to believe the Mumsnet High Earners?

[LigPatin]

Every time there's a thread about earnings, there's always multiple posters who claim that most people on the thread must be inflating or plain lying about their salaries.

Whilst I recognise that people lie, especially on anonymous forums, I find it quite sad that people prefer to dismiss these posts as lies rather than take inspiration/education from them (or just not care).

I come from a poor background - we never had enough money to the point that food and electricity use was rationed. We weren't on the streets, but that was a looming possibility. We lived (mostly) within the midlands.

I fell into nannying as a career (having dreamed of being a primary school teacher) and my first job was in Kensington. The housekeeper had been gossiping about the rent on the house we worked in - it was £3k a WEEK. This was 2012-ish. I remember wondering how on Earth anyone could afford paying £200k+ a year on rent alone, when - in my mind - earning just £50k was amazingly rich.

I remember walking through Kensington and Knightsbridge and Chelsea and seeing thousands and thousands and thousands of these houses, all huge and grand and all presumably commanding similar rent or sale value than the one I worked in. They were all clearly lived in and used.

Perhaps it was arrogance, or naivety, but I figured that if there were enough people who could afford to pay £1k, £2k, £5k+ a week on rent (or buy million pound houses), then there must be a lot of money out there to be earned, and I couldn't see any reason as to why I couldn't find a way to get a share of that money.

That's sort of how I feel about these earning threads - hundreds of people are posting about their high salaries and instead of scoffing that they must be sad-sacks who hang out on Mumsnet to lie about their lifestyles - I think it's inspiring and encouraging to see so many women out there making amazing money and securing their futures.

FWIW - I was 21 back in Kensington, amazed at the £3k a week rent. I'm coming up to 30 now and my average yearly income is about £120k. I remind myself every day of how lucky I am, and how 21 year old me would have been incredulous. Though I'm, of course, absolutely nowhere near being able to rent a £3k a week house

[quote littlemissdirectional]@TatianaBis, I am perfectly aware that there are roles which attract high salaries and I wasn't suggesting that women don't or are not capable of earning over £150,000. It is simply a fact, that a very small minority of the population in the UK earn over this amount.

[/quote]
What you actually said was:

You can obviously draw your own conclusions about the % of these 321,000 people who are on MN

I pointed out that there are quite a few doctors on here, for example. That's leaving out the lawyers, bankers, management consultants, IT specialists, media posts etc.

So I'd say a not insignificant % given that MN is quite middle class dominated.

@tinierclanger

I don’t doubt these high earners on mumsnet exist , but I don’t find anything inspiring about people being overpaid.

define "overpaid"?

If you have to spend hours working, what's wrong with being paid the most you possibly can?

@A1b2c3d4e5f6g7

I don't think high female earners are rare, or a very small minority. Over £100k was a crazy amount when I was growing up, and I didn't know anyone who earned that, and didn't even know it was attainable. However probably about 40% of my friends do now - we are mid thirties. Most of my peers on a similar level do. There can be busy periods when we are working late, but ultimately its not crazy long hours. I think its really amazing that more women are becoming high earners

And this is exactly the problem.

However probably about 40% of my friends do now - we are mid thirties. Most of my peers on a similar level do.

Due to the nature of your work or other circumstances you meet many other people in high paying jobs and so you come to believe that:-

I don't think high female earners are rare, or a very small minority.

Simply because you meet or know many others in a similar situation.

I started a thread a few months ago, talking about a similar topic here:-

Sorry, but £80k a year in London really is a large salary

If you are earning over £100k a year that puts you in the top 3% of all earners in the UK - including men.

So, just stop and put that in context. The next time you walk down the street or go shopping 97 out of every 100 people you see will be earning less than you (in fact 85 of them will be earning one half or less than you do).

Just to put this in context, to be in the top 10% or male earners in the UK you need to be earning £65,900 and to be in the top 10% of female earners you need to be earning £52,800

Now if you are working in inner London then, yes of course, salaries are higher but even so the figures still show how rare it is for women working in inner London to be earning those sort of salaries.

For males working in inner London you need to earn £107,000 to be in the top 10% and for females you need to earn £78,400 to be in the top 10%

So a woman earning over £100k, even in London, is very rare indeed.

All figures extracted from NOMIS

There's a level where being on PAYE is the worst thing you can do. You waste all your income in various tax.

So the data about "salaries" are usually complete bollocks because they don't show you the full picture.

So a woman earning over £100k, even in London, is very rare indeed.

but so is a woman willing to earn over £100k 🤷

@greatauntfanny

I’m with *@LigPatin* on this one.

I had a similar ‘lightbulb momenta’ in my early twenties when I met some consultants (I was in a £16K junior role - my first job) and realised they weren’t particularly bright, they just had useful skills and said the right things at the right time.

I thought ‘I want a bit of that’ and started learning the bits of tech and buzzwords and moved my way up and now I’m still in my twenties but earning over £100K as a consultant. And I’m not particularly bright, either!

So I totally get the OP encountering people who pay £3K a month rent and it suddenly ‘clicking’ that that sort of money is out there, and it’s not all inherited. It can be motivational.

You’re absolutely right, you’re not very bright. I worked as a consultant for a decade and someone who thinks you can do it successfully by “learning bits of tech and buzzwords” is seriously deluded.

As a consultant you’re paid a high day rate for your experience, expertise, quick thinking, initiative and insight. Oh, and ability to spot bullshit at a thousand paces.

