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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Does anyone here have an ‘average’ job with an average wage?

157 replies

gummybearrr · 09/09/2025 08:45

A weird thread I know but, whenever I see posts on here about income, jobs, wages, I’m just in awe, people earning 100k+ (I don’t think I know anyone who earns that??) and there seems to be so many, all with really good jobs too, no debt, owns their own house, I mean - good for your you’ve worked hard for this, that’s my dream but unfortunately not yet..

so, is anyone here like me? Never really had ambition to do anything when I was younger. I work in retail on checkout (or I did, I’m on maternity) earning min wage, Dh is a manager in retail and earns just a little above NMW but not by much, we have UC top up and private rent, we’ve nearly paid ALL our debt (yay)!!! But sadly don’t think home owning is something we will ever do, I do plan on going to college when DC is older to try and get a good job, (I don’t know what, I’m one of those people who want to do something good but with no clue as to what) but yeah, I class myself as extremely average, to which I’ve never really come across anyone really on Mumsnet!

this is not me slating these people - I wish I was you 🤣

OP posts:
HobnobsChoice · 09/09/2025 12:41

Stressful local government job, administration but I manage people and processes plus data. I earn £45k and feel pretty well off
Husband was made redundant and changed sectors. Now works in child protection field and earns about £27k

Most of the £100k earners on Mumsnet spend an inordinate amount of time on here for people in such high paid roles. That is assuming it's not one person with a load of socks or a load of made up bollocks.

RonnIeAl77 · 09/09/2025 12:42

I think we are pretty fortunate but certainly not super well off. I earn £65k with about 30k in bonus - but get taxed super heavily. DH is on £65k. I’m off with stage 4 cancer right now and on SSP, so really feeling it. If I had to give up work we’d really struggle.

Bellaphant · 09/09/2025 12:42

Us! Dh works in a nursery for m.w., I would have been on 33k this year but was made redundant, now on 28.5. Both of us have degrees, and further qualifications. Honestly we felt rich when we went over £50k combined, which i often see on here isn't much for one person!

Veryxonfused · 09/09/2025 12:57

I work in a professional job in a respected supposedly well paid field and earn next to minimum wage..

OneEagerOchrePanda · 09/09/2025 12:59

Yup. I work 32 hours a week (from home) for 26.5k plus a monthly discretionary bonus so probably end up with about 28-28.5 a year. No career progression where I am at all, although I am in the process of applying for uni as I aim to change career and become a midwife (still not great money but at least somewhat better and something I actually want to do). Husband is on 50k which I thought was really good, but when I see some of the salary figures thrown about on mn I am in awe! We have a 3 bed semi detached house, wouldn’t have been able to buy without inheritance money for the deposit. So a pretty modest lifestyle but I still count our blessings as we do currently have money leftover each month for fun (this will change if I do go to uni!)

JudgeBread · 09/09/2025 13:03

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/09/2025 11:54

There may well be some fantasists on here... but why does everyone assume that anyone who claims to earn six figures is automatically lying?

I know 100k seems absurd if you're earning less than a third of that. But surely statistically its impossible that all of these people are lying? According to stats I've seen from government and elsewhere women earning over £100k are roughly 1% of the UK population. While that's undoubtedly small, its 1% of about 70 million people, so it shouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that some of them are on here and telling the truth? (particularly if we believe that Mumsnet skews wealthy and south-east).

Also what would anyone have to gain from anonymously boasting about their income? There's no credit in telling randoms on the internet something which isn't true. What's the point?

It just irritates me when people kneejerk to assuming everyone who says this is lying. It sends a signal to other women reading this board that the idea of a high-paid woman is so incredible it must a lie. It's not a great message to send to younger women embarking on their careers.

Show quote history

I didn't say everyone was lying, I said a lot of them.

And I tend to find it quite obvious which are the bullshitters and which aren't. The more smug they sound, the more likely they're chatting shit.

Also if you really don't know what might motivate people to lie on the internet I don't know what to tell you. You can't have been online very long lmao. Half the fucking posts on here are fake.

This isn't an anti feminist or anti woman thing either so don't try and make it one, I'd say the same thing if it was a forum full of men bragging about their big titted wives and massive dicks salaries. This website just happens to be mostly women.

Thepeopleversuswork · 09/09/2025 13:06

@JudgeBread

And I tend to find it quite obvious which are the bullshitters and which aren't. The more smug they sound, the more likely they're chatting shit.

Go on then, how do you tell someone who's lying about having a salary over £100k? And how can you prove it, given that you don't know any of them IRL? Genuinely curious. There are tons of people posting on here who earn £100k plus. How do you spot a wrong' un?

MegaMinion34 · 09/09/2025 13:10

I'm late 20s, DH is early 30s. I work in science, him in manufacturing. I have a degree and he doesn't. I earn £35k a year, DH earns £27k. I'd say we are pretty average amongst our friendship group. Some earn less, some earn slightly more, some earn significantly more. But most earn around the same. We feel pretty comfortable.

Mumathome1 · 09/09/2025 13:21

Boo2U2 · 09/09/2025 09:44

This is a refreshing thread!

I work 20 hours a week from home doing admin, and earn about £15k. I love it, total flexibility and very minimal stress.

DH earns £30k as a bookkeeper.

