Do you feel appropriately paid for your work?

[shivawn]

Do you feel that your wages fairly reflect your skills and labour?

I'm just curious how people generally feel after chatting with my own colleagues a few days ago. They were complaining that we're underpaid and that they will struggle to live on these wages as they get older and want to start families etc. We're all nurses on a public payscale so on the same or similar pay (working in Ireland where nurses are better paid than in the UK). I felt really surprised as I consider myself well paid for doing a job that I love, probably more than many of my friends in other professions.

Are you happy with your wage in relation to what you contribute to your employer or do you think you're worth more?

No. Top of the pay scale for my role with my employer is a tad over £25k. The same role in local government pays up to £32k in this area, more in London. The voluntary sector, where I am, pays a lot less.

If I was younger, I'd look at moving, but I'm only a few months off retirement and it's not worth it.

I'm on what some might consider a fair salary but I am at the low end of what's normal for my job, earning significantly less than I used to while more is expected of me. I do believe my salary issues are related to the fact I'm a woman. As a single mum, I'm not in a position to rock the boat at work though.

Yes. I think my pay is fine. I get pay increases according to level of education and years of experience. I teach at an independent school abroad. I'd earn more teaching at a state school...but I'd have to teach in the local language as opposed to English.

@jjjnnnnnrrssss

I think I make a good salary, but I work in tech for a web company. They tend to pay well, much higher than average, and I live in London (again, higher bump).

I think there are many, many careers in this country that are severely underpaid. And in general I think the average pay in this country is too low for the cost of living.

Similar to you, I work in London in similar industry and feel I am very over paid for what I actually do! I'm absolutely not complaining but I do see the complete unfairness and disparity with people who I feel do a much more worthwhile job than I am doing for a fraction of what I am paid.

@anniegun

It is a myth that the private sector pay more than the public sector. There is a debate about the gap but its clear that the average pay in the public sector is higher. There is a good article on it here: www.bbc.co.uk/news/55089900 I suspect the answer is that low skill jobs are better paid in the public sector. However high skilled jobs do not transfer easily. You cant take a doctor from the public sector and put him in a lawyers role

Some public sector jobs are transferable though.

I agree about skilled jobs.

I used to work in the legal department of a local authority. One of the senior solicitors was headhunted by the private sector and tripled his salary overnight.

A senior town planner took early retirement and set up his own consultancy. Within a couple of years he was charging more, per day, than he got for a fortnight in his local government role.

However high skilled jobs do not transfer easily.

Some do. Mine does. I said earlier up thread I get paid £27 ph to do my role in the NHS. I could charge up to £100ph to work privately.

Yes
While work load is big some nights, I'm alone in a servo and customers can be assholes, I'm well paid. About 46k Au a year
I work 4 nights a week, casual, pretty flexible boss, my hours are set by the school run

I'm customer service in a servo, it's safe, we have a strict locked door policy, company support if we refuse entry for just feeling off about someone at door. Majority of the customers are locals and pretty awesome and the tourists always have a story or 2. Yes shit happens and some days suck but on the whole, I don't mind going to work.
Now if only fixing stuff was as strict as lock door lol

I am an academic in London. In comparison to a lot of people here - I am paid well enough, however, austerity has meant that we didn't get a decent pay rise for ten years while housing costs shot up. So in comparison to how much it costs us to live here plus level of qualification - no I do not think that we're appropriately paid.

I actually think science in general is very underpaid. New grads (so the equivalent to a band 5 in NHS labs) start on £19-21k. Senior/specialised lab positions (so band 6) start on £27k.
Hell, I used to work with people with PhDs who were on £30-35k.

It’s all very well encouraging people into scientific fields, but for the majority, they could make better money elsewhere.

@Morgoth masters in science designing new pharmaceutical drugs starting salary is 20k.

So yes I earn more now as that was a good few years ago but if the question is do I feel I get paid enough then no. Working so many extra hours a week (every week) no overtime pay with only 4-5 weeks holiday (includes Christmas), very high pressured job, high stress levels and just worked out my pension if I retire at 65 is 8k a year (which is a good pension scheme) or at 55 is 3k a year. We do get a small bonus but haven’t had one in a few years and yes we get pay rises unless you are at the top of your band then it’s nothing.

No. I currently work on a sales based role with no commission.

