Page 10 | To ask if you have a wage/income that would shock people?

Newmumatlast · 2023-02-27T20:40:07+00:00

Inspired by the tipping hairdresser thread, and a post on there about people having no idea what some people earn with an anecdote about a London cabbie earning twice what his nurse wife did. I just wondered if anyone does a job where people would actually be shocked to know their true earnings based on stereotype- either way. For example cleaner earning loads or lawyer earning very little.

StarPup · 28/02/2023 04:14

user1477249785 · 27/02/2023 23:04

I have a friend who has a very good degree from Oxford who left her chosen career to train as a plumber. She thought there was a market for female plumbers who other women can call in when they feel uncomfortable with having a strange man in the house. We thought she was crackers. Turns out not only was she right but plumbers in London earn an incredible amount of money.

Good idea - though I can imagine the work’s a bit grim at times! Does your friend ever worry about finding herself alone in a house with a male client?

Bansheed · 28/02/2023 05:10

StarPup · 28/02/2023 04:14

Good idea - though I can imagine the work’s a bit grim at times! Does your friend ever worry about finding herself alone in a house with a male client?

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I can remember thinking this 30 years ago! So glad someone has done this, successfully. Awesome.

Bansheed · 28/02/2023 05:22

My step dad is a pompous git, he worked at the council at the end of his career but had worked for a small family friends business previously. I was WFH at my mum's during the summer. We had a cup of tea between my calls, I was a bit stressed, he didn't ask a single question and said, smugly. "Welcome to the corporate world." I am on 8x his final salary..

benten54 · 28/02/2023 05:30

I have a friend who is a criminal barrister. Some months she pays to do her job. Eg pay is £70 for the day to represent someone. The train ticket costs £72.

xlbrood · 28/02/2023 05:48

I have a 'friend' who made a snide comment about us not being well off and she loves to tell me her husband earns too much for child benefit etc because she thinks we survive on benefits. They are drowning in debt and barely scraping by each month, which I think she feels comfortable sharing with me because she believes we are skint. We have 5 kids, I'm a SAHM and have a household income of 70k, which in this climate is small for a large family yet we have savings, are not in any debt and have a small mortgage in comparison to the value of our home. She has no idea because I don't brag about what we have and we're not big spenders...other than the food and household bills!

Roselilly36 · 28/02/2023 05:55

Orangeis · 27/02/2023 21:33

I'm a nurse earning 50k and living somewhere very cheap, so I live well. I'm always a bit bewildered when people give off pitying vibes that I must be on the breadline.

So pleased you said that, my SIL is a nurse, and earns extremely well. People seem to be under the impression that nurses are as poor as church mice. Yes starting pay is poor, but that is the case in most professions.

DaisyCornflowerBlue · 28/02/2023 05:56

I'm a Tube station supervisor and earn about £43k a year. I'm not even the top grade (Zone2/3, no escalators or lifts) which is up to £48k a year (Zone 1 and escalator stations). Yy, overpaid considering a supervisor/manager of an large Network Rail central London terminal might only earn £32-35k. Which is why I support their industrial action. They should be paid more than me.

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 05:59

Mudgarden · 27/02/2023 22:48

NC. My in-laws would be shocked to know that I earn over 3x what my husband does (and I’m absolutely nowhere near 6 figures). They think husband = breadwinner and my job must be for a bit of pocket money. I have a ton of specialist qualifications. MIL doesn’t understand why I commute and work FT, and suggested I should get a job in a local shop instead. If I did that we wouldn’t be able to pay the mortgage and bills!

That’s hilarious - how come you don’t just tell MIL the truth about your salaries? I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to hold back if she kept banging on at me to get another job!

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:06

MashedUpPotatoes · 27/02/2023 23:04

I’m an ODP. I work agency and earn differing amounts but the past 5 years average is £80k

What’s an ODP?

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:08

pjparty · 27/02/2023 23:05

DH and I are not glitzy or glam and are relatively frugal when it comes to material things so I think our friends and family would be shocked to know out household income is approaching £300k and we are building up a nice pot of investments for a relaxing future (financially). We are early 30s. We are in no way punishing ourselves now though as know that life can be short so very happy to be living well within our means. About to get a whole lot more expensive though as we have recently had our first child 😃

What jobs do you both do?

Madoz · 28/02/2023 06:08

AnathemaPulsifer · 27/02/2023 22:53

Either works. I believe increasing your occupational pension is better as you also save the NI, whereas paying into a private pension (SIPP) you just save the tax. And get your child benefit back.

Be aware that paying more into your occupational pension may make your salary look lower is you’re applying for a mortgage.

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Unless you salary sacrifice your occupational pension and it is a defined contribution pension - I believe you are incorrect.

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:11

AnuSTart · 27/02/2023 23:12

We both earn around £5k take home each a month (I'm on slightly higher) and the parents and teachers at school treat us like crap because we 'look scruffy ' and they think us poor. And actually we out-earn everyone there.
Funny..

What jobs do you do?

sjxoxo · 28/02/2023 06:14

I’m off work currently on a sabbatical so not being paid and I’m not sure I’m correct but I suspect I’m really really underpaid… I work in a very niche sales role, generating about £100,000 a month for the business, so I’m making well over £1m a year for my employer. I’m paid about 30k a year. My DH works in a sales role for a much bigger city firm, with targets of £600,000 a year (so easily half of what I make) and earns 75k a year and a 15k bonus if he meets his target…
Ive not much experience of sales other than the role I am in so no idea what typical salary is/was. When DH got his job I was shocked at the sales figures target to salary ratio…. I suspected I was underpaid when I previously saw some figures showing I was making more sales than my boss, who is the director of the company.

