High Earners on MN?

[BitOfFun]

How? The actual leader of my county council doesn't earn more than £100K- where and what are all these super-maxed out occupations? I genuinely don't understand how mumsnetters (often relatively young) access these magic jobs I've never heard of.

YABU- they are there for the taking, you just made poor choices

YANBU- people here are very creative and there's an outside chance they may be lying exaggerating.

I was working in the public sector until 16 months ago and my highest salary was a little over 70k a year since working in the private sector including bonuses I have been paid over 270k
It’s a specialist role I have unique experience in and corona has only given the company more work.

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Not a hobby. I started out doing freelance writing - content mills, bidding for jobs on freelance sites like Elance (which is now Upwork), and on business forums. That kind of work was just like having a job really but I could work it around my teaching job and learn other skills online at the same time. I did eBay for a while too - mostly eBay arbitrage. While I was doing that I learnt affiliate marketing and that's how I make most of my money now. I also buy and sell websites.

Not impossible but completely location dependent. I got one of those "mythical" jobs once. Here in the West Country anything above £30k is considered a fairly good salary.

My DP earns over £100k and we live in the North, so not necessarily true that you have to live in London.

Hmm I actually didn't vote, because I'm torn.

I do understand what you mean, but then those jobs aren't mythical and do actually exist. Proportionately, it does feel a little off on MN, you're right, but then I wonder if that is more because high earners might be more likely to declare their salary than those on a low income 🤷‍♀️

Also, it's normally a separate topic of discussion (like this one) rather than posters just throwing it in there during another discussion, so you're more likely to attract posters who are high earners....I would think.

And I'm going to prove exactly that! Not me, but DW is a high earner and that's probably down to 80% working incredibly hard, 10% deliberately aiming towards a well paying sector and 10% luck.

Working incredibly hard doesn't always pay off unfortunately, but if you are very money driven, then it's much more likely you'll seek out a well paying career.

All necessary I’m sure when on high salaries but I’d rather switch off at 6pm Friday night and worry about work again when I wake up on Monday morning.

but that isn't necessarily related to earning. Plenty of high salaried jobs do allow you your evenings and weekends.

I also think that women are not always great at promoting or championing themselves. We have to learn to do this without worrying about whether others feel jealous or think we're bolshy. We have to be comfortable at going to people and telling them we're the best at what we do and command decent salaries for it. Sitting back and being the polite, quiet person doesn't always pay off (literally).

This topic comes up every few months on MN and there’s always loads of “don’t believe what everyone tell you on the internet”. Absolutely, lots of people bullshit online for various reasons, but I think it’s very dangerous to dismiss the idea of women earning high salaries as likely to be fabricated.

In my career, I get to see lots of information about what people earn across different locations and industries and, in a lot of cases, I’m surprised at jobs that command high salaries that aren’t what I’d typically think of in that bracket.

There are a lot of people out there with non-traditional jobs that you wouldn’t know from their job title what they earn. There are also lots of people who are in jobs that include annual bonuses and pay rises- all of this adds up nicely for people who have been with their organisations for a long time.

I’m not in the UK but earn the equivalent of £109k. I pay 20% income tax on almost everything up to £30,500 then 52% on almost everything above that. I’ve never claimed any form of social welfare, I don’t have children so taxes aren’t paying to educate my kids, or to subsidise childcare- I don’t get a lot “back” compared to what I pay. I’ve had a private pension since I started working at 21 and don’t anticipate that there’ll be much of a state pension when I reach my late 60s. I have private healthcare.

It’s how the world works, but we need high earners and their taxes. We need street cleaners and their skills. We need baristas and their services. Everyone contributes, but just not in the same way, and that’s what makes a society work. Some contribute lots of taxes, some contribute services, some contribute both.
Plenty contribute neither.

The conversation about high earners being able to spend time online is an interesting one. I can genuinely say that my early and mid-career were much more taxing and time consuming than where I am now. I’m employed but completely autonomous. I work as many or as few hours as I need to get the work done. Some weeks it’s 70 hours, some it’s 20. I’m not paid to sit at a desk for 40 hours a week, I’m paid for the 20 years of very specialised experience I have.

It’s a disservice to our daughters to tell them that anyone saying they’re well paid is lying. We need to encourage them to educate themselves on what different careers paths are available, and how some life choices can really impact on earnings.

Guess it depends on location. I don't earn anywhere near £100k, but my earnings are quite good and comfortable as I live in a cheap Northern town.
If I was on my salary in London, or even some expensive areas of Yorkshire, I would be living in a box.

@VodselForDinner preach!

Finance and law!

There are now US law firms that will pay their newly qualified solicitors in London (ie 24 year olds) £150k before even taking into account bonus.

Totally agree Vodsel.

We warned about £200k last year, still don't feel rich at all! SW London

Agreed @VodselForDinner

Esp the bit about time spent online. You’re being paid for your experience

@Handsoffisback

Oh and where is Xenia when we need her?

🤣

MN has a very middle-class demographic, so I don’t doubt that many people are themselves, or are married to, highly paid professionals.

I also don’t doubt that an equally large number take the view that on an anonymous forum you can claim to be whoever you want to be.....

Well, this has been thoroughly eye-opening! Thank you to everybody who has raised such interesting points.

(Apologies for disappearing- I was given some painkillers and went zzzzzzz .)

