If you attended private/grammar school, what is your job role and salary?

[Z3lda]

Extremely nosey I know and obviously no one is obliged to share. But I'm just intrigued as it seems many are quite desperate to get their children into the best private or grammar school, but I just wondered what kind of jobs and salaries students from these schools go on to actually have? I know that education provides children with far more than just a path to a specific job and salary, but I do think many send their children to these schools for this reason.

Grammar school baby boomer here.
I took early retirement as soon as I could (burnt out, basically) and i was lucky enough to get an immediate pension at 50. I was a journalist at a big organisation in a very pressured role. Now in my late 60s.
Earned 60k + at the time, would expect to be on about 80k now if I'd stuck it out. However, I am very glad I didn't, I'm so much happier now. Life is short.

I went to a grammar school in the days when it took the "top" 25% from its local catchment and wasn't a super-selective school. Went to what is now an RG university and trained as a lawyer with a Magic Circle law firm.

Have had some ups and downs with my career but now earn around £50K 3 days a week (FTE would be nearly 90K). DH also went to state grammar and then to Oxford and earns about £45K full time. We do ok but we are not high fliers.

65 + bonus, marketing in professional services. I went to state super selective. I'm in a non grammar county.

I went to a grammar school after private primary school. I now work as a part-time teacher, full-time equivalent salary would be £37k.
Definitely unsatisfied with the way my career turned out and definitely not what I aspired for when I was at school. Planning on starting again and training in an area I'm actually passionate about after the arrival of baby #3 next year.

@2reefsin30knots

I'm relatively poorly paid (50k) but I chose a specialist role that is interesting to me. Our combined household income is about 200k, but neither of us 'went for the money'. Good academic CV does give you those choices. You don't have to attend an independent school to have a good academic cv.

I am shocked that fifty thousand pounds and a combined income of two hundred thousand is “relatively poorly paid” !! Have I lost touch of what a poorly paid i come is, is this normal now ?

It really doesn't matter were you went to school, it's how you apply yourself when you get a job, how much effort you put in and a little bit of luck as well.

I agree with this yet at the same time I disagree. I've pretty much fought my way up the career ladder (making plenty of mistakes along the way) from a working class, comprehensive school background. I was a fish out of water for much of my early career. Yes, I made it through but I'm sure it would have made a significant difference if I'd had a more polished, more confident, private school background. Or knew people who did who could have 'guided' me perhaps. Holy hell it was hard.

Surely you can’t really ask this question without asking people who went to non-private/grammar schools what job they have and earn?

Grammar educated, DH not. We both earn around the same - both high earners.
DD grammar educated, very academic currently at uni. Already planning her masters and potential doctorate.
DS1 currently at non-grammar, not academic.
DS2 just passed for a super selective grammar.
For us it’s not about potential earnings, but the right school for the right child. Two of ours love learning, academically very able. Middle child bright but not interested in academics, but has other skills. Will probably out earn the other two if that’s really a barometer.

There is a vast deal of difference between attending a state grammar school and being privately educated at a public school, though, so I'm struggling to see what you are expecting to get from this, OP.

I went to a grammar school in the 1970s, in Lincolnshire. It had, and still does have, the grammar system in parts of it. The fact that I was bright at 11 meant that I didn't go to the local secondary modern which stopped at 16 and simply aimed to train the less academic kids for practical, skilled jobs like being a plasterer or a builder. Kids at my school were offered the chance of A levels, but it wasn't a given that we would go to university - probably around 50% did. Probably about 20% left at 16 anyway - they were farmer's sons and would go onto the farm, or they had a dad in a trade and would go as his apprentice.

As a girl in the 1970s I was not encouraged to do anything scientific or engineering based. It's clear as I've aged that I am actually very practical - I'm good at DiY and woodwork, and although not good at maths or science I wonder how much of that is down to the fairly inadequate teaching I got. My teachers were poor - they were often staff who couldn't have coped in a rough school with difficult pupils. I certainly didn't get outstanding teaching and we had very little in the way of facilities.

In no way was this education the equivalent to having been sent to an outstanding boarding school where I was given advantages, teaching and opportunities that others did not have.

I would say, locally, that there is very little earning difference between the folks in my class at school and the others I went to primary school with who didn't pass the 11+. And I would suggest that we didn't have much of an advantage over them. Some of them joined the grammar at 16 to do their A levels, and some of my class left.

I went into education, by the way as I didn't have much clue what to do and no careers advice at all. Most of the girls of my age became teachers or nurses. It was considered 'suitable' for girls.

