Is it possible to have a life and earn well?

[chocolatesweets]

Just that really.

Yes.

What is earning "well" to you?

£30k plus

From my own experience absolutely yes, but it depends on so many factors that it's impossible to come up with definite formula that will work.

What do you mean by have a life?

Yes! I earn c£70k and still have a life!!

Absolutely.

I didn't have a life for a decade working for a big well known company and I ended up with anxiety, I also lived month to month.

A different smaller company head hunted me on LinkedIn a couple of years ago and they pay me £22k more per annum for less stress and less hours. I've never been to university or anything like that either

Yes, I earn £50k as a private school teacher and get 17 weeks holiday.
I do get very tired during term though.

£30k plus easily. To me that is a low/mid level offixe job, so mon-fri 8-4 hours sort of thing so evenings and weekends free

I earn £72k for a 30 hour week. Yes - it is certainly possible.

If you're workong NMW and shifts then probably not . But lots of people do manage it easily

I have a good balance. I worked 9-3 when ds's in primary. Now, working 4 days a week. I work 8.30- 4pm Monday to Thursday. Love it.

Yes. But you need to be a very high earner so you can get 30k for part time hours. It takes years (possibly 10-20 years) to get into a position where you can earn that much part time. If you work full time then you need to be able to afford a cleaner and someone to do laundry and gardening etc. It’s impossible to do a job and all of the stuff at home and still have a life.

Of course! You need a job that allows you to earn well on PT hours

The question really is how achievable that is for you given your current circumstances; ie how long it might take/ qualifications needed etc

Yes. However it took me about 15 years of building up a reputation and then getting my kids to school age before I could reliably take the risk and go alone. I now work, I reckon on average 4 hours a day if you add it all up.
From January I plan to work a bit longer and see more return to get the mortgage paid off.

But I couldn't have worked this lightly as a rookie and seen the sane results. I worked fucking hard for a long time!

It also helps if you have a partner so you can share the life admin and cleaning etc

@chocolatesweets

£30k plus

Well I work 25 hours a week for more than that so I have good life/work balance

Yes. However it took me about 15 years of building up a reputation and then getting my kids to school age before I could reliably take the risk.

This

Yes of course. 30K is what I would associate with a lowish level office job so 9-5 with very little overtime. I earn over 60K and work a roughly 40 hour week. If I go freelance I could earn 80K on a 4 day week.

@Lauren0902

Absolutely.

I didn't have a life for a decade working for a big well known company and I ended up with anxiety, I also lived month to month.

A different smaller company head hunted me on LinkedIn a couple of years ago and they pay me £22k more per annum for less stress and less hours. I've never been to university or anything like that either

Interested in what you do for a living that pays well, low stress and no uni? I never went to uni either but haven't got a career or ever had a 'good' job

Probably is possible but I'm yet to master it myself.

Comfortable six figure salary (my partner also earns similar) but with a huge workload and a one year old I get virtually zero time for myself and am absolutely exhausted by the time the little one goes to bed.

I keep telling myself it'll get better but deep down I know I have to get better with my boundaries and not take on so much.

I am in my twenties and earn £70k. I don’t do much at work so I definitely have a life. I’m project based so peaks and troughs of busyness but today I went to the gym, had a bath with a new Reisling I bought from Waitrose on offer, made my husband dinner. I feel like a housewife, it’s great because it’s absolutely a one off and I will never cook again.

@TheBitchOfTheVicar

Yes. However it took me about 15 years of building up a reputation and then getting my kids to school age before I could reliably take the risk.

This

Yes. This. As a general rule.

But you aren't asking for that much with £30k - assuming you have professional qualifications and/or experience, and no personal circs that limit your options.

What do you do? Why don't you have a life right now?

What are these mid to lower office jobs at 30k?!

I'm a mid to senior office worker on 35k for 0.8 FTE.

I've never seen a mid to lower job go for more than 28k I've fought my arse off to get to the salary I have now.

It’s possible, but I suppose you are really asking whether it’s possible for you?