My professional salary only just covers my rent. How can this be?

[Rentmakesmepoor]

I am an occupational therapist in the NHS. I am a single parent. After tax, student loan and pension I take home roughly £1900.
I live in the South East of England. My rent is £1750 a month for a 3 bed, SMALL semi detached house with a courtyard garden

How is it that we have got to the point in this country that my salary literally just pays for my rent and nothing else??

I am permanently skint. I am not looking for solutions as I do nd claim everything I can (which is not alot).

But how can this be?

Exactly. Not only public sector workers!

Of course everyone should.

But professions such as teaching and nursing have often been seen as middle class roles and middle class people, historically, have rarely struggled to live, unless there were other issues like addiction. The fact that people in jobs that require a degree and were once aspirational are now no longer able to afford rent AND food means there's something seriously wrong with our economy.

If professional wages are not keeping up with inflation and those people have to move in to lower cost areas or use local authority housing then it significantly negatively impacts people who earn even less.

It's a new symptom of a worsening health problem.

Definition Middle class" The vast majority of British people fall into this category, such as shop owners, white-collar professionals (literally those who wear a white collar like businessmen and office workers), teachers, journalists, nurses and the list goes on.*

The quote is from The Great British Mag (culture).

I really don't want to derail the thread by talking about the class system. Housing should be affordable for all. At the same time, those earning a nursing salary don't realistically think they can live next door to a neurosurgeon surely?
It has always been the case that people with lower salaries have to live in less desirable areas unless they inherit their family home/win the lottery. I don't see why supermarket assistants and doctor's receptionists should not live next door to teachers and nurses. We've recently lived through a time where the essential workers were held up and applauded. Now its ok for some of them to live in undesirable areas and commute but it isn't ok to expect a teacher to do the same. I honestly do not get this way of thinking.

Completely agree that rents are ridiculous atm! I just dont know what can be done about it. Seems silly to be earning in a decent job when it only just covers the rent and nothing else. Surely benefits top up is really not the answer for millions. This is the state of the UK in 2023! Sorry to hear about your ex. Its terrible for you to be coping on your own like this. Ignore the trolls x

What’s the logic behind saying teachers should not expect to live next to surgeons but teachers should live next to supermarket assistants?

Both surgeons and teachers have taken out considerable loans ( and did work placements while at uni) to work in the roles which they do. If anything they’re likely to have a more similar social background although of course teachers earn far less.

Btw, I’ve always lived in very mixed neighbourhoods with people of all social and economic backgrounds which I like, but I just didn’t get the logic of saying teachers can’t expect to live next to neurosurgeons.

And I’d argue that actually when things were more equal, many groups lived together in similar neighbourhoods. Not necessarily next door but not miles apart.

At least when I was growing up in the 90s, but of course the teacher (or tradesperson) house may have been in a 3 bed semi with one car on the drive and the surgeon would have the 5 bed detached house with two cars in the slightly nicer street

. Now it almost seems as if people are suggesting teachers and nurses should leave certain cities or towns alone completely as they “can’t afford to live there”

There was always a wide gap between those with very high earning potential. Teachers and nurses were never and will never be in that category. The issue now is that the gap is widening for all employees.

I grew up in a rural community. The teachers lived in ordinary houses. The shop assistants lived in ordinary houses. The doctor lived in a big old house next to the rectory.

People, including tradespeople, supermarket workers, teachers and postmen/women should all be able to afford to live in a decent area near their workplace. Nice views and big gardens are for the rich. Now a days it seems a three bed semi in London is for the rich. It can’t continue this way because we need all these essential workers not just highly paid tech people and those with high earning potential.

I've put the info the OP has shared into Entitled.to and its estimated that she can claim £310.70 pcm in Child Benefit. Plus she can claim £1815.36 in Universal Credit.

This brings the OPs income to a (sensible) estimate of £4k pcm.

Interesting.

Oh! And this was assuming zero childcare costs and doesn't include the discounted council tax. So she would receive more if she has childcare bills to pay too.

@Rentmakesmepoor I’m sorry to read of some of the comments here which are less than helpful.

