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

I'm afraid your post just smacks of typical right-wing ideology - just because anyone become a doctor/earn six figures/whatever, doesn't mean everyone can.
The thing that does surprise me, is how many of the MN high earners seem to be functionally illiterate: evidently, their jobs don't require them to be able to express themselves well on paper. But good luck to them. I write quite well and am dirt poor 😂

@netstaller

What I find annoying is no one posts their job title or even field, so they're not inspiring as there's no detail - it's usually just comes across if boasting "I earn150k per year and I'm 31". If people gave details, doesn't have to be identifying, that would be so much more inspiring and interesting!

Well I don't have a six figure salary, but I know lots of women who do, who are all lawyers and either work as partners in law firms in London and elsewhere, or are senior lawyers in companies. But you can equally be earning £30K in a high street law firm, so being a lawyer isn't a one-way ticket to high salaries, it depends what sort of law and role you do.

I sympathise with the point OP is making which is that just because someone says they earn a lot, there is no reason to assume they’re lying. A lot of people earn big salaries! It’s similarly annoying that anyone whose baby isn’t awake all night is lying according to many people on Mumsnet. So many times I’ve seen posters state with absolutely certainty that ‘anyone who says their baby sleeps through the night is lying’. Um no actually my baby slept 1-11 hours every night reliably from 13 weeks old. Sorry if my experience differs from yours but please don’t accuse me of lying! As with salaries I fail to understand how anyone would get anything out of lying to randoms online. In real life maybe but it achieves literally nothing on here where you’re just a faceless poster.

OP YANBU at all.

Congratulations on your financial success, that’s great.

Not sure why people can’t just be pleased when others do well.

I don't believe you, OP.

So add yourself to the list of high earning bullshitters who post on MN.

@Palavah

What a phenomenally long-winded way of telling us you now earn £120k pa

Exactly this 😂.

@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

Wow, your arrogance is astonishing. WTF cares how much you earn really. Does make me wonder though.... working as a 'nanny' in Kensington... Who finances your lifestyle? Your former employer by any chance? Top consultants and surgeons earn that kind of money. BTW, dont answer my question as I couldn't give two hoots what your kind gotta say TBH.

@Palavah

What a phenomenally long-winded way of telling us you now earn £120k pa

Accurately put 😂

As with salaries I fail to understand how anyone would get anything out of lying to randoms online

I don't know what people get out of posting their salary to randoms online full stop.

@Insert1x20p Hmmm, of course there are (female) high earners, who earn £100K plus, but they're as rare as rocking horse shit. And a VERY small minority on here earn that.

Any career that pays £100K+ a year, would permit very little spare time/leisure time. And as if women with a high flying career, that pays £100K+ a year, would be chatting shit on mumsnet, in the precious few hours per week they get to themselves...

They wouldn't have time, and they WOULDN'T be on here posting weird, braggy bullshit threads at 11.00 a.m on a weekday, they would be at WORK.

When you challenge them with this though, they ALWAYS say 'it's my day off.' PMSL! How convenient!

Some posters must think we all are as dumb as pudding! Many women on here are too long in the tooth to believe the sort of tall stories like the one the OP has come out with.

Bet this thread doesn't last long.

And anyone who is thinking of saying 'you sound jealous pattilou,' just jog on. I am not jealous of people who make shit up because they're bored. Nor am I jealous of anyone who earns £100K+ a year. No one I KNOW has anything I want. So stuff that old 'you sound jealous' chestnut where the sun don't shine!

@Foolintherain

I don't believe you, OP.

So add yourself to the list of high earning bullshitters who post on MN.

@Lumene

OP YANBU at all.

Congratulations on your financial success, that’s great.

Not sure why people can’t just be pleased when others do well.

It's not about other people not being happy about it. Most people do not like arrogance. It's a very ugly trait.

Yes congratulations on your 120k salary but who actually cares?

'I fail to understand how anyone would get anything out of lying to randoms online . . . '

Really? I can absolutely see what they might. In real life you're likely to be caught out if you lie about having a huge salary. Here, people are free to say what they like, even if it's a load of Walter Mitty bullshit.

I need some popcorn to enjoy while I read this thread! To confirm, just a £1 bag of sweet n salty popcorn from Tesco as I'm not a high earner and just don't get inspired by these bragging posts!

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

I’m always shocked at the ‘how much do you earn threads?’ but I don’t doubt the majority are being truthful, it’s just doesn’t reflect me or my friends and family. I assume, statistically, a lot of the very high earners have had privileged backgrounds and education.

Slightly off point, I always wonder why mn is perceived to be middle-class, you are damned and flamed if you seem to have more.

Secondly I always wonder who is posting their income and if it's true. Not because it's boasting (as most seem to believe), but because where I'm from you are taught never ever to disclose anything about finances.

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).

The point being precisely that: I don't care. Others' earnings are a matter of spectacular indifference to me. What matters is what people are, not what they have.

@Palavah

What a phenomenally long-winded way of telling us you now earn £120k pa

My thoughts too

I've spent the last 9 years working incredibly hard to be in my current position - the inspiration leads you to research what's available. It doesn't just make it magically appear

If working "incredibly hard" automatically meant a £120k salary, most of the country would be high earners. I really hate the inference that the worth of a person is measured by their wealth.

What career path did you follow, OP?

@spikyplants2021

I'd prefer to know what do you do? What steps did you take that got you into your career? What do you need to do that?

^^ spill the beans OP is like some of that pie

I believe many of them but I wish your 21 year old self had also been educated how much of that part of London is fuelled by laundered money. Your salary, in the top percentiles of UK salaries, wouldn't leave you able to buy much more than a pokey one bed in Knightsbridge or Notting Hill - doesn't that make you stop and wonder and wonder about what that money could be doing elsewhere in the countries it has been imported from?

Here's just a very few of all of the information out there that is reported but changes nothing:

www.intelligenciatraining.com/is-the-uk-the-money-laundering-capital-of-the-world/

www.transparency.org.uk/uk-remains-global-money-laundering-capital-more-work-be-done

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/its-time-we-cleaned-up-londons-laundromat-but-the-city-is-divided-bml2kxpk0

www.cityam.com/tough-on-dirty-money-the-uk-has-a-way-to-go/

www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2018-04/london-money-laundering-capital

The current Cameron Greensill debacle feels like people are suddenly waking up to what has been normal for several decades in England.

I understand exactly what you’re saying OP.

While on any subject on this forum - salary, children, husbands. health, chickens - you name it - a % will be lying because it’s the internet and people are weird. By and large when posters discuss salaries, outgoings etc, I reckon many if not most are telling the truth.

The naysayers seem to be from posters who don’t know many high earners.