AIBU about my salary?

[ArtemisOfOrtygia]

I don't live in the UK, but my country is not too different so I think it's okay to ask the question here.

I always thought my salary is good, but lately I can't help but feel like, maybe, it isn't. But I compare my salary to other people's salary without taking into account that they might work more hours than I do. Anyway, I work 34.5 to 35 hours a week (Monday to Friday) and I earn about £37k annually. My salary increases annually with about £1.2k, and in 3 years time it'll increase by £1.2k PLUS about £4k annually. Making my annual salary £41k PLUS a yearly increase of about £1.2k.

I should probably also mention that I work in an NGO, so I probably don't earn as much as I could earn if I worked elsewhere.

If what other PPs are saying that OP lives in the Balkans is true - he/she would be in the top 3% at least with that salary. Average salary in the Balkans is about 500-700EUR per month. And living in the Balkans - that person would know it.

I think it is a pretty good salary.

Ha, yes. That's a postdoc or junior lecturer salary in the UK. PhD required. So yes, it's a good salary!

Receptionists only the U.K. would be lucky to earn 30k in the middle of London. So yes you earn high for your role.

'I don't care about beliefs, opinions and views in regards to personal things'

Then why the hell have you posted about your salary then? It is personal. You know full well that you earn a lot more than a lot of people in the uk with a lot more experience and qualifications that you do (your degree is not relevant to your job in this instance). It isn't hard to do a quick google search for receptionist jobs in the uk. You're not in the UK so why does it matter to you if what you earn is more or less?
Your comments are goady and inflammatory.

It is a good salary for those hours and job description here in UK .However depending where you live ,maybe cost of living is higher (say New York or Sydney .Hong Kong etc) So need to take this into account .I live in a medium size town on South Coast of England ,and this salary would be considered very good here.Maybe less in London where cost of living is higher though.

Are you in the public sector in Ireland pee chance?

Yearly increases of £1.2k seems amazing to me - my DH has a pretty decent job, but pay rises are few and far between and always have been since he left academia for industry.

It's very unusual for an NGO to offer salary increases that high. I'm guessing that you're very new into this role and you haven't actually received any of these promised increases yet. Come back to us in a year.

My job is 37.5 hrs per week. I’m on less than the national average for a technical post where a degree is required at a minimum. I’d jack it in and be a receptionist for that kind of money any day!

I'm a level 3 nursery nurse who works 40 hours sometimes more Monday-Friday and I only earn £16723 a year. I'm only 23 so I know it'll go up a bit when I reach the national living wage but still, you should take what you get and be greatful at how much you earn and how much it'll go up by each year..

I still think you don’t have an answer to your question as you’re not able to compare like for like.

If receptionists with your skill set in the country you live in generally earn more, you are underpaid. If there is someone of a different sex or ethnicity doing the same role in your company but being paid more, you may be considered underpaid.

It sounds like a great salary but I’m not sure comparing it to the UK is that helpful. But it definitely sounds like a good salary based.

Why won’t you say what country you’re in?

I have just had a pay rise to £41k.

12 years with a high street bank, I work in project management for small change but have to quals in that area. I have a BA, graduated in 2006. Had no bearing on my job as I have worked my way up from telephony in a contact centre.

PAs to directors earn about £28-£35, which would be much higher than a receptionist IME.

Also I work a full time 35 hour week for whoever said that’s not normal!

I work as a receptionist in the UK (North East). I work part time, but if full time I would work 40 hours a week for less than 18k a year. Luckily I enjoy the job, I’m in my 50’s and view it as my semi retirement job after years working for a large multi national.

In a small NGO in the UK that would be the chief exec's salary!

35/40 distinction is normally whether compulsory lunch break

Your comments are goady and inflammatory.
I think given the OP has recently started a thread about her fiancé being a very high earner and how he will be paying for everything when they get married, allowing her to keep all her salary for herself and asking "is this unusual?", she is most definitely being goady and stealthboasting.

It's all relative. I live in an expensive part of South East England and 37k wouldn't go far. It would be at the lower end of middle. Most people where I live are on 45-50k minimum, many are on anything from 80-150k.

It also depends on your own costs & expectations, lifestyle wise.

Do you work somewhere like the United Arab Emirates OP? Maybe Switzerland? if so then your salary may be on a par with others. If you work in France or Australia then that seems very high for a Receptionist.

In the UK, the average salary for a Receptionist is around £20,000 (Midlands and North) and up to £50,000 in London I'd say.

However, we really can't tell you properly without knowing:

Location
Size of Company
Industry

In Australia you can earn very good money as a receptionist/corporate receptionist. A medical receptionist for the health department/hospitals etc can earn a very good living.

Ooh you’ve got it wrong then OP. In the UK, and especially on MN, you don’t impress people with how much money you have. Quite the opposite - it’s all about how you manage to stretch the food budget to feed 18 people on £2.50 a week; and how you can make a single chicken last for 10 days. Spent £1.50 on a top from a charity shop? You are our new Queen!

Do you live somewhere exceedingly expensive? I’m thinking of somewhere like Copenhagen? Because you clearly earn very well by UK standards, even London, for the role you have.

If you want to earn more why don’t you look for a job that uses your language skills more fully? Presumably that would pay better if you are remunerated at a similar level to your peers now?

In the UK it's above average but in the UK you would probably be doing up to 5 more hours each week.

For me, it's a comfortable wage, enough to pay my bills and save (and fun).

I've been surprised how high salaries are in countries like The Netherlands and Germany compared to similar jobs in the UK.

As a student in one of the above I had a totally unskilled admin/reception/ customer service job answering the phone and emails. No qualifications or language skills required other than basic English. 35 hours a week. Take home was just about 2k per month plus they paid all my commuting expenses.

This was and still is very standard. Living expenses similar to any mid size city in the UK, but certainly not comparable to London. I used to wonder why there were not more economic migrants from the UK...