29.5k earnings who are you and how?!

[AtSea1979]

BBC reports today say the average salary in the UK is £29,500.

I earn 12k but i’m part time (otherwise 18k). I live in the north. I can only dream about earning nearly 30k. I’ve thought about retraining but I wouldn’t know where to start as the job market seems so difficult.

AIBU to think the majority of people earn much less and it’s just the minority fat cats pulled that figure up?

I started on a grad scheme around that about a decade ago. Graduate salaries don’t seem to have changed that much. It is obviously much harder if you are on minimum wage jobs as the jump is massive and probably feels quite unobtainable.

Nurse educator on 42k in North. DH teacher special ed also 42k

That's my salary and I find it reasonable, if a bit low actually compared to some of my colleagues/ex employees who have done a similar role, although they got a higher pay but I do work a c=shorter week (31.5hrs) which explains the shortfall.

I think it really just comes down to moving your way up the ladder and having the confidence to ask for a pay rise when it is earned. Few employers give more than they have to, but if you are a valuable employee and you deserve a higher, reasonable rate for your role, then you should be asking for that. Costs them a lot more to train a new member of staff when their experienced employees get fed up.

No I don't think the majority of people earn much less at all.

As has been said there are a great deal of professions for which the average salary is around that amount, not just corporate jobs.

In my experience it's more unusual to have a job/career with a much lower ceiling than that.

I earnt 24k at entry level civil service, up to 32k on promotion 2years later and about to go up to 40k on next promotion (another 2 years)

I used to work in retail and was stuck at £22k.

Its all about the sector you work in.

I'm 28

Also op, do consider the demographic of mn, on here £50k is often considered 'a very low' salary!

Oh and just to add I work in marketing in the SE - starting salaries are normally around 18-22k for assistants, next step up commonly around 25-30k. So those are not very senior or unobtainable positions.

I’m in Ireland. Work in Administration in Public Sector. I earn €45,000, which is roughly £41,000 at current exchange rate.

I earn 21,450 in the North West, and that's a reasonable wage round here.

24k here, 50% LTFT. Full time salary would be 48k

(middle grade doctor)

I work in university admin and I earn £25k. The next pay grade (which I hope to break into soon) will put me into the £28-32k range.

I'm in the North West, I'd say most people around me earn £12-19k.

The Jag plant workers and similar earn a lot more. You can earn around that figure if you put the hours in, in some production or warehouse jobs.

My DD progressed through her private MH job and is now on £28k. Sje is a Manager and has a lot of responsibility.

I know a few people that have progressed in retail, one in Primark, who earns £29k a year.

I’ve just checked the average house price, which is just over £230,000.
So about 7.8 times average salary.

Teachers on main scale 4 earn more than that

They're the jobs without needing a University education.

Obviously there's lots of people i know who earn that and more, but they all have Degrees.

Nurse practitioner, around 45k in the Midlands, I work full time and rather unpredictable shift pattern including a lot of nights, evenings and 2 out of 4 weekends.

Not just fat cats. I don't know anyone who earns less than £60k pro rata. South east, mid forties.
In fact, given that that figure includes part time (I assume), the actual pro rata figure is therefore much higher.
For example, I earn less than £10k per year. So that's what the government will have for me. But I only work a few hours per week.

"I’ve just checked the average house price, which is just over £230,000"

That's were it puts it in perspective. Houses start from £50k (for one you don't have to do up) where i live.

Training & Development admin - £28K

I earn just above that (NHS) and there is scope to go a couple of bands higher soon.

DH earns around 40k, he's an analytics specialist.

My dh earns £35k in London working in IT at a private bank. Used to earn £52k in London as an IT Contractor but Contracting was too unpredictable for a single wage family.

No. I don’t think it’s a minority of ‘fat cats’ who are bringing up the average. I live in the South West. Obviously lots of people I know do not have earned income, but of those who do, almost all earn over £30,000 - and I’m thinking here of a secondary school history teacher, a local government employee, a graphic designer, an IT consultant, a social work team manager and Senior nursing sister.

£35k as a SENCO, majority of my time is in class, I’ve been teaching for 20 years. DH is on the SLT in a secondary school and earns more than £20k more than me. Not in London, so no extra weighting applied.

Biomedical scientist up north

@AtSea1979

This pisses me off too. I loathe these 'mean figures' and 'averages,' because they are utter bollocks. It suggests everyone is on £30K, when half the people I know are on £15K or less.

Some others may be on more £30K, £40K, 50K even, but these wanky 'mean' figures are a fucking insult to people on very low pay, and people who are on 'zero hours contracts,' who are lucky to take home £7K a year (and I do know some people in this situation.)

This shit needs to stop. It's making people on low-pay (with no means to ever earn more,) feel like shit.