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

[WinterAx]

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? 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!!!

I wouldn't say £31K was particularly high. I earn approx. £30K working part-time and don't think I earn that much, and my hubby more than double. We are not especially well off, we do have a mortgage and 2 cars but only have one holiday a year, and only go abroad every other year. Depends where you live. We are in Surrey where council tax etc are silly prices so you need to earn more.

31 k is great at 23 especially outside of london , dp is on 50k at 30 we live in the north west I'm on 30k self employed and I'm 24.

I think its a good wage.

she could probably buy a range rover on ppi and definitely go on holiday!

It's especially good considering she's already on the property ladder.

At 23 I was earning 12k. Now at 29 I'm just a squeak over £32k. My partner age 25 is around £30k, but we're both registered/qualified professionals working in healthcare so our qualifications require that salary within the NHS. I'd say it's a lot harder to get above £30k so young without a registration. If I were her mum I'd be delighted for her.

Lol
I earnt £35k as a PA aged 23 in 2007
Wages haven't gone up much witn inflation have they?

Great salary for a 23 year old. For my first job after I finished my masters aged 24, I was on £16k. It was 2009 and in the north. Moved to London two years later, on about £24k. Felt no richer than I had been up north, because rent and transport costs were so much higher. But when I hit £32k at around 28, I felt so well-off.

It’s taken me 20 years of blood, sweat and tears to work up to earning £31000 so I would say yes, it’s good earnings for a 23 year old. I was so proud of my 23 year old son getting a promotion to £25000 last month.

I think for a graduate level position outside of London that's quite good. Not good enough for a range rover perhaps, but good enough she'll be quite comfortable. I wouldn't consider that 'high earner' but no doubt she will be one day, so she can likely expect a comfortable enough life without worrying too much about living month to month, assuming she is wise with her money. I earn 34K (I'm in my late 30s with two postgraduate degrees, I didn't make that when I started) and our combined household income is in the 70s, but we live in a rural part of the south west where the cost of living is probably quite high given it's not near much. I was actually shocked when I worked this out for myself. I didn't think we made that much. To be fair, my dh runs a business, so four years ago, his income was virtually nothing, so this is very new. It wasn't until we did the taxes for the business this year and actually looked at the accounts and I thought about my new salary that we realised how much we make combined. We definitely do not have luxury holidays! We can afford a couple weekend breaks away a year in Europe plus maybe a week break in a cottage in the UK (or camping). We don't drive new cars. They're both secondhand and we bought them with cash savings. We're more comfortable now, but when our daughter was in nursery, nursery costs ate a significant portion of my take home earnings each month. It's only now that she's started school that things are more solid financially (of course, I'm going on mat leave now, and I don't qualify for SMP given the nature of my work, and then the cycle will start again). So it's a great salary for your first job, but she's not going to be living the high life too soon.

That said, bragging about or even talking about your salary amongst friends (in this case, I mean, her mum) is really gross unless it's in context, like you're talking with a friend about being unsure about changing jobs or relocating for a new job, etc. So that's just weird.

Considering one in four people are “stuck in low paid jobs” www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41669991

And “The median hourly wage for an average person across the entire British workforce was £12.10 per hour in 2016, according to the report.”

I’m on around £32k outside London and pretty happy with that! If I moved to London with my current job I would be on around £37k which I don’t think is great for London.

It always amazes me to see different people's perspectives on wages/income. I'm 30 and I don't know anyone who earns that and most of the people I know are graduates (most are teachers etc.). When I was 23 I was working in retail earning just above NMW, my first proper salaried full-time job was 15k I think. Even the people I know in London don't earn that or maybe they do now just about but we're obviously older and with more work experience by this point.

I now earn about 23k and my partner a bit less and we are able to live fairly well and go abroad (we don't have kids though so that saves a lot!) It's quite cheap to go abroad these days (to Europe anyway) so don't think that's really such a measure of wealth as it used to be IYKWIM. I've been to Europe twice this year; both times cheap flights and AirBnB and it was cheaper than going to the other side of the UK.

That is high for a 23 year old - good luck to her!

Some people will be saying that it’s a high salary in reference to her age, rather than believing it’s a really high salary in the grander scheme of things. For others though, it will be far more than they have ever earned, and will sound like a huge amount of money.

It's a really good salary for NotLondon, especially given she doesn't have a degree.

Assuming she has no student debt, and with her partner earning similar wage, I would imagine that they could live a very good life for a young couple. If they were sensible they would attempt to pay their mortgage off faster before rates go up, or save/invest.

Lovely that her mother is so proud although a little bit cringe at divulging the full deets.

I’m a 46 year old Staff Nurse, qualified for 25 years. I earn less than that. So yes, it’s a very very good salary for a 23yr old.

I actually don’t think this is overly impressive. I’d expect any grad to start on around 28-32k straight out of uni if they’ve got a 2.1 or higher and work in a city. However, getting there is of course an achievement so well done to her, but I certainly don’t think it’s a small elite group. Impressive starting grad salaries are the lawyers going in at £40k+

I am amazed there are people here with joint incomes of 70k who cant afford a holiday

When I was 25 in the mid 90's I was on £35k which wasn't too bad.

Wow that is a fantastic wage. Both me and dh work hard, full time hours and we get approx £16-£17k each so yes £31k is a massive wage for a young person.

Scab it's because mortgages/rents & childcare are so costly.

Poppyfields, why would you expect that? It isnt the norm at al

Bloody hell. Sorry to sound like an idiot but I would have thought on 70k, particularly if you only have one or two children you could deffo afford a holiday every year. That's crap :-(

Just heard on the news that childcare costs have increased 7.4 x faster than wages since 2008.

Thats the salary of the very competitive entry top 100 grad employment schemes, certainly not the salary everyone with a 2:1 gets offered

It may be a bit cringe for her mum to brag about the salary, but I think the cringe prizes really go to those who are so out of touch with normality that they don't know that that is a great salary for a 23 year old. Bless you and your cotton wool existences.

Graduate or not, it's a great salary.

I was on 8k when I was 23

don't do an english literature degree folks

Your expectations are very much off there, Poppy:

"According to the latest High Fliers report, The Graduate Market in 2016, the median starting salary for UK graduates in 2016 is £30,000. However, graduate-jobs.com estimates the average starting salary for graduates is £19,000 - £22,000."

Also, why do people think it's gross to discuss their salary? I hate the way it's supposed to be a huge secret what one earns, it totally lets businesses get away with shady practices like paying two people differently for the same role, and means people rarely realise when they're being devalued. One of the things I love about the NHS is its transparency. We all know what band a new nurse starts on and we can all look up that salary. My friends and I make a point of being pretty open about our incomes, right back from when I was on £12k and some of them on £24k. Who benefits from secrecy?