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

Earnings in our society are not proportional to how hard people work.

Yabu to value money so. Why should sa poster who has enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle aspire to be rich and be 'educated' by players on huge incomes?

It's pretty sad that people are suspicious and want to talk the OP down rather than congratulate her for her success.

To be fair she's not actually explained how to achieved her aim of a high salary so there isn't really anything to congratulate her on. All we know is she used to be a Nanny and now she runs a recruitment agency and we only know that from being nosey.

If her true aim was to inspire people surely she would have posted and then stuck around to answer questions and help motivate and encourage people in how they too could earn more.

Well this is interesting. I've been working very hard for MORE than the 9 years OP has, and earn only a fraction of OP's 120k salary.

Where am I going wrong? Am I just not "working hard" enough?

I can completely relate to what you've said OP. Although I've always been low earner and that's fine with me. Buy when I had my first job in a bank processing mortgage applications, I couldn't believe how much money a lot of people earn. This was nearly 20 years ago and a large amount of applicants had 3-figure salaries. It boggled my mind! I think if people are willing to work hard in certain jobs/sectors because they really want that kind of money, then fair play to them.

@OhToBeASeahorse

[quote HaveringWavering]@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.[/quote]
I don't disagree with you at all that MN probably has a much larger proportion of high earners than the population as a whole and I agree with the premise of the OP (although she did come across as being a bit condescending I thought). I certainly wasn't trying to argue otherwise.

Where the problem does come is that quite a few of these posters seem not to realise just how highly paid they are compared to the average working person. The median woman working full time in the UK is on £28,200 and the median man is on £32,200.

On the thread I linked to about London, so many posters were saying how impossible it was to live on a salary of £80k in London without any thought or realisation about what life is like for the other 90% of the population.

If people are earning a lot of money - hey that's great, but I would hope that they are at least self aware enough to understand that their lifestyle is certainly not in any way common.

@ClarkeGriffin
Fair enough, if you were doing it as some sort of a warning.

Your post made me think you're in that 10% category.

@Alsohuman

Many who earn huge amount use umbrella companies

I think you mean limited companies. An umbrella company is for contractors and freelancers and operates a PAYE system. Most people on high salaries in corporate roles are paid via the PAYE route.

Yes, I meant limited companies. Thanks The fact is that many who earn mega salaries are not going down the PAYE route so when posters bring up statistics about how many people earn huge salaries and use these statistics to discredit high earners they are showing their ignorance about this issue

@MerryDecembermas

Well this is interesting. I've been working very hard for MORE than the 9 years OP has, and earn only a fraction of OP's 120k salary.

Where am I going wrong? Am I just not "working hard" enough?

depends, "working hard" doing what?

Some SAHM work VERY hard too. Funnily enough, they don't get a 6 figure income for it.

High earning women are hardly a new phenomenon. I earned £65k in 1998 for eight months' work, before I became a parent. I was a freelance writer consulted and retained by FTSE100 companies to draft statements at Board level, with experience of investment and financial management, marketing and public relations; my colleagues were lawyers, accountants and bankers. After becoming a mum, I charged the same fees, but worked much less. And then came the Internet!

I've given up reading the thread a quarter of the way through because of all the nasty responses. It seems any mention of high-earnings triggers the nasty button for lots of people, who are so quick to hate that they can't even digest what the point was supposed to be.

For example, OP did not say everyone could or should earn more. What she did say (paraphrasing) is that some people are limited by aspiration, by what they can imagine.

I now have (in semi-retirement) enough, sourced originally from earning what seemed to me at the outset of my career to be the vast salaries available in IT. Where I grew up there was no concept of what financial industry did and what jobs were available. If I'd known in 1982 what I know now I would have pursued (and probably got) jobs that were measured in the hundreds of thousands rather than the tens of thousands. (Not because I want more money than I've ended up with, but because it would have been nice to get to where I am a lot sooner.)

The OP has a very valid point.

On the thread I linked to about London, so many posters were saying how impossible it was to live on a salary of £80k in London without any thought or realisation about what life is like for the other 90% of the population.

people always forget how having no help, no benefit, no entitlement to free anything, impact on your lifestyle as opposed to someone earning a lot less but benefitting from a lot of handouts.

Look all I really care about is if you earn a large salary then fecking tell us what you do!!!
If you started a business - what do you do??

That’s how you inspire people, you give them details and tools and guidance.

Saying “I earn 120k a year from my own business” is great but it gives nothing, it inspires nothing.

Saying “I earn 120k a year from my own business buying and selling property / running cosmetic clinics / owning a chain of nurseries / being a life coach... and I did this by learning XYZ and making XYZ decisions”

I do get where you’re coming from OP, I’m not a high earner - I was a late starter academically and in my career and I’m am not creative or passionate about anything in particular so setting my own business up probably wouldn’t happen - I have no business ideas! I am certainly not jealous of high earning women - I admire them. But I can’t be motivated by a random figure with no context.