We have a three bed terrace in a lovely area (but reasonably cheap part of the country), a car each and a UK holiday each year. Two primary aged DC. Not loads of spare cash but very much comfortable, and we save about £500 per month.

We are actually the anomaly in our group of friends, who mostly have large detached houses and high flying careers - but also a lot more stress and less free time. Absolutely nothing would convince me to swap!

Edited

Who do work for? I would love something like this for next year when my youngest starts preschool. I didn't even know these sorts of roles existed! What exactly is admin at home?

TrimayrAcademy · 09/09/2025 13:32

I earn 50k and I certainly feel like that is a fairly average salary.

Dontcallmescarface · 09/09/2025 13:34

I work in factory and DP works in a warehouse we have a combined income of around 60k. Neither of us are particularly materialistic and not bothered about holidaying abroad. We have a good life and are very content with our lot.

Kitchenbattle · 09/09/2025 13:36

TrimayrAcademy · 09/09/2025 13:32

I earn 50k and I certainly feel like that is a fairly average salary.

Same…my base is 50k for 39hour week. I work 2-3 days from home. Flexi-time and I’m paid for overtime. My DP earns just over 70k so as a household we do well. No debt. Ample savings. Mortgage.

stayathomer · 09/09/2025 13:37

I work on a checkout too! About a euro over mw so the highest paying retail job in our town (I regularly hear this, their machine is working 😅)

DonttouchthatLarry · 09/09/2025 13:41

I work in sales admin - £29k

Overthewaytwice · 09/09/2025 13:43

I think that what we consider 'average' completely depends on our social circles (obviously there is an actual average income, but in terms of what we see as normal).

I don't know many people who bring home 6 figures but I also wouldn't see minimum wage as 'average' either.

My version of average is one partner on around 50-80k and the other on maybe 25-40k full time equivalent (but usually working part time).

Spanador · 09/09/2025 13:54

Mumathome1 · 09/09/2025 13:21

Who do work for? I would love something like this for next year when my youngest starts preschool. I didn't even know these sorts of roles existed! What exactly is admin at home?

Show quote history

Obviously I'm not that poster, but one of my colleagues has a similar role. We all have the option to do our admin work from home. We work in a training company, and my colleague works 28 hours a week around school hours. Most of these hours are done from home, doing accounting/invoicing stuff and answering phone calls and emails. I think roles like that are becoming hard to find but they are definitely out there

amusedbush · 09/09/2025 14:15

I earn £38k working in an FE college and DH is a postie. Mid 30s, no kids.

We live in an average house (ex-council terrace) in a fairly cheap area, and I drive a new-ish but not very fancy car - which is the only debt we have.

I don't know anyone on the "MN Lifestyle" salary in real life. We go on holiday most years, and we could afford to replace the boiler if it went kaput tomorrow. That's enough for me Smile

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 09/09/2025 14:17

This is not bashing people who need benefits but I will never understand a system that means people on average working wages need topping up! That's mad in my mind.

cosietea · 09/09/2025 14:22

floraldreamer · 09/09/2025 10:17

I have an M.A, a B.A and a diploma in a specific mental health category, I do a professional role.
I earn 26k. It's disheartening and makes me feel like an utter failure.l am the most educated in our family and I live in a small terrace whereas my sibling who left school at 16 lives in a (practically) mansion and has no money worries whatsoever. Boomer parents are very wealthy and siblings adult children both earn more than I do, one has one degree but picked the 'right' degree one left school at 17.

@floraldreamer something has gone terribly wrong here

RiderGirl · 09/09/2025 14:27

I'm a nurse on the middle grade of band 5 NHS so I'd say pretty average. DH is a window cleaner also earning an average wage (I probably earn more)

Onegingerhead · 09/09/2025 14:33

I work in academia, professional job, PhD, 48K a year. The only people I know who make 100K+ are in IT and not working in academia.

Plastictreees · 09/09/2025 14:36

cosietea · 09/09/2025 14:22

@floraldreamer something has gone terribly wrong here

Show quote history

This is unfortunately not unusual at all.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 09/09/2025 14:37

TeapotCollection · 09/09/2025 09:38

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut are there any jobs going with your company? I’ve worked in admin for years, would love to wfh

Unfortunately not, currently undergoing a restructure and redundancies.

But there's a lot of places now that aren't 'customer facing' and are all online/in the cloud and don't have actual offices anymore.

I do have some face to face meetings, but very few. If my job was advertised, it would say it was hybrid, so perhaps have a look for that rather than wfh?

Imagineallthepuppies · 09/09/2025 14:51

JudgeBread · 09/09/2025 11:44

I'm a postie, I make basically minimum wage.

I'd bet my very measly salary that a lot of these high earners with 6 figure husbands and 2.5 6'2" sons in private school who speak 6 languages are actually very average earners talking a load of wank and just role playing their dream life. We can't all live "very rurally dahling".

As they say, don't believe everything you read online.

I said earlier on the thread that our bills are cheap and that is because we live "very rurally dahling". The house that we rent is ‘a project’ to put it nicely but I love where I live.

Mydogisagentleman · 09/09/2025 15:11

I am a domiciliary carer. I work around 20 hours a week for minimum wage.
DHi s a recruiting person, he is self-employed and makes £35 an hour.
I feel that we are well off. W have a large house. That's mainly because we bought our first one 35 years ago with a 105% mortgage for £34k.
We are able to financially support our DD who is currently almost finished her masters degree