To ask how you've reached a high salary? 50k+

[Redvelvetdreams1]

I'm on 29.5k which is the most I've ever earned in my life, and I'm 34. I have a degree and a PGCE but here we are.
I'm never going to be a millionaire, but I just don't feel like I'll ever know what it's like to be well off. I live alone too but fortunately only have myself to support.

I'm an EO in the Civil service, which i hate. I'm not trying to be rich, but I'd just love to have a comfortable salary and be able to save comfortably, go on proper holidays and not just a £19.99 ryanair flight (I know I'm lucky to even do that) afford to learn to drive, and just know what it's like to not have to check my bank account daily and count every penny.

However I know this is the reality for most people. Maybe I can go back to teaching and try to make it up to SLT, but school behaviour is horrendous these days which is why I left.

I'm just feeling a bit lost. I know I'm lucky to even have a job, but without sounding arrogant I considered myself as intelligent, I gained qualifications, can speak other languages and a lot of people my age are earning quite a bit more than me.
Just interested to hear anyone's stories and any advice on where to go from here.

Charity sector can be reasonably well paid, if that appeals/you think you have the skills.

My last charity role was 90k and currently around 70 following a move to a more interesting role.

Senior in both but more junior reports were earning 50k +.

If you are bright and ambitious you can work your way up in the civil service quite quickly. You just need to know how to write an application as it's very specific. As a pp said use EOIs to get experience and apply apply apply.

Hard work and networking. Started as an AA, now a G7 in the civil service. Have a look at the development programmes I did one as an EO. Don't stay in the same role for more than 18mths unless you are getting varied opportunities. I have had 5 children in that time too.

Which is...?

I'm 38, work in Audit for an ALB, and am on £62k

I job hopped, a lot. Gaining higher salaries each time and more and more experience in different companies and scenarios, dealing with different problems. I also trained myself in new areas related in some ways to my job but in new emerging areas in my spare time, not even official qualifications but just leaned, a lot through reading, watching videos and podcasts etc on the areas I wanted to knoe about. I stretched myself and never waited for promotion, I just got a new job when I felt I knew enough to earn more. Then became a consultant. Now 40+ and been earning over 100k consistently for about 5 years. I could push myself more to earn more, but I also now work flexibly which suits my family life.

Seems like a cushy number. The people I know who work in CS are around for every school play, school drop off and pick up times etc. They have lots of flexibility and I just assumed it's incredibly well paid. I didn't realise that you need to work Saturdays though. That surprised me. Thought it was purely Monday to Friday working hour contracts.

Go where the money is - either picking an industry like insurance, finance, tech which has a lot of money sloshing about, or sticking broadly with your current industry (define it as "education") and going into sales and bringing in revenue for the company.

Clean up your LinkedIn profile and apply for private sector jobs there - happy to advise on any specific questions.

Maybe look at college teaching? Ime behaviour was good, the teaching easy.

What area of teaching? Could look for stem social value roles in energy or construction sectors. I made the jump from charity sector and am paid about £20k above the average wage for my age in this area. I do have 20 years experience though. Even if you go in lower as a social value adviser there are lots of progression opportunities.

I’m also in the Civil Service. You break the £50k barrier by seeking promotions. It’s incredibly easy to move up in the CS. So many internal jobs out there.

Teacher of languages are often in demand (Area dependent of course) so you may be able to negotiate a higher pay scale depending on your experience. If you have any local, look for SEND specialist schools as they will have a SEND allowance of top of your salary and due to their smaller size, are easier to progress within.

Really?!? Well I was just about to come on to say don't move to the charity sector! I'm much older than the OP after a career change late 40's and on similar wage in a fairly junior role, but really struggling to see how to progress as my role is quite niche.

With very little effort you could do a bit of cursory learning and get an entry level IT job on a monitoring desk. It's boring and usually involves shift work, but you'd probably get £40k+. If you use the enormous quantities of paid 'free time'* to study and upskill, you could use it as a springboard into an entry level job in your chosen field (£50k+). Once you're doing the job and gaining experience, you can do the zigzag and rapidly increase your wages - if you're competent and don't piss people off.

What you don't want to do is get comfortable on the monitoring desk doing as little as possible and learning as little as possible. It's what lots of people do and there's a reason they never progress.

I'm on £97k and I'm expecting a 4% pay rise and a £7k+ bonus.

* Monitoring desks usually work 12 hour shifts. The day workers get all the crap jobs nobody else can be bothered to do. After the evening shift change, you're normally just getting paid to sit and react to alarms - this normally just requires a ticket to be created and passed to the correct team. You can sit there watching Netflix on a laptop or you can study, study, study. I used to cart a large networking lab into work and set it up on the night and weekend shifts. My colleagues would sit around moaning about life and, as far as I'm aware, they're probably still there - but each to their own, if you can live on £45k it's easy money.

@Abridget7 Wow, that’s crazy to me - I don’t know where I’m going wrong as I’m a Londoner with no CV gaps, degree, always worked in large financial organisations, and had good performance reviews. I’m earning far far less than 50k 😓

£50k top of the pay scale - teaching. My next move is Assistant Head which would be about £55k, and then probably Deputy (60k ish). I’m 39 and have taken two maternity leaves and been part time since my second child (he’s nearly 9). I’ve just returned full time and am applying for promotions over the next 12 to 18 months, but love where I’m at with my career currently so I’m biding my time waiting for the right job.

CTU is the training portion. You should get streamed into your core business area post-training which may be better. Although from everything I’ve heard of Ops, run. Apply for ministerial departments in non-Operational posts. Much better life over here.

The only way I've managed to earn a decent wage is by moving jobs and increasing my salary £10k + at a time. Also picking up lots of transferable skills which can be used across a variety of different sectors helped.

Don't be afraid to apply for jobs where you tick only 70% of skills required & that take you out of your comfort zone. Think side ways, look at the skills that you already have & see if a more high paying sector is looking for someone with a similar skill set.

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/

NHS ops management

If you’ve got a good operations head, you’re keen, don’t mind hard work etc. Band 8 is over 50k

Similar except after the call centre management bits I moved into the Info security Governance, Risk & Compliance roles and now head up the global GRC Team.

Apply for anything suitable, make sure your management know you want to progress, take every opportunity for mentoring/shadowing/development programmes, find solutions to problems and do what you can to make them happen, become known as an expert.

I think the issue is a lack of knowing what you want to do. You need to start in a job and work your way up but to do that you need to be motivated and eager to learn and develop. If your team don’t see you as motivated or see you as being in it for the long run they won’t look to progress you.

I don't have any experience with the Civil Service, but in general, you get to higher salaries by constantly climbing the ladder and seeking new opportunities.

Always be thinking of your next move. If it isn't forthcoming in your current organisation, change jobs and bag yourself a decent uplift in the process.

£100k, financial services. No post-grad qualifications, I'm just lucky in that I have an unusual combination of skills and experience that is sought after for this particular role.

I almost doubled my salary though from moving sectors in last change.

Out of uni started in call centre roles, changed roles every 1.5-2 years, some promotions and some helicopter moves for wider experience. Lots of going above and beyond/unpaid overtime/additional responsibility etc. Studied for additional work related qualifications over a few years. Got to £80k+ at age 38

Recommendation would definitely be to show willing, ask for additional responsibility, and look at helicopter moves to get more experience before going for a promotion. With your qualification I’d consider teaching, as others have said you can earn £50k after a few years experience, plus you get holidays and great benefits in terms of pension/job security that you don’t have a chance of in private sector.

Consultant in what?