I earn ok, but nothing like the £100k that others earn
I think that some posters are simply envious. of those that do. Rather than be inspired by those who are doing well, they berate them and call them all liars and fantasist.
You see it all the time when posters talk about about how inadequate they feel when visiting their rich friend or relative who lives in a five bedroomed detached house with a swimming pool. Posters will quick to point out that rich friend must be miserable because she doesn’t see her dh, or that her rich friend’s dh is probably cheating on her with his twenty year old secretary, or that rich friend is actually in debt and everything is on credit.
No one wants to believe that rich friend is actually happily married and loves her life.
What I am trying to say is that envy is at the root of many of those doubting the high wages being discussed

@nickymanchester the OP was about whether true earners are so rare on Mumsnet that most of those who claim to earn 100k must be lying.

Surely Mumsnet, with its middle class bias and high proportion of posters working in law, finance etc is similar to @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7’s social circle? So while I agree with what you say about the general population, it doesn’t follow that most supposedly high-earning Mumsnetters are liars.

The women friends I have who are on 100k plus are either government employees, health board/careers/ GP who have climbed the ladder or self employed entrepeneurs who have just found that market and worked bloody hard to grow their particular product, toys/instagram/gifts. So six of my friends crashed the glass ceiling as they used to call it.

They are all lovely women, unlike when men get to those figures it seems to turn their heads

Are you the governess that sometimes posts?

@ClarkeGriffin to @JessicaaRabbit

You are a complete moron

I found your real name, if that is actually you, by typing into Google what your job title is. You should be sacked

I actually think it's creepier for you (ClarkeGriffin) to Google it (You must have taken a lot of time and looked really hard because that photo is blurry as hell). I wouldn't have cared enough to check - People like you are dangerous online and it's exactly why people should be careful what they post!

Right with you OP! I earn double what you earn and it is all down to my hard work. We should be supporting and encouraging one another. Would we all rather leave it to the boys?

@wesowereonabreak

So a woman earning over £100k, even in London, is very rare indeed.

but so is a woman willing to earn over £100k 🤷

I'm pretty sure most women would be willing to earn over 100k. Things like being on call, working outside your core hours, partaking in meetings in different time zones and responding to emails or problems after your working day is over are not exactly unusual in many jobs paying much less than that.

Why are people so horrible and jealous of high earners? Yes there is a large element of luck involved but life isn’t fair and it’s never going to be a level playing field. I don’t give two fucks what others earn as long as they are decent people.

Statistics would tell you that while there likely will be high earners on MN, there won't be many so that tells me that sadly there will be more than a few liars on here.

TatianaBis I think you are right MN is very middle class and also very London bias. And most of the well paid jobs are in London and the SE so I don't think that MN is a good cross section of society at all.

[quote BastionsOfLowerMiddleClasses]**@ClarkeGriffin* to @JessicaaRabbit*

You are a complete moron

I found your real name, if that is actually you, by typing into Google what your job title is. You should be sacked

I actually think it's creepier for you (ClarkeGriffin) to Google it (You must have taken a lot of time and looked really hard because that photo is blurry as hell). I wouldn't have cared enough to check - People like you are dangerous online and it's exactly why people should be careful what they post![/quote]
Agree.

Ban Clarkegriffin and get a life

You only have to look at posts about private schooling on here to know there are many many people who earn over £100k..... While I'm not talking about bursaries, other aid or even the few who scrape the money together, I would suggest the average private school parents would be earning £120k+ per year and many much much more.

If you are a higher rate tax payer school fees at a standard school would see you at around £36k for 2 kids in the south east which is more like £60k of untaxed salary.

I know from my own observation that nearly all parents at my DC's school are at £120k + - Lawyers, GPs, Accountants, Business Owners (lots of these!), Consultants, Surgeons, Anesthetists, Directors of PLCs, Banking and Finance..... to name but a few.

@TatianaBis , you have obviously taken issue with my comment and I'm not sure why, but your prerogative. You can quote as many roles as you like at me that attract high salaries, but it does not change the fact that people earning over £150,000 are in an elite group.

@littlemissdirectional

Published data from HMRC for 2019 shows that 321,000 people in the UK earn over £150,000/annum. You can obviously draw your own conclusions about the % of these 321,000 people who are on MN.

This figure is for PAYE, so not an accurate representation Many who earn huge amount use umbrella companies

@bendmeoverbackwards

Why are people so horrible and jealous of high earners? Yes there is a large element of luck involved but life isn’t fair and it’s never going to be a level playing field. I don’t give two fucks what others earn as long as they are decent people.

because it's easier to do that than admit you could have been a high earner yourself.

[quote BastionsOfLowerMiddleClasses]**@ClarkeGriffin* to @JessicaaRabbit*

You are a complete moron

I found your real name, if that is actually you, by typing into Google what your job title is. You should be sacked

I actually think it's creepier for you (ClarkeGriffin) to Google it (You must have taken a lot of time and looked really hard because that photo is blurry as hell). I wouldn't have cared enough to check - People like you are dangerous online and it's exactly why people should be careful what they post![/quote]
Trust me, there's far worse people than me out there online, and I'd bet 10% of the people on mumsnet are amongst them. It also wasn't hard to read, you should check your eyesight.

My job also involves this kind of thing, it's called reconnaissance. It's what hackers do. But they use it against people. Idiots like this one really just make it easy for them.

@ wesowereonabreak totally agree!

The thing is, though, that there aren't loads of people on £107K in inner London - it my experience it is a few on much higher salaries and lots on much less. At DS1's school gate (state school, inner london) there was a lot of banter (and sympathy) when it transpired that a couple made less than £250K between them.