To wonder what a ‘good wage’ is?

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Not really an AIBU but something I’ve been pondering on, and posting here for traffic and opinions.

I often see people mentioning that someone earns ‘a good wage’ or indeed a high wage, but what that means in practice is clearly dependent on many factors, not least the area someone lives in but also their dependents.

I work in an industry where I talk to people on very high wages all the time about their jobs, which I think skews my view of what’s normal. I was involved in a discussion in another forum recently where it was mentioned the average salary at the moment is £27,000. Of course this is a mean average, skewed by a few very high salaries, and most people are below that. But many people were commenting that they didn’t know anyone who earned that much and had never earned anywhere near that themselves.

I’ve also been fascinated by this calculator from the Institute of Fiscal Studies that shows where households fall in the stratification of the country www.ifs.org.uk/wheredoyoufitin/
I think a lot of people would be surprised by it. When DP and I each earned the average salary (no kids) we were still in the top 25/30% ish of households which seems mad, and we live in an expensive area.

I’m wondering - what do you think a ‘good wage’ is, and at one point does something become a high wage?

@crazycatgal I would say the same as you, most people where I live earn around 13 - 17k (if they even work at all)

People moaning about private schools destroying the education system?

Schools seem to want all children in a middle ground. I know and socialise with a number of teachers. The intelligent kids are too advanced for the normal kids and kids with language issues or special needs. It’s easier for the teachers to keep everyone in the middle ground. This holds back several children in a class.

The private system allows these children to excel. I agree this may not be the same for all schools but it is my experience in London.

If the genius Jeremey Corbyn pushes up private school fees by 20% this will put further strain on the state system as many people will not be able to afford the private education they currently have for their children. 20% increase will push them over the edge.

The standard of education in certain parts of the country is failing many children. Private schools are a necessity.

There are so many variables on that question. Four years ago we lived in London, massive mortgage, one child in childcare, one in after school club and breakfast club, joint income of about 80K. I was made redundant, started doing short term contracts, good pay but no stability, DH was made redundant a year later, had a breakdown, couldn't really go back to the level he was doing. We sold up, paid off our mortgage, left London. Our family income is now about 35k but I work mostly school hours so our childcare costs are minimal and we have no mortgage. I would say we had to make some adjustments but not huge amounts and we don't go without.

I’m moving to Devon and the wages are soooo much lower. But then my mortgage would be around £300 a month! And eating out is cheaper.

The average salary for office jobs seems to be 15k - 20k which is quite a bit less than what I’m in now but in a more expensive place.

My friend and her husband take home 85k a year and he gets excellent bonuses .. she's always worrying about money and seems to struggle .. they have no debts either ... I don't understand
I'd say anything over 50k in the southeast is considered a good wage

The private system allows these children to excel.
Believe that if you wish.
I'll have holidays and savings instead.

For me, a "good wage" is what I could earn if I could be bothered to work full time.
But I like being able to slope off to Yoga of a morning so earn a lot less.

And as a CCAB qualified graduate, my "good wage" is rather above the average

@TalkinPeace
The private system allows these children to excel.
Believe that if you wish.
I'll have holidays and savings instead.

For me, a "good wage" is what I could earn if I could be bothered to work full time.

I beg to differ.
Being in the 1% would highlight the advantage of private schools.
I enjoy a holiday and a few investment dabbles on the stock markets as will my DC.

"The standard of education in certain parts of the country is failing many children. Private schools are a necessity."

That's an insane thing to say. Of course private schools are not a necessity.

Even if your a very bright kid who's being "held back". You don't need to "excel" at school. You just need to do well enough to gain entry to university. You can "excel" there.

I hate the idea that some people "need" an elitist education. And I say that as a former "gifted child".

Why is that an insane thing to say?

Many schools are failing many children and holding them back.

Ask a teacher and don’t rely on my opinion.

The just need to do well enough attitude is a huge problem for the younger generation and you sum it up.

