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?

Sounds about right to me. We are in the SE and my DH earns £70+ and I used to earn £28 pro-rata as I was part-time.

I’m outside the UK now, but when I graduated in 2009 my starting salary was 31k. That was in NE Scotland working for the government.

Depends what sector you work in. I am looking at public sector/school/charity jobs and pay is low, and often fixed term contracts as well.

However, pay isn't everything. DH is sticking with a company that gives good but not great pay as they offer better hours and are more flexible. Lots of parents deliberately work for less pay to get part time hours or more flexibility.

That's my wage... Sales / admin role so includes commission

I was on just under that in 1998 before I became a SAHM. I was a PA.

I now work part time hours, in term time only so less than half of that. I think if I earned the same hourly rate full time and all year I might get close to that figure.

My DD (post grad student) does agency work and averages £19 per hour! That’s huge but obviously not guaranteed - this week she will do 25 hours, last week she didn’t do any.

But we are in Greater London so salaries are higher. DH is on a bit over double that “average” figure but not a fatcat! He would earn a lot more in the private sector but enjoys where he is.

I only work 30 hours and earn 30k, so I would earn just under 38k if I was full time.. I don't see myself as 'above average' at all - in fact, I see myself quite a low earner compared to my peers. I work for the NHS in a Band 7 role but I'm one of the very few in my organisation, most are 8 and above.

Five years ago I was on 15k - I've chopped and changed jobs every year or so, as well as doing additional training etc. Through work, it is possible.

Police officers in Scotland start on about £24k these days. £30k at four years’ service and top line for eleven years is £42k now.

Is it Mean or Median average? Because I was under the impression they used Median for salary average, therefore the really high earners won't drag it up. I would have thought any 'professional' role (i.e. one that requires a degree and/or further training) would be around £25k or more but obviously depends on sector to an extent.

That really wouldn’t be a very high salary in London. I was earning more than that after 2 years experience in sales.
Now 27 and on £48k plus about £30k commission/bonus

It's median - half the country earns more, half the country earns less.

I would agree with OP in that most ppl I know earn less than that. Exception being people like my parents and their friends who have worked for years. Everyone I know around my age is definitely on more like 18-22k.

I earn 12k but i’m part time (otherwise 18k)

18k was my graduate wage back in 1997. I’d assume there is also an element of tax credit/ benefit which would enhance your income too?

Of course as an average, there are factors which mean some will be lower or higher, but it’s not about “fat cats” Those earning double that are not hugely wealthy, especially if they live in the South East of England.

Rather than looking at those earning more than me and thinking what if, I’ve always looked at whether I’m ok with what I have. The answer has always been yes and that’s fine by me.

I earn £19500 and work full time. I'm in the North.

I'm on 30k in a 37.5 hours marketing and events role for a private school in the north.

Slightly less.
Legal secretary.
South East.
(Just inside M25.)

My DH is on £30k as analyst SE full time. I'm on £70k full time but I'm very aware this is a high wage

We live within this though so our mortgage is higher than avg (£650k house with £300k debt)

Our outgoings are high but we do manage to save a reasonable amount each month

I by no means think this combined salary is normal and do worry what this will be after our 1st is born and I drop to PT (due Nov)

I’m 40, in the North and earn 50k. Private sector. I have an MSc and professional qualification. DP is also 40 and earns 29k, no university but he has some level 3 qualifications in his field.

South/South West 18K - admin.

Would love £29K

I'm in SE, university lecturer at bottom of pay scale - £30-odd-000. Prior to this role the most I'd ever earned FT was £18000.

I'm part time and earn that. FTE would be around £40k. Work in communications in London. I could earn double if I went back to full time with a commute (definitely don't want to do that!).

When I was teaching full time I was on £37k but that was after 13 years experience. I started on about £20k in 2006.

I earned just over that as a receptionist/administrator in the City.

That’s my salary. I’m a teacher with extra responsibilities in the private sector but work part time (approx 0.7). Earnt a lot more before I had children - was on approx 45k as a HOY.

Most graduate jobs would reach that level after a few years.

DH is a vet and earns approx £60k - people always seem to think that vets earn vastly more than that though!

I might have known a bunch of posters would come on here and say THEY earn WAY more than £30K!

30k is pretty low for London, at least.

That can be a really good wage in some parts of the country and a average wage elsewhere, as someone else said house prices vary massively so what someone considers a low wage will afford a nice life somewhere.

I am on just above that as a analyst, 35 hours a week. Early 30's, just GCSE's as didn't go to uni.

Where I work, it's a fairly average salary. My partner earns half of that but he is part time.