To ask what your high-paying jobs are?

[patienceandprudence]

My DD is in uni doing History. We’re working class through and through, and while she we were chatting about jobs she said that more than anything she’d like to earn a good amount. I’ve no idea what to suggest and DD only came up with a role in the Civil Service.

I always see people on here with high-paying jobs. What could she do with a History degree?

Another vote for law here- history extremely transferable for law. Decent salary too as a solicitor

@FifiRebel

I am a history graduate turned Civil Servant - my starting salary was £27k, £53k at 23 and I am now on £75k at 31

That is so impressive. What area of Civil Service?

What about becoming a history or primary teacher but then working for an independent school or working overseas in a higher paid region? (not my sector so I'm just speculating).

I was an Estate Manager / Land Agent, on around £60k by 25. I wasn’t interested in being sat in an office in London at all so working in the countryside suited me well.

I've got an art history degree (much derided on here) and I work as an exec in a charity pulling in a good salary (also much derided on here). I head up a fundraising department and have to pull in several million a year, but it's a fascinating job.

DH has a degree in politics and works for the CFO of a massive investment bank. Back office roles pay less, but he still make 160k + bonus "last year.

When I met him he was a passionate young idealist who was going to become a human rights lawyer and change the world. Then he realized that that really doesn't pay very well

[quote patienceandprudence]@RosesAndHellebores History is her passion, wirh education being a close second, unfortunately neither of those interests will ever lead to a highly paid job. The plan was primary teaching until we met her favourite primary school teacher last summer, who told her she had left teaching and to never ever go into it.[/quote]
Perhaps speak to other teachers? Lots of us love it!
Heads of departments in large schools earn approx £50K, SLT earn up from there and heads can be £100k+ but it is much less in primary.
How about staying on to do PhD? Professor Husband is on good by anyone's standards salary.

Big4 accountancy firm also have all sort of consultancies.
Technology project/product management

@sst1234

All the people recommending Law are forgetting she is studying History.

It's a one-year conversion course and the skill sets are very compatible.

The most successful person I know did history, law conversion and then went into Human Rights law.Well paid and interesting.

I’m a solicitor. It’s high paying in most instances, but obviously the best paying jobs are very competitive. She could do law as a postgrad if she is happy to stay in education for a little longer.

DBIL has a history degree (Oxbridge). He started out in financial PR and now works in corporate PR specialising in clients in the middle east. He's freelance, doesn't work a great deal and earned over a million pounds last year.

I wouldn't choose it for a living but it fits in with his hectic lunch, gardening and blogging about Baltic music schedule.

Echoing PPs, big four or law (for which she'll need to do the GDL, LPC, and then get a training contract). It will help if she's at a good uni and finishes with a high mark. She'll have to be prepared to work bloody hard though, very long hours (although it does depend to some extent on what discipline she decides to specialise in).

Civil service is an excellent place to start . There are endless opportunities and once in, the ability to climb the scale rapidly is there.
One of the useful deals with the CS is that internal promotion is usually across govt so if you are say a HEO in The Home Office and no opportunities in your field for promotion with the HO then you simply look at any of the other gov departments and arms-length bodies on Civil Service Job website.
My boss is 26. Graduated 2 years ago. is already on 49k and will hopscotch his way up the slippery pole. Having already passed selection for the next grade. (55k) it is entirely realistic to think he will be on about £75k by the time he is 30.
The trick is not to have ties and be able to move wherever the job is. Made easier by almost all senior CS jobs being WFH with couple of times a month in f2f meetings.

I have worked with many graduates in NHSE who have been employed from consultancy firms in london and they are bright and brilliant and get the task done. They are all in their 20s. Definitely a route i would suggest to my DC if they were enclined. They are well paid. My salary is great given i left school with a small number of GCSES and highers and started life as a qualified mental health nurse. My salary is 80k now and live in a lovely spot in london

Why would 6 figure job not exist outside London? There is life beyond the M25 and more so now businesses are aware that the tradition of having to base workers in a central office is not necessary now.

Surely she needs to think about what she enjoys and what might make her happy along with earning potential. Just doing a job because it's well paid sounds fucking miserable.

Obviously, I am never going to be rich but I'm doing a job I am passionate about and dedicated to.

Law

Dh did a degree and then a Masters in history before going down the law route. He did a training contract with one of the big firms and was there for years, eventually becoming partner. Now he works in-house - same money for minimal hours.

What i found funny recently was my niece (who has just graduated from cambridge with a first and has a scholarship with a top law firm in london to do corporate law) was shocked my 14yr old said he wanted to work in the city and make money as he wanted to travel the world and not struggle financially. How dare he suggest money was the be all and end all and he should do something he aspires to do...yep as a 6yr old I aspired to work in corporate law and money is not the focus at all

Fwiw, when recruiting dh always prefers people who’ve done history or English to those who’ve done law.

Not the NHS

Myself and my husband are both teachers. I absolutely love it. He's not so keen. We live in an area of the North so the cost of living is fairly low. We can afford a nice lifestyle and have managed to pay the mortgage and save a bit too. If you're in the south east or London, things would be different. It's possible to work you way up to management/headship jobs that are well paid if that's what you want though.

Digital marketing. Very well paid and not nearly as all consuming as law.

Just what do you do @Tooembarrassingtomention?

I was a primary teacher (mid £30k), primary headteacher (mid £40k/low £50's) and education adviser (low £50k).

I also think there has to be a consideration about the availability of jobs. The Local Authority, Assistant Director for Education earns £80k - but that is one post for the whole county, covering nearly 400 schools.
Same with many other jobs, only the very top posts give such high salaries, not everyone works within that field.

It's possible to be a teacher and earn a high salary - you just need to work your way into SLT. No graduate will walk into a hugely well paid job anyway, no matter what she does it will take time

Yes it's hard work as alluded to by her old teacher - but no professional job will be 'easy' especially if she wants to earn the mega money.

I think she needs to consider two things -
A. What she thinks she will enjoy (we work for so long it's so important!)
B. Whether she has the funds for further study

Which uni is she studying at/is she predicted a first?

@patienceandprudence

My DD is in uni doing History. We’re working class through and through, and while she we were chatting about jobs she said that more than anything she’d like to earn a good amount. I’ve no idea what to suggest and DD only came up with a role in the Civil Service.

I always see people on here with high-paying jobs. What could she do with a History degree?

I’m another one who would say go for a big 4 grad scheme. Apply early (final year or earlier) and be prepared that even if successful she may have to defer a year.

We are not looking for a “really good uni” any more as there is an acknowledgement that it is counter productive when looking for diversity. What is looked for is

• a really good degree result (regardless of the uni)
• diverse interests that show accomplishment and commitment
• evidence of teamwork and mentoring, in any area but really well evidenced (e.g. leading a field research team, rather that being a brownie leader)
• being articulate and able to problem solve during interview
• having a lot of concrete example of life experience to draw on …”when I was doing my internship in Spain…” etc
• being able to work together in a team (group assessment)
• is she has all of the above they don’t be shy about playing up the “working class background” as a strong positive as there are quotas.

Salary is actually not so great for the first 2-3 years, but it rises quickly and the way it rises is very structured.

Expect £50-£70k after 5 years, £150k after 10-15 years, £250k+++ later in career (at Director and Partner level, but a lot of people top-out at the £70-£100k level)