I don’t look at some one in a Bentley and think ooooooh I’m so motivated because for all I know they’re parents were rich or they married a successful lawyer or something. I would be motivated if I knew how people made their money from scratch and I could some how find a way to apply it to my own life

I work in executive search (head hunting ) as opposed to agency recruitment which is slightly different.

New graduates can enter on £30k salaries (this is London), advancing fast if they're driven to £50-80k within a few years. If you have the inclination to become client facing with business development you can easily earn basics of £80-100k plus bonuses. If you're a client partner in a top tier you probably take earn £200-300k (including bonus/commission).

I talk with people at Director/VP level candidates in all sectors but interestingly (outside of accounacy/law) in the life science sector these people (science degrees or medics) are usually on basic salaries of £90-150k. If you're a partner in a smaller law firm, you may not earn as much as in the top 5 but you will have a more flexible life style and still earn £150-200k base.

I work 4 days per week and earn £95k pro rata.

So yes, I do believe the salaries posted. I'm somewhat shocked at the difference dependent on where you live. This does not seem to hold true for the pharma/biotech sector though.

The ones we know down at the marina who own a few homes, drive nice cars, have awesome yachts, wisely use other peoples money, they are the ideas folk who convince those with money but no imagination to invest in them. They take your money and make you the kind of money you cannot make in the bank.

I believe them - but I think whether or not you do tends to link to your own experiences.

I work in a profession that it typically known for being well paid, so I know a lot of colleagues earning in excess of £100K (not me sadly!) and they are just normal people... you wouldn't necessarily know they are very wealthy.

We also live in Cambridge which is a generally expensive area to live in so salaries here might be more in line with London to account for high living costs.

I guess what I'm saying is that you won't get the full picture from someone just saying "I earn £100K". You need the profession, area they live in etc to put it into context.

Omg I hope our unbelievably hard working public service workers , those woefully underfunded ones (?) feel appreciated for the magic that they do and are taking this with a pinch of salt for the bullshit that it is. I know I am.

...and I did come to London with no contacts whatsoever, and although I have a degree, growing up, my background was very much working class.

I started from the bottom and worked my way up. Ending up in executive search was pure serendipity but it has been brilliant as you are afforded a relatively high degree of freedom and flexibility.

I'd love to know where these £120k per year nannying jobs are. Even in London the most I found one for was £60k and that needed years of experience.

I'm calling bullshit.

@KarensChoppyBob

Omg I hope our unbelievably hard working public service workers , those woefully underfunded ones (?) feel appreciated for the magic that they do and are taking this with a pinch of salt for the bullshit that it is. I know I am.

Proving the Op’s point yet again

@lightattheendofthetunnel2021

I work in executive search (head hunting ) as opposed to agency recruitment which is slightly different.

New graduates can enter on £30k salaries (this is London), advancing fast if they're driven to £50-80k within a few years. If you have the inclination to become client facing with business development you can easily earn basics of £80-100k plus bonuses. If you're a client partner in a top tier you probably take earn £200-300k (including bonus/commission).

I talk with people at Director/VP level candidates in all sectors but interestingly (outside of accounacy/law) in the life science sector these people (science degrees or medics) are usually on basic salaries of £90-150k. If you're a partner in a smaller law firm, you may not earn as much as in the top 5 but you will have a more flexible life style and still earn £150-200k base.

I work 4 days per week and earn £95k pro rata.

So yes, I do believe the salaries posted. I'm somewhat shocked at the difference dependent on where you live. This does not seem to hold true for the pharma/biotech sector though.

A friend works in the science sector he was wooed by the Mayo Clinic in USA, his salary and lifestyle are amazing, puts the £150k here in the shade.

You have to grab every opportunity, retrain if necessary and keep pushing forward.

@XingMing

High earning women are hardly a new phenomenon. I earned £65k in 1998 for eight months' work, before I became a parent. I was a freelance writer consulted and retained by FTSE100 companies to draft statements at Board level, with experience of investment and financial management, marketing and public relations; my colleagues were lawyers, accountants and bankers. After becoming a mum, I charged the same fees, but worked much less. And then came the Internet!

Now this is what I’m talking about.

Giving details of HOW you achieve high earnings. This is a really specialised field and not something I’ve ever heard of - but I have financial background and I’m fairly good at writing essays and reports.

So whilst I probably wouldn’t follow this path it gives me some inspiration of how I could do something similar.

This sounds like quite an interesting field of work - thanks for sharing!

Working hard in the narrow sense is never enough. Being sure to put yourself in the right environment, getting yourself onto high profile work streams that put you in front of the right people, presenting the right soft skills - all part of the wider definition of "hard work".

@Hallyup5

I'd love to know where these £120k per year nannying jobs are. Even in London the most I found one for was £60k and that needed years of experience.

I'm calling bullshit.

Ever heard of places like Norland?

Why do you think people would be happy to fork out £5k a term if they didn't have a chance to earn a high income from it?