If you earn 100k plus, what is your occupation?

[CJ2010]

I've posted this here as it is a bit U, but i am curious to know what jobs pay mega bucks.

I've just been looking on a jobs website at admin jobs, most are paying on average 20-25k (in London). With the cost of living as it it, that sort of money will not go far at all.

I've been a SAHM for a while now and have begun looking for work. I'm considering retraining, but only in something that pays well!

So members of the 100k club please spill the beans and let me know your secrets!

Presumably teahouse you chose your career, knowing that it would not pay you as highly as others?

Posie, you have issues. Seriously.

My DH makes a lot of money as an IT contractor. He is extremely good at what he does and has had a few lucky breaks as well. He makes banking systems run more efficiently. That's it. He doesn't kick puppies when he thinks nobody is watching (to my knowledge).

Good luck to those that have worked hard to earn 100k plus :)

University lecturers do get shit money, teahouse.

Posie, I can name loads of people who earn over £300k pa who do not exploit people, sleep at night etc.
It is possible.
For example, if you are a NHS surgeon, with the right specialism you can earn ££££s in Private Practice for few hours per week/weekend conferences.

Loads of others do earn in excess of that amount, no kitten killing involved.

malinois:
you say you know 'many IT contractors who work a bog standard 9-5, short commute, 6-12 month rolling contracts, and are pulling in £500-£800/day'

Can I ask where, and doing what? I'm an IT contractor, and only tend to see those rates advertised for contracts in the City - which expect you to put in a lot more than 7 hours a day (with a typical London commute of 1 hour each way for most people).

I'm genuinely interested - DH and I have been thinking of re-locating in order to reduce the commute and get away from London over-crowding, ideally without losing too much income. Probably a bit of a pipe-dream, but I'm wondering whether I'm missing an opportunity somewhere!

Sorry to hijack, OP! To try to make up for it, I'll give what advice I can! I'll offer that if you an aptitude for programming, it's a great job: interesting, creative, and with a pretty good pay/stress balance. On the down-side, I don't think it's the most flexible job for combining with childcare. Since it's so male-dominated, employers aren't used to having to deal with flexible working, and often aren't willing to risk it (except for very experienced /valued staff - and it would take you a few years to get to that stage). On the plus-side, if you do want to move into programming, you wouldn't need to retrain formally. A degree of some kind is useful, but not essential - and it certainly doesn't need to be in IT. Experience is the key: commercial experience is best, but anything where you're delivering software to a client will allow you to start selling yourself to an employer. You could teach yourself to program, get some voluntary experience (it's quite important that it should be for someone though, and have a defined purpose). Getting your first job is the hard bit, but then after a couple of years in a permanent job you would have a lot of options. As well as reducing the cost of retraining, this would also mean you find out very quickly whether you enjoy programming.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

I'm not sure we could easily live on as little as £100k. Don't want to say what I do but in essence I work for myself.

I did as a teenager get a book from the library on what people earn and I have worked for 28 years now without a break (not even maternity leaves) and I work very hard in work I like. I think that's the key - picking lucrative work you love.

I don't kick puppies either and my work is in essence helping others.

I haven't read the whole thread, sorry.

I earn £100k+ and I never do over 37-40 hours, nor do I work weekends or evenings.

I'm a contractor, working in finance. I have no qualifications but do have years of experience. So there's no holiday or sick pay but equally I can take off whatever time I like, within reason, depending on contracts.

I don't think I worked that hard to get here tbh, I just worked for some large companies, kept being promoted, then went contracting for double the salary.

(and to teahouse - do people know how lucky they are - I think mostly people do know that. I have worked for nothing - when our childcare was more than one of our salaries; most people work many years for not much before they get any real money in most sectors so I think they tend to appreciate what it was like to have less money and know relative differences in income)

The full time minimm working wage is only just over £13k although you would get housing benefit and tax credits on top of that.

It is certainly an issue for teenagers plenty of whom have not the first idea of relative salaries nor understand the signifance for their lives if they pick career X rather than Y, both of which may be fun but one might mean you earn maximum £20k and one £2m.

What would be the minimum you'd be able to live on Xenia?

My husband hasnt even got his o levels and earns 100K or so. Business owner.

Fizz I work with a few IT contractors who are on about £1K per day. Some live way outside London (Leeds, Scotland, etc) work 2/3 days per week in the London office and the rest from home.

OP Deliberately vague in case I out myself, but specialist role financial services. Started at the bottom, worked my way up to v senior roles now consultant/contractor.

Oh Xenia. You're never far away with an out-of-this-world comment on these types of threads.

'Couldn't live on' what more than 99% of people (in one of the world's richest countries) live on?

Do me a favour.

My husband is in waste by the way

I was only joking. Technically as long as I have food and shelter I could live. I could live on my island and that's so warm you don't need heating and my interests are things like singing, walking, reading which cost nothing.

In terms though of a life style where I was paying 5 sets of day school fees, large mortgage etc £100k would not even cover the school fees given upper rates of tax/NI are 52%. Remember for higher earners on a lot of their income more than half is taken away by the state.

Xenia Why don't you want to say what you do? Are you a member of the Russian mafia? Or do you just have an over-inflated ego?

Of course if you are an IT contractor you don't pay higher rates of tax,do you?
I mean if you are a limited company.
DH as a GP pays alot of tax,NI and pension.

i thought IT contractors working for one company did pay full tax, didnt the rules change years ago?

I thought Xenia was a lawyer with her own niche firm? I have a fairly strong recollection of her enthusiastically discussing this on another thread, not sure why so coy now?

I'm sure I know what Xenia does. Along with her island, 1m pound divorce and general feeling towards women who don't work full time.

I am kinda fascinated - I can't help it. It's so far from my life and beliefs I know on a thread like this, Xenia will be along, and I'm not sure whether it's admiration or astonishment. Maybe both?

Gosh, DH and I don't earn anywhere near that between us! More like £80k and we are both 32, have postgraduate qualifications in our field and work hard. I guess I don't work that hard though- never stay past 5 or take work home. I have creative hobbies that require a work life balance and have never been especially well connected or cut-throat. I have passed up promotion in the past if I knew colleagues were going for it and generally sell myself a little short.

We are happy enough though. We have a lot of equity in/ small mortgage on our London home and another rental flat, both bought in 2004 when property was a bit cheaper. Plus I've always worked in the voluntary sector, DH in education, so feel morally vindicated!

First baby due in September so things may get a little tighter but I'm glad I haven't built up a lucrative, high powered career it would be hard to take a break from. I can go back part time or freelance, WFH easily.

Yes , read an article about 'Xenia' fairly recently.

An IT contractor that I know works for a has worked for same company for years now but as self employed contractor,so pays business rate tax not higher rate.
Has no pension though and presumably would not get any sick pay etc.

Georgina Ltd coy contractors will pay Corporation Tax, VAT, and personal tax on any salary and/or dividends taken from the company.

Xenia the op wantsto know what peoples jobs are if they earn over £100k. So why are you posting your earnings and expenditures without telling the op what you do?

Name change if you don't want to out yourself, or don't post, no?

TheRealTilly - it depends on the terms of the contract, it is easy enough to sort out. The problems start when you stay at the same place for more than 2 years I believe.