Please help settle a debate - earning £35k

[Johnnyfinland]

Two people are having a discussion. Person A is insisting £35k is a decent wage for someone at junior management level or just below. Person B says it's a bad wage, and you can't do things like save, go on holiday, treat yourself etc on that salary.

Person A pointed out plenty of people in the UK are on less, but person B thinks it's only just entry level for many industries, and that most people in "professional jobs" would think it's low.

What do you think? I am one of the people but I won't reveal which yet.

It’s purely speculative though and not sure is should be a debate between anyone unless it is employee and employer.

Anyway if the industry is London finance /insurance type job and person is graduate with a few years experience then this is a perfect level of salary. Pay can rise dramatically in these cases.

If B thinks this is not enough for a treat then they don’t need more money, they need a budgeting sheet!

2 years experience in a professional role in London I would expect a lot more than 27k. My dd left uni and went straight onto 26k in the North, with experience behind her now she wouldn't move for less than 40k.

It does however depend slightly on the industry and what is deemed as junior management, some would have quite a lot of levels of 'management' and the lowest tier would only have a very small uplift in their salary.

I would say it's a decent salary, it's above the national average.
But I don't understand London, my DH and I earn less than that together, and have a lovely big house, holidays and a car. And two dc. But we live oop north. If I earns that I'd be over the moon! I work part time, but my pro rata full time salary is 25k!

It's not finance, and London weighting definitely doesn't exist in our industry. There are problems with low pay in other areas but (yes I am person A) I was arguing those particular salaries do not fall into the 'bad' range for people in the first five or so years of their career

It’s more than a mainscale teacher earns at the top of the scale...

It totally depends on the industry. I know one industry where that wage would be considered extremely low, and I know another where that would be considered a very good wage.

I was arguing those particular salaries do not fall into the 'bad' range for people in the first five or so years of their career

It so much depends on the industry, in both my dcs industries they would expect to be on a lot more than that after 5 years

Blimey, I'm in the SE and in a managerial role in the construction industry (and a homeowner with a baby in childcare) yet "only" on £32k (including car allowance)! £35k is more than decent for a junior managerial role!

The average salary in the UK is £27k, so it is a good salary.

Other factors are: is it reasonable for the industry? Is it a low-paying industry or a supposedly prestigious one? Is this a small company or a big one, public or private sector?

And, tbh, if you are working full time in a job where some skills are required your wages should be enough to allow you treats, savings and an annual holiday. It's complete bullshit to suggest that anyone should be 'grateful' that their 30+ hours a week labouring for their employer's benefit earns them just about enough not to starve on.

I think it’s good, I get 24k for working full time as a midwife which involved 4 years study prior.

Completely depends on industry/location/qualifications etc. It’s entry level or less than entry level in city law/accountancy/management consultancy firms - but obviously there aren’t many people in those jobs!

A paramedic's salary tops out at around £35k after years of service. When you have your heart attack, who ya gonna call? Paramedic or an accountant? Teachers, nurses, firemen, police - takes ages to get to £35 k. There will be people on here reading this weeping.

For context the industry is broadcast media/journalism

I would say they are both right. 35k is a great wage for many people. But if you have a degree like PPE/Economics etc. from a top uni, and work in the city or in a consultancy firm, by 30 you'd expect to be on a good deal more, and 35k would be quite disappointing.

For example - a London couple I know both have Oxbridge degrees in Econ. and are late 20's. One is a social worker and is very pleased with 34k (ish) salary (has a Masters in social work). The other is an economist and is on about 50k and is hoping for more next year (has a Masters in Econ.). They both have realistic expectations from their careers.

I live and work in London and have only just reached a £35k salary in my early 30’s, and that’s working in secretarial/support roles mostly within the financial sector. Took me a long time to get here! Entry level to me would be £25k.

Is person B male and A female? Men tend to overestimate their worth and women underestimate their worth on that basis the truth probably lies somewhere inbetween.

35K would be a very good wage in a professional industry where I live, you wouldn't get it at entry you would need 5+ yrs experience post qualification, I can see why in London you wouldn't think it was good but I think that is all skewed, I mean minimum wage full time would only be like 11K a year so you can see how terribly one sided the economy is

I would say it is somewhere in the middle. Not bad but not good either. I don't live in London and think I would struggle on that.

Catching babies - like the user name, my 3rd shot out so quick he had to be caught before hitting the deck :). A midwives cricket team would have awesome fielders. Respect to you for doing a great service that is underpaid.

Both tbh.

I'd be happy with that. I'm a lone parent of 3 DCs getting by on half that. My BF doesn't live with me, he earns twice that amount, so obviously he helps out by taking me on holiday etc but if I were to earn that amount I'd easily be able to pay my own way, eat well, entertain my DCs and pay for holidays myself.

Although TBH for the hassle involved in applying for a better paid/longer hours job, the tax you pay on a larger sum and the expense of working somewhere I had to travel to/buy smart clothes for etc, it may not actually make as big a difference as I would hope. I'm lucky to have more time than money.

27k would be a starting salary for a graduate with a good degree in many city jobs. I would expect that to at least double for a junior manager. That would be a small fortune for many parts of the country but not London.

Quite apart from the high living costs in London and the surrounding commuter belt most people earning that sort of money will also have to factor in repaying student loans, effectively an additional tax on their income.