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Original poster

In thinking that this salary really isn’t anything to brag about

292 replies

WinterAx · 20/10/2017 06:31

A good friend’s 23yo DD has just accepted a new job where she’ll be earning 31k. Since that time, I haven’t heard the last of it with regards to what a ‘high earner’ she will be now and how much more she’ll be earning than any of her peers. I’m being told she’ll no doubt be jetting off on lots of exotic holidays and buying a Range Rover and such like. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a good friend of mine and of course she’s a proud mother but... 31k... really? Hmm Is this really considered ‘high earner’ status these days?!

Admittedly we don’t live in a city so living costs aren’t high and I know she owns property already with her boyfriend who also earns a similar amount... but I’m just genuinely interested what sort of salary outside of the city is considered to be good these days? If you can genuinely be comfortable on that sort of wage I’m thinking of semi retiring!!!

OP posts:
Heatherbell1978 · 20/10/2017 08:28

It’s all relative really. I earn almost double that at 39 as does my DH but we also run a house, 2 kids, high nursery costs etc so although we’re very comfortable, I wouldn’t say we’re lapping in luxury.
However if I was a single 23 year old renting a room in a house share on £31k then yes I think I’d be very comfy. I probably earned that in my mid to late 20s and I was off on holiday 3 times a year, living in a lively flat and driving a new VW Beetle. Aaah the memories...Smile

RJnomore1 · 20/10/2017 08:31

I think it's reasonable at 23 and she should be comfy but it's not Range Rover and safari salary.

However if her mum has never earned anything like it it may seem like it is.

Stopyourhavering · 20/10/2017 08:32

That's a fabulous salary for a 23 yr Old! My dd bf has just graduated with a computing degree and landed a very good job earning £30k/ yr but he doesn't brag about it! Nor is his mother
I've been working for 25 yrs in NHS and earn just slightly over that Shock

PrimeraVez · 20/10/2017 08:32

It's a very good starting salary for a 23 year old. In my first graduate job, I earned 27k a year and felt very happy with that.

But with no context (ie without knowing she was 23) would I consider it a 'high' salary? No, not personally.

Coconutspongexo · 20/10/2017 08:34

Well put it this way FY1 Drs earn 22k so yeah it is a good salary for her age.

ferrier · 20/10/2017 08:36

As average UK salary is just above £27k and average UK salary for someone in their 20s is just under £24k I'd say she's definitely a high earner. Well done her!

PoppyPopcorn · 20/10/2017 08:36

It's a good salary for a 23 year old but not huge in the grand scheme of things.

BaconAndBees · 20/10/2017 08:36

If this hits the Daily Fail she's going to realise what a snide friend she has.

Graceflorrick · 20/10/2017 08:37

I wasn’t earning anywhere near 31k at 23, so in that sense it’s good.

I only started earning over 30k in my late 20s and my earning potential sky rocketed in my 30s reflecting my experience.

What does she do for a living OP?

AtHomeDadGlos · 20/10/2017 08:38

It’s an interesting one. I’m tempted to say it’s not stellar, but that was until I recently found out what my friends made - all in their early 30s and only one earning above that (and then only just). My wife earns in the low £50ks and when I return to work I should be on the low £30ks to start with.

Still, if I were that 23 yr old I wouldn’t be wasting it on expensive lease cars - pay off the mortgage quicker!

thecatsthecats · 20/10/2017 08:38

Definitely a good salary for her age, even more so depending on other factors. At 23, on or two of my friends were on the first rungs of grad schemes, earning between £25-30k. One man took an early promotion to £30k. One woman was straight into a prestigious London grad scheme on £40k.

The rest of us were decidedly below the £25k line, and I was on £20k myself. It's not an indication of where we're at now - myself, and one of the other low earners have moved on quite a bit. But I'd say very well done to her.

It will especially be a lot when she has a partner earning the same amount as her. My fiance and I have been on a par with each other for years, leapfrogging, and having two good salaries in one household at that age makes a significant difference to how you get on, from what I've seen. Heck, even two lower salaries working towards the same ends makes a difference.

maddiemookins16mum · 20/10/2017 08:42

Only on MN would so many people say it's not that high a wage (regardless of age). It's several thousand over the average for a start.
I clearly live in another world.

maddiemookins16mum · 20/10/2017 08:43

As for it being 'reasonable' at 23 years old, really!!!!

Fairylea · 20/10/2017 08:43

In our area (norfolk) that is a very high salary for anyone...! (Unless you have a very specific role somewhere in law / medicine etc). I was a senior marketing manager and my top salary was £28k. Dh works full time in clinical administration- he is 30 and a graduate and earns £18k.

FarceFace · 20/10/2017 08:44

It's impressive, it's a shame the mum has mentionitis as I doubt her dd wants it all blabbed about, but I'm sure she's just really proud of her dd - I assume this is a close friend though so it's not as though she's telling random strangers in the street?

It could be worse - I know a lot of friends' kids that age and older who've not managed any independence yet.

MorrisZapp · 20/10/2017 08:44

Bloody hell that's a brilliant wage for 23! Nobody in my family has managed anything like that. If she's still living at home then yes, she can afford luxury purchases on that income. If I thought my DS could earn that kind of money in the future I'd be bloody well over the moon.

Brittbugs80 · 20/10/2017 08:45

And quite honestly, I'd be pleased my child had secured employment too and I would be proud of them for that.

PollyPelargonium52 · 20/10/2017 08:46

It isn't much these days.

Coconutspongexo · 20/10/2017 08:47

The thing is with mumsnet there seems to be an unusual amount of high earners.. so a lot of people will say no it's not a good wage.

It definitely is. The average U.K. Salary for a female is £25,296 male is £30,251.

The UK average for 21-25 year olds is between 18-21k which is dependent upon where you live.

AngeloMysterioso · 20/10/2017 08:47

Well she’s earning more than me, and I’m 32!

strugglingtodomybest · 20/10/2017 08:49

I think it's a great wage for a 23 year old.

metalmum15

I'm still laughing at mum bragging about buying a Range Rover, like it's better than any other car. Each to their own eh?

That caught my eye too! Her mother sounds awful tbh. Bragging about her DD'S salary and hoping she wastes it on a pointless beast of a car.

FarceFace · 20/10/2017 08:50

Yes regardless of stats though, if one of my dads had her own place and a well paying job by 23 I'd be struggling to keep a lid on that to my good friends too and I expect they'd be the same about theirs - boasting is never appealing but it is a forgivable failing when it comes to dcs...

FarceFace · 20/10/2017 08:51

Oh come on, the Range Rover thing's just a question of taste - it obviously epitomises 'going places' to the mum, even if it connotes other things to other people.

karriecreamer · 20/10/2017 08:54

That's very impressive for 23 yrs old, and yes, it's very high.

Bluntness100 · 20/10/2017 08:54

The thing is with mumsnet there seems to be an unusual amount of high earners.. so a lot of people will say no it's not a good wage

But there hasn’t been has there? Very few people have said that. In fact the vast majority have said they could not dream of earning it or didn’t themselves. So it’s the opposite.

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