I went to Grammar, so very different to private.

Everyone I know who went to private schools say they wouldn't send their kids to one. But myself and DH went to separate grammars and are considering a move to a grammar area before our DC are secondary age.

We aren't hugely high earners though.

Run our own business. So can sort of decide our income and a lot of things (cars, bills, phones, medical insurance) are business expenses and not money that goes into our wages.

We only "take home" about £50k a year. Would rather keep the profit in the business while we're making it. But do often talk about pay rises.

If we wanted to be 'flash' we could. But we're comfortable and my husband is VERY careful with money, both personal and business and he worries about us taking lots extra out at the moment. Covid has hit us pretty hard. But if things are looking up in the new year then I'd like us each to take an additional £1k/month to save.

We're moving house next year (bigger house but having my mum move in with us and using the sale of her home as extra deposit) and hoping our mortgage payments may decrease if so. So could save that difference too.

I worry we don't have enough savings. And we need better pensions.

I also am considering the pay rises as there are some fee paying schools around that seem like they could be a really nice fit for our eldest. (Currently Y4) but as we live in a small house with a moderate lifestyle I don't want them to be the poor kid in a bunch of rich friends.

@MadmadmadamMin your school sounds very similar to mine!

It really doesn't matter were you went to school, it's how you apply yourself when you get a job, how much effort you put in and a little bit of luck as well.

It also depends on what career you choose. For instance, to be a section principal in one of the UK's top orchestras you need to have been a star pupil at music college - but you will not earn more than about £29K in something like the Royal Liverpool Phil (and no, there is very little time to take on extra work).

I'm in my 30s, went grammar school and university. Little to no career help. Neither my parents, school etc. talked about importance of targeting a career early on or thinking about what jobs are actually out there and what professions actually means. It was just a case of doing what subjects you like (so arty stuff, which lets be honest isn't going to make much). So I have a gleaming academic CV, but lack of direction & professional ambition/confidence to fake it til I make it, which means I am earning nothing compared to what my schoolmates are on & it feels like I'm too far behind to start climbing the ladder. Having said that,.I have very little stress or office.politics.or any people management in my job

Part time, 3 days a week, equivalent of about £27,000 part time or £45,000 if I were full time.

Previously earned quite a bit more but for various reason took a pay cut each time I changed jobs for the last 3 jobs.

@MadinMarch Because it's insulting to people who are actually relatively poorly paid i.e below the national average. £50k is significantly above average and more than most people will ever earn. It might be less than high earning bankers in London or whatever but it's still not "relatively poorly paid". To claim it is shows a real lack of awareness.

Mid 30's, went to grammar school but left after GCSEs. Pregnant at 18. Went back to college/university in early 20's.

I work in HR (senior level in public sector) and salary is around £70k.

100% put it down to influence my schooling - was drummed into me that women spoke nicely, got good jobs and were independent.

Private school. PhD at top 10 university. 120K.

Private school, early fifties, 6 figures (IT).

DD went private from the age of five, is now 19 and I suspect won't follow me, she finds competition and exams very stressful and is making noises about not going to uni and working with horses.

Me - pretty rubbish state, RG uni. Earn 93k for approx 30 hour week.
DH - highly selective private, RG uni, earns 90k for a 45 hour week

@OxanaVorontsova

I'm relatively poorly paid (50k)

Since when is 50k poorly paid??

Only on MN.

Not sure what OP is trying to gain?
Private schools are not all academic and not all grammars are strong.
People send children to private schools if they can afford and want to pay so their child could avoid children of rough parents.

Grammar school. It's left me with a lifelong feeling of academic inadequacy despite a first class honours degree from a Russell group university - from the days when there were less universities in the Russell group than now- and a masters degree. DH went to a very average comprehensive and is very academically able and did a PhD.
We chose a large and very mixed city comprehensive for our daughters, though a grammar in the neighbouring authority was an option. I am very opposed to a grammar school education.

I went to a grammar school equivalent in Germany (a gymnasium), am in my mid 30's, a solicitor, have been on over £100K p/a for awhile, but very recently have moved into academia for a lower stress life and currently lecture at a university (salary there is £50K)

My younger brother went to a private school, ended up with a first class honours degree and Masters from Cambridge and is on around £150K in IT. He is 25! Very proud of him

@Knotnowdear Your daughter sounds like mine only mine is 11. She spends ALL her time at the livery yard and finds school really hard work. She has been privately educated since Reception (aged 4)