others will generate more profit due to its nature and therefore more income. Many peoples own businesses fail, go bust and start trading many times due to he owners thinking they can get a good in one straight away which is always a bad move and even when you do it correctly I have seen people loose everything and get no redundancy due to the business being theirs all because of economic down turn where as those employed were likely to get a package etc.

Badders

To me £90k pa is megabucks but the take home pay of the example I gave above will be nowhere near £11K pm, probably about £5k, so a lot less than most on this thread.

Also as public sector, no bonuses, share options, perks like private healthcare, entertainment budgets etc, just the salary. A lot of private sector senior executives will have all sorts of extras in addition to their Base salary.