Congrats on being a gifted child I hope you have succeeded in life sadly not all children are gifted but deserve a better state education than they are receiving.

"How do people find it so hard to believe that half of the country earn less than 19k?"
Maybe because the official government statistics (linked in previous post) show that this is not true.

I think it's relative. What is a good wage for a trainee would be a bad wage for someone with 30 years experience. But for someone with an established career but still early days, say around 30-35 years old I would say not bellow six figures (baring in mind that half of it is lost to tax so it ends up being not very much at all).

Looking at our expenses:
Cleaner at £5 ph who works about 30-40 hours pw, about 450 per month (5400 pa) we have a quite big house.
Childcare: I take care of the children but we have an old lady helping out a couple of times per week with the baby (I pay her £400 per month). So 4800 pa.
DD’s school about 6000 pa.
Rent £3500 pm, so £42000 pa.
Mortgage at £2000 -a house near my family that we visit twice a year, not rented out. £24000 pa
DH paying for MIL’s care at £1000 per month so £12000 pa.
Two holidays per year at 6-7000 each, so £14000 pa plus flying back to see DH’s children at 5-8000 depending on where go and what we do.
CM at £2000 per month so £24000 pa and school fees at £15000 per DSS so £30000 pa.
Then we have living costs at about £2000 pm (eating out, grocery, buying products, clothes) so £24000 pa
Running costs of car at £300 pm so 3600 pa

We manage to save for our pension and invest in a few projects, but if you have a lifestyle like ours you need at least £200,000 pa to sustain it.

Maybe you need to go Vegan three nights a week and save some cash

Where do you live where you're only paying a cleaner £5 an hour

I think it’s hard to put a number on a “good wage”. Personally there is no number. Do yo earn enough to support yourself and not worry on a daily basis about where the next meal is coming from or how you’re going to pay the next bill? Then you earn a good wage in my opinion.

£5 an hour. That’s under minimum wage!

Clearly that's not in the UK - you can't rent a house for 3500 per month that is also large enough to need a cleaner for 40 hours per week.

The assertion that all kids sent to public school are gifted is entertaining. Your parents having the means to pay does not make you gifted.

The private system allows these children to excel. I agree this may not be the same for all schools but it is my experience in London
There seems to be an underlying assumption in your post that the more you earn, the cleverer your children ergo private school is better for them. I.e state schools keep everyone in the middle holding back the clever ones

State schools are under funded. You can keep private schools and better fund state schools such that you don’t have teachers leaving in droves etc etc.

Why is that so difficult to do? There is money for white elephants such as Hinckley, HS2 etc but when it comes to literally investing in our future talent I.e. children, the government fails to find the money.

'How do people find it so hard to believe that half of the country earn less than 19k'

The median income is around £20k, so it's not hugely off the mark, but there's also someone on this thread or a similar one, suggesting that they know someone in a normal retail job earning £34k pa plus bonuses.

I have put various configurations of earning 19k into the IFS calculator linked by Talkin upthread.

If you area single person with no dependants then earning 19k would give you an income of more than 39% of the population.

If 2 of you both earn 19k and have no kids then you earn more than 63% of the population.

If you area single person with 2 dependants under 13 then earning 19k would give you an income of more than 11% of the population.

If 2 of you both earn 19k and have 2 kids under 13 then you earn more than 39% of the population.

How lovely Vanessatiger that you spend more on each of your individual holidays than you are willing to pay your cleaner a YEAR for working full-time. Seriously, £5 an hour?! You should be ashamed of yourself.

I think it dependant on your situation really. I earn 34k and my OH 40k. I think we have good wages, we live in Manchester.

We toyed with the idea of living in London recently but we would find our salaries wouldn't go anywhere, and as such, I think we'd feel really stretched there.

Private schools are a necessity

Can't help chuckling at that

Back to OP, this is quite interesting
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/householddisposableincomeandinequality/financialyearending2016

Childcare: I take care of the children but we have an old lady helping out a couple of times per week with the baby.
CM at £2000 per month so £24000 pa.

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