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:30

Cerrifiedlovergirl · 28/02/2023 01:47

I am in a niche type of environmental consulting that is very much in demand at the moment. Salaries range from £25k upwards to on averags £60k, but 2-3years of experience salaries are north of £40k.

Due to the demand and lack of qualified professionals I get almost daily calls from recruiters despite making it clear I am not looking. These jobs average £50-85k for more senior roles than my current one e.g. Head of X, division head etc..

My overall salary including benefits is north of £120k and salary after a cost of living bump is just shy of £110k. Some recruiters scoff when they ask my salary expectations as any new role would have to give me at least a 30% bump and keep my wfh arrangement with 1 day in the office monthly.

I have had a few recruiters come back with revised salary ranges after finding noone willing to even interview as their idea of competitive salaries are too low. Friends in the industry report the same and it was not uncommon to be on £30-35k mid level, but demand has massively increased & it is not uncommon to double your salary in one move. I do get plenty of jobs forwarded to me in the £50-60k range by well meaning friends as well😂😂😂. I can only assume people think my ex is generous with child support while i go about with my silly hippy job as i've heard people describe it as.

That’s so cool, how did you get into that line of work? Any specific qualifications?

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 28/02/2023 06:31

It is funny how people’s perceptions about salaries work.

We have 6 children, three at Uni, and I don’t work due to the care needs of our youngest. A few people are forever sending my DH links to jobs trying to help him stop “needing” to work away. He works four weeks on, four off. During his weeks on he’s often away. If not he’s locked in his office doing 15 hour days. It’s long hours, and the away periods are tough. However, he’s essentially off 6 months a year and he gets paid £300k for it.

My cousin is always comparing him to a mutual lawyer friend in a really patronising/sympathetic way. Yet I know the lawyer friend earns less than £40k and they are their partner (also a lawyer) desperately want to split but they can’t afford their lifestyles without sharing.

On the opposite hand when I worked in learning support in schools people seemed to think it was well paid as I was in and out of different schools. In reality it was less than 20k.

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:31

oatmilk4breakfast · 28/02/2023 02:02

Wow this sounds like hard work! Are you a writer?

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I think she has an Etsy shop 😉

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:33

Dorisbonson · 28/02/2023 02:20

I have a net salary of around £20k a month. I tell friends and family it's far far less. Only my partner knows the truth. The family car is a dented 10 year old lexus hatchback. We buy 50% of our clothes second hand on ebay.

What’s your job?

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:38

Bansheed · 28/02/2023 05:22

My step dad is a pompous git, he worked at the council at the end of his career but had worked for a small family friends business previously. I was WFH at my mum's during the summer. We had a cup of tea between my calls, I was a bit stressed, he didn't ask a single question and said, smugly. "Welcome to the corporate world." I am on 8x his final salary..

Does he know how much you’re on? I bet it would take the wind out of his sails!

TerfIngOnTheBeach · 28/02/2023 06:41

DH is a blunt, outspoken Yorkshireman from a council house background working in a manual industry with no qualifications. His self assessment this year will declare income of 250k.

People don’t have a clue, our home is paid for, very comfortable but reasonably modest. I like it that way.

Bansheed · 28/02/2023 06:43

ElephantInTheBoxRoom · 28/02/2023 06:38

Does he know how much you’re on? I bet it would take the wind out of his sails!

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Nope, as that would be too humiliating. He is really sexist too. Very annoying. We pay for holidays or them etc and give them money each month to help with bills. But he is still so arrogant. Ugh

dreamersdown · 28/02/2023 06:43

Please tell them to consider lecturing! Further education colleges are crying out for qualified tradespeople who can teach the practicalities to young people. It’s flexible and you can make good money, and it’s not physical at all but because you can make far more money on site there’s a total shortage of people available to actually work in colleges. The colleges are paying tradespeople to do the short qualification to become a teacher!

dreamersdown · 28/02/2023 06:44

Switchwitch · 27/02/2023 21:41

Presumably this has more longevity though. My in-laws are tradespeople and they all suffer from physical issues (bad backs, knees, even lung problems from asbestos exposure) and end up having to either hobble in pain to maintain an income or the savvy ones have moved into management

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That last message was in response to @Switchwitch re tradespeople working on site and wrecking their health…

Offensiveapprently · 28/02/2023 06:51

I work in adult local authority as an OT and get 37,000 my colleague is Solicitor and earns 34,000. I thought he would be on wsy more than me!

Blurryeyedbeast · 28/02/2023 06:53

Landlord of four properties and made a large loss last year. Profits years before are minimal too.
My job is a counselling Tutor (BTEC/HNC). I don't know if it'll surprise anyone on here but others seem surprised that that only brings in £27k.

Bournetilly · 28/02/2023 06:54

McHelenz · 27/02/2023 22:12

Just had a look at the agenda for change pay scales and to earn 50k you need to be a band 8a. So to say you're not experienced is a downright lie when you're either exaggerating your wage or you're a modern matron.

I'm a band 7 and earn just over 40.

They might not work for the NHS though, they could be private or agency.
I earn more than this as equivalent to band 5 but not nhs.