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.

Are you in Ireland OP - that salary would be quite average for secretarial / reception.

Ok then.

Well that’s fucking depressing! I spent 4 years at uni and need two degrees plus experience to do my job and I earn just over half what you do. It’s also a highly stressful job with unsociable hours. Why did I bother

I have a masters and 5 years experience in my field, training manager, and I only earn 26k so you're very lucky.

Wow, that looks like very good pay for working on reception. In the UK that would be considered unskilled work, which is badly paid over here. I think your job would pay very much less in the UK, so maybe the two countries are not as similar as you thought!

In what part of Ireland would that be seen as average receptionist wage? certainly nowhere I've been 25k in Euro maybe, but 37k sterling with annual increases? No chance. Unless maybe you were lucky enough to get into civil service in the nineties

That sounds like a VERY good wage from where I'm sitting. I have a BA in my field, plus a masters in that field too and am a qualified professional. I didn't earn £40K until I'd been qualified for 3 years. I live in the South East, where salaries/living costs are pretty high.

37k as a receptionist, I have a PhD and earn less than that and work more hours. What exactly do you want us to say, "yeah, go you". For a receptionist I'd consider it to be a high salary. For other job roles, yes it's low.

Yes, it's a rubbish salary. Why, I get paid £100k for 1 day a week, I don't know how you manage on such pauper wages, tee hee

OP, I’m glad you are earning good money! People are being rather rude to you and I’m sorry about that. We put up with low pay and deteriorating conditions over here. I’m always glad when I hear of someone who isn’t being underpaid and exploited.

Are you a trade union member? That used to be helpful over here, but the unions were very much weakened by right-wing legislation in the 1980s. Also, or perhaps as a result, fewer people join trade unions now so they have much less influence than in many other countries.

OP salaries in the UK are low in comparison to many northern European countries. They are probably the same or more than Spain though.

However the cost of living is lower in the UK and they have the NHS which provides free medical care whereas many European counties where health insurance is highly recommended if not obligatory.

It is all relative although tbh from reading posts on MN, there appears to be a big divide where many earn big money and many live from foodbanks. There also seems to be a big divide between London and the rest of the country.

Where do you live OP? What is the cost of living like? Do you pay for health insurance etc? For example, salaries in Australia are high but so is the cost of living.

Nice stealth boast

I'm a senior lecturer at a university in the uk, I have a PhD and I earn £41K. It can be a massively stressful job and I regularly work 50+ hours.

I think you're doing okay OP

Nice stealth boast
It isn't a stealth boast though is it when the OP obviously does not live in the UK and her salary is standard for where she lives. Just because salaries in the UK are low, it doesn't mean others can't talk about it surely.

On the other hand, I was reading a thread recently where somebody was asking if she should give up work as her husband earns 215K. The majority of the people responding on the thread earned >150K and appeared to be from the UK. Were they all boasting? If the OP also read that thread, no wonder she thinks she is earning below average for a receptionist.

From reading MN, there is a huge disparity between high and low earners in the UK.

A very good salary for fixed hours of work which doesn't really need any advanced qualifications. In the UK, people with one or two degrees (a Bachelor's and a Masters) working in teaching, for example, or nursing - both arduous jobs requiring a broad range of skills and knowledge and lengthy training (4 years minimum), get paid less, for longer hours.

I'm not sure what you're asking.

If you want to be paid more, train for more skilled work.

Education level is taken into account in the Uk to job positions where it's relevant. Unless languages is incredibly needed in the particular receptionist job you are in then no it wouldn't be taken in to account as it doesn't bring anything to the job.

I would say that's on the higher end for receptionists easily.

I would say overall that's a good salary as it exceeds the average wage level. But a high salary overall....? No. But that would also depend where u live in uk. In some areas you would live a very good lifestyle on that and in other areas you wouldn't

I realise now that my country and the UK are more different than I thought

Indeed, on the question of salaries paid for relatively low-skilled work.

working in teaching, for example, or nursing - both arduous jobs

They are particularly poorly paying jobs almost everywhere though and are seen as 'vocations' traditionally. While in nursing, there might not be options to increase salary unless you go into clinic manager, assistant matrons etc, there are options to go into 9-5 jobs. I know many nurses (experienced) and only one works twelve hour shifts because it suits her family life to work one shift every weekend and nothing more. All the others work 9-5, 5 days a week.
For teaching there are long holidays but not financial incentives. A very tough job particularly in the UK and cities.

Mate i earn 10k a year you are rich compared to people like me.

Why do OPs like this post a lot of responses initially but then always disappear when they're called out about their post history?

Come back for some more of the attention/drama you were so clearly seeking then you started this thread

*when

If you want to be paid more, train for more skilled work.

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. :).

I can't argue with the recommendation to upskill to increase your salary but....what if everybody does that? Who will do all the unskilled work which keeps the wheels turning if nobody wants to do that work?
I'm not suggesting a neurosurgeon earns the same amount as an IT helpdesk worker yet we need both........

I wanted to know where you live so I can move there. Of course it's not a low salary for a receptionist job. Come on.

Wow, if earnt that much when I was a receptionist - I would still be a receptionist.

As it is I'm a manager in an NGO earning that much.

Ridiculous post really. The UK and this mysterious other country are not comparable. You can only compare your own salary to others doing similar work in the same country.
Cost of living varies wildly between countries too - if you're in Norway, that salary wouldn't go very far, if you're in the Balkans as others are suggesting then it goes much further.
If you don't think your salary is adequate for your level of education, experience and skills and is not adequate for your living expenses, then look for another job and see if you can do better rather than coming on here and winding people up.