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 a debate about the meaning of "decent" , nothing more. It's a fluffy word really, in that it cannot be pinned down and means whatever the fuck you want it to. Anyone claiming that a single childless person would be poor on 35k is far too stupid to be worth that salary and anyone paying someone so lacking in common sense 35k a year for anything is a fool.

There can be very few jobs offering 35k as a genuine "entry level" salary to 21 year olds fresh out of a bachelor's degree. "Entry" level after a string of professional qualifications including working maybe, but that's a very loose definition of "entry level".

Usually people claiming above average salaries are not decent salaries are the kind of people who measure a human's worth by their salary, otherwise known as ignorant superficial wankers.

I agree with person B

Even in central London I would say £35k is a decent living wage. You wouldn't be able to buy a house in the city but you could rent a nice place and live a comfortable lifestyle. I suppose it depends on if you have debt, dependent a etc, but even so many people manage on much less than that.

I live in central London and earn more than that now but did earn considerably less and supported myself and didn't feel hard done by.

Nursing is a professional job and 27k would about fit for some one at Jnr management level I guess. senior Staff Nurse on a ward.
That’s why there is a shortage of nurses in London! At 35k you are talking Ward Sister.

I live in central London and earn more than that now but did earn considerably less and supported myself and didn't feel hard done by.

Absolutely. With the key parts being supporting only yourself and being in the past. It's crazy how even in just the past couple of years, rent/mortgage and living costs in London has skyrocketed to stupid levels (but that's another thread!)

Having said that, my daughter aged 30 was earning about 37k a couple of years ago in London. She had a nice House share, holidays abroad and saved.

I agree with Person A. Person B must surely be aware that the average UK salary is c£28k- how can someone think a salary of £7k more than average is not a decent one? And to say you can't save, go on holiday and have treats on £35k... come on. Person B needs to gain some better Life Skills.

Totally dependent on where you live. London £35k is not enough to live on, maybe enough to exist on.
Anywhere north of the Midlands and £35k is a perfectly good wage, enough to buy a home with your own mortgage, holiday and do all the things you generally think of as luxury items (Sky tv, dine out, run a car etc)

It depends so much on the industry.

£27k in central London is a starter salary for a grad. With 1-2 years experience, we tend to pay £30k-33k ish. With mid experience £40k-45k.

Team leaders nearer £60k, managers upwards of £80k. And very technical/rare skilled people can earn that too.

We start apprentices on £15k but move them to £18k after 6m, then £21k after another 6m, then if they go into a role they get the starting salary for that role - £25k would be about the lowest they'd get then.

But we are IT/Cyber Security, there is a massive skills shortage and it's hard to get up to date skills in London. So, salaries in that industry are quite high.

Hava, the bandings are different for nurses in London as they are paid a top up to try and help with the additional expenses. So a nurse at 3/4 of the way up band 5 would not be paid the same in Inner London as they would in the rest of England.

Band 5 pay scale 2017/18

Inner London £26553 - £34495
Rest of England £22128 - £28746

@Iamtryingtobenicehere

London £35k is not enough to live on, maybe enough to exist on.

Do you have any idea how offensive and frankly untrue this is? I would guess at there being at least hunderds of thousands of people in London living on far less than £35k - the poor sod serving your free Waitrose coffee isn't just photosynthesising when you aren't looking.

OP I work in the charity sector, managers get £27-40k. Heads of Department not much more. Grads are lucky to land a paid role and will only be if they have some useful, real working experience. £35k is a dream salary for so many people. Person B sounds like they have a lack of social and rational thinking skills.

OP, I work in this field and have access to a range of data showing average, median, high and low earnings for all areas in all industries. If you'd like to pm some details I'd be happy to give you an overview of where you actually sit in your industry.

what industry is the op in?

Person B needs to take a look at, and understand, the stats around average salaries.

£35K is more than a decent wage.

I think it depends what sector.

Dh is a junior type manager in a specialised engineering sector and earns over 50k. 35k probably would be entry level.

I was junior manager level in the nhs and was on about 35k.

I would imagine junior manager in a shop/restaurant would be on even less.

@gillybeanz which call centres?

I’m interested as I do project management for a call centre for major high street bank and starting wage even for managers is nowhere near £35k.

PS if I was a freelancer with quals I know I’d earn at a lot more - but I have no quals in PM just what I have learned and worked my way though.

Hava, the bandings are different for nurses in London as they are paid a top up to try and help with the additional expenses. So a nurse at 3/4 of the way up band 5 would not be paid the same in Inner London as they would in the rest of England.

Spork. Sorry, you are right. I didn’t make that clear.

London £35k is not enough to live on, maybe enough to exist on

Nonsense - certainly not enough to buy a house but enough to have a decent life. Some people in London earn a lot less.

DH is junior management and on 30k. I am also on 30k in a non-management role (but with experience). We don't live in London or the SE and can save, go on holiday, have treats, etc. No problems.

Was what I earned in my first job out of uni.
Thought I was loaded.
Wouldn't even cover school fees for 1 child now.

So imo it's an entry level salary.

When I worked in London I was in a junior management position on £38k and I felt I was underpaid.

Still managed to pay my rent/ travel/ food/ holidays though.

This article from last year shows average salaries 5 years after graduation for various careers.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41693230

So, I think I'm with person a too.

7% of UK children go to private school.

30% live in poverty.

Anyone who measures whether a salary is objectively "decent" by whether it would stretch to paying private school fees is ignorant.