I know you didn’t ask for advice but just something that got me thinking regarding your salary…are there any opportunities for you to move into some non clinical but on a higher band? Often in AHP roles there are few opportunities for progression but in corporate teams or in other operational roles your clinical experience would be helpful and you may be able to get a promotion with more opportunities in front of you.

if there is a senior leader at work that you have a rapport with or certainly feel you could get advice from, it’s worth asking their thoughts.

Im in a senior leadership role and if someone asked me this I’d be more than happy to help them

Its an awful situation. And we all need to remember that our taxes are lining the pockets of (probably tory voting) landlords to support people whose salaries now don't cover rent through no fault of their own. People working full time shouldn't need top ups. Obviously I know they do but how have we as a country let salaries stagnate so much.

Dh and I are home owners and both in "professional" jobs and bring in less than that (all salary, plus child benefit, no UC etc)

Op haven't RTFT but what a pile on.

Nuts that it's just almost impossible on one income.

I'm single too and the message is basically 'your fault for not securing/keeping a husband'. Truly your punishment is penury.

They'll be women on here barking at you to move who are fully financed by a man but judging you. Classy.

In the same boat, it is soul destroying. Guess part of the Tory plan to break public services is to force people out of their jobs.

I do agree but even in the 1990s, family friends of my DH (accountant and solicitor) also owned a 1930s flat in zone 3 north London that is quite similar to us as a young couple. I understand there were some parts of London that were cheaper but I think owning a house in our area of north London hasn't been a given even for 'professionals' particularly those who are younger. DH's mum needed help to buy her flat (in London) too and she bought at pretty much the same age as I did- 27.
.

The unspoken rule here is that we seemingly must not discuss any benefits - which in the OP’s original post stated were “not a lot”.

More than many household incomes but not to be discussed!

It’s shit, tho’ isn’t it? I’m a teacher on a fairly senior non management grade. I take home about £2000 pcm, and I get child benefit and UC (up to £600 pm) for 2 dependents (nothing from their Dad don’t start …). Luckily for me I have a mortgage on a 3 bed, and it’s about £900 pcm. I couldn’t afford rent on the same property. Something is broken here.

I’ve no idea why people are still obsessing over her salary vs rent. Her salary isn’t her total income by a long way, there is significantly more left over once benefits are all included.

Wages are crap with little growth for years. And house prices vs wages is shocking

House/rental prices are going to cause a massive brain and skills drain in many areas if we aren't careful.

It's already happening & many will leave the country entirely

I honestly don’t understand the maths here because I put in to the universal credit calculator earning minimum wage 18,000 a year which would give me £1500 salary. And I would get an additional £300 a month in universal credits, apparently with one child.

I don’t understand how other people are scooping up, nearly 2 grand ?

@Gettingbysomehow whereabouts in Somerset do you live that you are renting a 3 bed semi for £350 a month please?

£2000 a month isn’t a senior teaching grade! Unless you are part time. There are some very odd posts on here!

Professions are: anything where you attain chartered status or professional membership via exams post first degree or during the extended degree eg accountants, engineers, surveyors, architects, barristers, vets, dentists, lawyers and doctors. Many professions were not degree level years ago but are now. These can pay less, but at senior level they don’t, eg nursing, teaching, OT, many health professions.

If you work in a profession in a cheap housing area you will be fine. If you expect cheap housing in the SE, think again.

I have sold my rental properties. Too difficult to keep going and loads of landlords are selling up. So blaming landlords puts prices up. Who would want to be one?

I work in a lot of central London hotels and often think that it won't be long before there's simply no staff. They are paying minimum wage for jobs that have very unsociable hours so God knows how staff even get to work. Let alone how they survive with London rents as there's only so far out you can go if you need to get to Mayfair for 6am...

This thread just gets worse and worse.

No Allied Health Care PROFESSIONAL should have to claim benefits to afford basics such as a house with enough bedrooms.

For those who think the OP should just move area, downsize, get another job or get a second job and just work herself to death, you best hope you don’t suddenly find yourself in a position where you need an OT, SALT or physio and then realise they’re no good to you when they live up north and your advice was bollocks.

Idk, either. I get up to £500 UC which changes each month (I have 2 kids) and CB £140 (ish) pw. Take home wage is actually a bit below around £1960. I know it’s a lot more than it was when I had Child Tax Credit. Rest assured they will reclaim if it’s too much …

Teaching, not management. I’m on Upper Pay Scale and work 4 days. Which is enough, as a single mum, tbh.