If your child goes to private school, what job do you do?

[scrambledeggy]

Just curious really- I don't know anyone who has kids at private school, but I always pass a massive one on my way to work and wonder what kind of jobs people do to afford it?

Private primary school- 8k a term (3 terms a year).

I’m in a senior management role in Financial Services and DH is an Actuary in an exco role.

I was 30 when DS was born and I’m the second youngest Mum in the year, I would say having kids late 30s is more common here.

There’s quite a bit of grandparents helping with fees but there are a lot of parents in similar jobs to DH and I, and I think currently three professional footballers across a fairly large school. Their children aren’t in my year so I don’t see them much.

To be candid, we can afford it because we have one child, FIL died when DH was 20 and he got an inheritance that allowed him to put down a deposit on a property which then increased in value. We stayed put in the same house for over ten years rather than upsizing (less need with one DC) and are about to pay off the mortgage. If we had a bigger mortgage and more children then it would have been different but sadly I couldn’t have any more children after DS.

My DC went to state schools but i have friends and relatives
Day fees are between 8.5k-9.5k a term, fees increase as they get older.
Fees are funded by
-GP sold house moved in with DD, house sale funded fees for 2 GC, both parents work in local government.
-GP owns successful business and paid 2 GC, parents are SAHM and director of family business.

• GP are farmers paid fees for 2 DC, parents both work on family farm
• Inherited family money/trust fund , parents are a teacher and a director in leisure sector
• Self employed business turnaround consultant and nursery worker
• Foster carers to 3 DC and Local government worker
• GPs paid ,one parent a beautician and one works in IT
• Senior IT consultant, SAHM, possibly family money too and just 1 DC

I think a lot of people have help from GPs/ family money

Additionally lot of them also apply for bursaries and scholarships to reduce fees

I work in financial services in a senior role. DH is a consultant in a niche industry, with an hourly rate.

All our kids’ friends have parents who are tradies (it pays more than corporate here - Australia), business owners, corporate types.

Comfortable without being loaded is how I would describe the parent demographic. Occasional overseas holidays, nice enough houses without being huge, but definitely still budgeting to pay the fees.

Median household disposable income in the UK did not change statistically significantly from FYE 2023, it had a small increase of 0.8% to £36,700; this is in line with pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, FYE 2020 levels.
This analysis is based on a disposable income measure, unless otherwise stated, which is the amount of money households have available for spending and saving after direct taxes have been accounted for. It includes earnings from employment, private pensions and investments, as well as cash benefits provided by the state.

Generally day fees are now quoted to be on average £19,000.

The average private rent in the UK as of early 2026 is approximately £1,311–£1,374 per month. Excluding London, the average rent is roughly £1,125 per month. So on average about £12000 on housing.

So for an average household after housing and school fees you'd be left with about 5k for everything else.

Private school really isn't possible for the majority of average households no matter how old your car is or how few holidays you go on.

Private school attendance is unsurprisingly concerntrated in high income households (see graph). Even if they only have one child an average household could only afford private school if one or more of the following apply:
*They have very low outgoings e. g. they own a house outright due to inheritance so have no/low housing costs, they live in a very low housing cost area.
*There is family wealth e. g. grandparents pay.
*They have a substantial bursary
*They attend one of a tiny number of very low cost private schools.

Most people don't have £19k/annum of discretionary spending after bills and essentials.
People can afford it if they have a higher income and/or lower outgoings (particularly lower housing costs).

In the 60s my husband went to a public school in Hertfordshire (as did his father before him) - his mother was bereft when my DH went off at the age of 8! As a result of his Services career, he was able to send his daughters to a public school in Yorkshire in the late 80s, early 90s. My children, however, were educated in State schools - all of them are doing well in their chosen careers.

I’m a lawyer and husband has a managerial role but it’s my salary that pays.

Thank you, this is the kind of stats I was finding that I struggle to reconcile with the argument that I am actually surrounded by "average" earners who just drive old cars and don't get takeaways and can still afford private school.

Some families on our street sent their children to private school .
One family, mum was a part time physiotherapist and the dad was an accountant.
Another family , the. mum was a SAHM ( she did teach her own language 4 hours per week ) and husband was a lawyer
Another family mum was a part time art teacher while husband was in finance

We pay the fee from saving. My husband is just warehouse worker.

DS only went for his IB so just 2 years. Husband is a forklift driver. I work for a charity in a low level manager role. Large personal loan, all the overtime on offer and a second evening job and we just about covered it

How do you save that much money as a warehouse worker? In addition to generally staying alive.

We are immigrants from Asia, earned much more in Asia than in UK

Either a ££££ paying job or a normal higher wage job + bought their first house before the massive increase in house prices post 2008.

(Or free/subsidised housing + employee discount for teaching in a boarding school)

I’m an Allied Health Professional, working independently. DH works in IT. We have a very old car, small house, rarely go on holiday and I put nowhere near enough into my pension. We have one child who is ND and needs a calm, nurturing environment with excellent pastoral care and that is exactly what we have found for him.

Our experience is parents with 'jobs' can only afford day school. Those at boarding school are living off trust funds or run their own businesses. You can't afford boarding school as a Dr/teacher/dentist.

We have children at both boarding and day schools. Professions that I’m aware of include:

• Partner in law firm
• In-house head of legal
• tech sales
• Drs (consultants and GPs)
• nurse
• taxi driver
• Farmer
• Titled land owner (no profession as such)
• business owner
• recruitment
• CMO
• CEO
• Beauty salon owner
• Consultant (both big 4 and specialist)
• Carpenter
• Painter Decorator
• Art and antiques
• Retired
• Cyber security
• Optician (manager, high street branch)
• TV producer
• Wine merchant
• Actor
• Ex professional musician
• Wealth Manager
• Senior in trading / structuring within banking
• Teacher
• Property
• Vet
• Finance Director

We are very young to have kids at private school. Young parents full stop. First child at 21, second at 26.

Scrimped and saved at first as it was something I really wanted for them, but a few years down the road we have a really high standard of living and school fees are comfortable. We got one all the way through school and the other is in seniors now.

NE here, I work in the civil service (fairly low down since I started in this career, left to work for myself due to needing flexibility while caring for a child through several years of medical treatment and have just gone back to it over a decade later), and DH works in tech. Fees are £24k per child including lunches, trips etc, so overall the fees are around half our after tax income.

Please be aware that people make up all sorts of things on the internet. You need to take people’s replies with a hefty pinch of salt…