If you think people are exaggerating salaries you should look at rightmove in London. Even taking super prime locations like Knightsbrige/Chelsea/Notting Hill out of the equation, look at Battersea/Fulham where "skinny terraces" sell for an average of between £1.5m - £2m. It goes without saying that people need to be earning big money to pay for them.
I'm a reasonable high earner as is my husband and while I don't ever have to worry about where my next meal is coming from or how I'm going to heat my house, I do have money worries; if we lost our jobs, how would we be able to pay our very large mortgage, the school fees, the bills, the high cost of living in London. And it's not like I can get another job with the click of a mouse job or apply for a role in a supermarket that would cover the £3k a month mortgage payment. I have sleepless nights about the size of my mortgage for a house that you'd probably be able to buy in a northern town for around £250k.
Absolutely no sympathy required or expected but earning a lot of money just means your outgoings increase, specifically where housing is concerned and the fear of losing your job and finding another at a similar level is a constant worry.

YANBU- people here are very creative and there's an outside chance they may be lying exaggerating

Yeah, this comes up all the time on mumsnet and the reasons are even posted on most threads, yet still they keep popping up every week.

a) Yes, people lie/fantasise/exaggerate.
b) Threads like these attract high-earners, so it seems like there are many. This thread, for example, has 241 replies so far. Let's say half of them are people saying "I'm a [whatever] and earn over 100k". That's only 120 people. Is it hard to believe there are 120 high earners (minus the liars) on a forum that apparently has millions of unique visitors per month?

I’m female and was earning more then £100k basic salary before the age of 35.
I spent my entire 20s taking exams after graduating.
I worked all the hours I could for 10 years climbing the ladder, travelling, working away from home. I did everything I could to be promoted and went for pay rise after pay rise.

When I became a mother I decided to stay at home with the DC. My employer left my position open for me at the same grade for 5 years. I still decided not to return. Primarily because my priorities had changed and the money was no longer my number one objective.

I don’t think high earnings necessarily = high outgoings. Yes housing is definitely higher if you’re in SE compared to the north but it’s still possible to have manageable outgoings, there are choices. Our home with a normal sized deposit bought in recent years (ie not when houses cost pennies) in Greater London gives us a monthly mortgage cost of circa £1,200 (we decided to shorten the term to pay off more quickly so I’m not sure of what the exact figure originally was). Kids at state school. Our big cost is childcare which we could dial down if either of us lost our jobs (although it would be an unwelcome disruption). We have always chosen to live well below our means so as not to be stuck in jobs we don’t want and to save ourselves quite the same level of anxiety if one (or both of us) loses our jobs god forbid.

I didn't vote because I know it is not easy to get high paid jobs.I graduated in 1982 when unemployment at 3m was worse than now and the worst for 50 years in 1982! SO that was a really bad start. I applied to 139 law firms and had 25 interviews. I picked London and business law as the pay is higher and just tried and tried and tried. I am from NE England. I did get a job but I was never made a partner at a law firm. I set up on my own in 1994 and it has gone well.

However I don't think m ost people earn high sums. In fact a lot of women deliberately choose pin money type jobs and do most of the cleaning at home sadly even to this day. the fact 20 years ago I earned 10x my teacher husband is as rare now as then unfortunately. Women still seem to "marry up" and use men as a form of cash cow and men often use women for domestic and sex services.

My doctor sibling earns a lot in the NHS and outside. I suppose we are leaders in our field i a sense. I think in some of my areas of law I am quite well known. I have written about 30 law books too which is very rare and spoken about my subject all round the world even if it meant getting up at 5am to catch an early flight and leaving a baby at home.

The question was the poster did not genuinely understand the route to these jobs. Well in my case this was the route.

1. Age 14 chose law as better paid.
2. Put myself in for 3 x 3 hour scholarship exams for university and won that academic prize. No one suggested it. I did all the research myself. The school had never heard of it.
3. Got the best A level grades of anyone in my school in the NE.
4. Went to Manchester University (Durham and Bristol rejected me as the school was not used to university much and seriously under predicted my grades). However Manchester was fine.
5. Top of the whole year in year 1 in my exams. Got a special scholarship for that too. I went to university aged 17 too. So by now I had 2 academic prizes/ scholarships and top of school and year.

6., Graduated with a 2/1 (only one person got a first) and was top in two subjects to got academic prizes in those two.]

1. Crucially in law I applied at least 2 years ahead for jobs - that is the system, you don't apply when you graduate. In fact I registered with the law society early on as I wanted their free magazine. I graduated a teetotal virgin.
2. Picked commercial firms in London. Did my law post grad year, passed those exams, got married and we followed my career to London - never be a trailing spouse - be the higher earner as a woman and make your husband trail.
3. Worked pretty hard as a trainee solicitor in London. Had a baby - first female trainee ever to do so but just worked until in Labour and back at work full time when she was 2 weeks old. Expressed milk at work and fed her directly much of the night. Paid 50% of each of our net salaries on child care costs in year 1.

10. After 2 years qualified and went to what is perhaps the best firm in London where I got loads of useful experience and had our second child. 11. Went to a third firm and had our third child (we had 3 children under 4 at this point) -never be afraid of moving for career enhancement. I was not made a partner but I had a lot of connections and reputation, wrote my first book there, did loads of legal writing and speaking. 12. 1994 set up on my own from home. Did so well we paid off the mortgage and moved to this much bigger house with a huge mortgage. Had twins, kept working.... and just kept at it every since and hope to work until I die.

So in a sense there is a lot of failure in that - no partnership at the huge firm, no partnership at where I worked after that so borne of such failure I set up on my own and now I keep all the money and eat what I kill. It's fun. I am only as good as my last bit of work.

Also, there are plenty of these threads where posters refer to a combined income rather than just their own -- and in the southeast it's easy to have a join income of over £100k.

I didn't start earning over £100k myself until this year, and I'm in a director level position. DH is a software developer and has been earning over £100k for some time -- even though he has far fewer qualifications than I do, his field just requires constant learning.