My basic is ok. But I'm out performing anything they ever expected. Have been for three years. If I out perform I get no extra. I've never so far not out performed.

Start my new job next month. With commission. Shitting myself.

I earn a good salary but there are other jobs where you could earn a lot more with less qualifications needed- undergrad, masters and doctorate. I do work privately 2 days a week though and I earn almost 4 times more (daily rate) than what I do for my paye job doing the same thing.

Absolutely not I am a childminder and have to have 3 children every hour to ensure minimum wage....looking for a way out at the moment but stuck

[quote Wtfdidwedo]@BungleandGeorge the figures I put were for the Civil Service Pensions scheme so I assume includes the majority of government departments - MoJ, ONS, Patents, Environment, Crown Courts etc. The contributions are higher for teachers and NHS from what I understand but the employer contributions are still 20%+ compared to the 4/5% (?) employer contributions required by most workplace pensions.[/quote]
Last statement I had employer contribution was 14%. If I could have that 14% paid into a private pension I would definitely switch because linking to my state retirement age is a major problem for me. It’s 68 at the moment but I could quite easily see very little out of it if the age increases again. I also have huge doubts about whether I can do a very skilled and accountable job full time without harming someone in my late 60s and early 70s. People may be living longer but a lot of people develop dementia, Parkinson’s, cancer and other major conditions around that time. I’d like to be able to plan and be able to retire at a point before I’m working unsafely! But that is my only option of pension, private employers may pay less but at least there is some flexibility about pension terms with a private pension, so it actually may be better for me

@BillywigSting

I absolutely do not get paid enough for my job.

I'm a hca in a nursing home and it's backbreaking (literally), emotionally draining work with long hours, not enough (or sometimes any) breaks and I get a grand total of £8.72 an hour.

I would get paid more stacking shelves and wouldn't have to deal with being assaulted regularly, frightened and dying people and their angry relatives.

That being said, nurses also definitely don't get paid enough either, especially for the level of responsibility that goes with the job.

I feel this, spent years working as a HCA in a private nursing home on minimum wage with terrible management. Absolutely not paid anywhere near enough.

No, I really dont.
Health professional with 30 years experience.
I am thinking of quitting to become a vets receptionist.
I am fed up with expecting to "take it".
My DS earned more than me upon graduation (tech).

No. I may be a lowly factory machinist but I begrudge the fact I'm paid so low when I am expected to set my machine including the blades, run it with shit material, get stressed when the gaffer keeps pushing for a job to be out that day when it effectively takes 2 days, and then who takes you off the job to help the packers (who get the same pay rate as me). Definitely underpaid for what I do.

Yes, NHS band 7, 20 years service. But it did not feel enough when I was part time. Maybe that's your colleagues issues?

No, community carer. For the work We do I think We are worth more than minimum wage!!!

No way. Local authority, I'm overqualified for my job so put in more skills than required and the wages are the same as they were 14 years ago.

As much as I agree with the minimum wage going up each year it means unskilled jobs have caught up with skilled jobs like mine as they haven't gone up at all. It's a mess.

[quote namechange2547]@PattyPan that's quite an unusual setup for a government agency, I work for an arms length body with emphasis on arms length as we have to remain "unbiased" due to the nature of our role, but we still get the civil service pension (and Treasury restrictions that come with it sadly!)[/quote]
I'm in the same position as PattyPan. I thought that was actually a fairly common set up for an arms length body.

Yes, I do think I'm paid fairly. Private sector, marketing & communications role.

Salaries in London for what I do seem to be all over the place, anywhere from £30k to low six figures. It just depends on whether the organisation values marketing; I happen to be working for a CEO who does.

@HalfBrick

No way. Local authority, I'm overqualified for my job so put in more skills than required and the wages are the same as they were 14 years ago.

As much as I agree with the minimum wage going up each year it means unskilled jobs have caught up with skilled jobs like mine as they haven't gone up at all. It's a mess.

Completely agree with your last bit here. Non-skilled and low level job has gone up due to the minimum wage going up each year but the semi-skilled and skilled jobs haven’t gone up by the same % which means STEM graduates working long hours in lab jobs or qualified administration workers could pack it in to go and work in Morrison’s for only about £1 less an hour.

@Sapho47

Almost comically overpaid for the level of effort required.

God I hope they never catch on

😂 long may it just @Sapho47 ! I feel the same .

• long may it last 🙄