What jobs do people have that pay £200k+?

[Diamondpearl123]

I am thinking about making a career change to earn more (aiming for £200k +) but would like to understand what types of roles I should aim for and whether they are realistic for me. Grateful to understand people’s experiences and hopefully start a good discussion. Some questions below. Thank you

• What is your job?
• What is your salary?
• How many years into your career are you?
• What are the key qualifications/experience for the role?
• What hours do you work?

For those saying law; is dealing with wills/tax etc lucrative? If you are a partner in a medium sized firm? A friend of mine is a partner in a firm in this area of law but I didn't know it was particularly lucrative.

Haven’t RTFT but most people I know on this money are in finance, big tech or corporate law. NB criminal barristers and salaried solicitors - rather than partners - don’t make that kind of money.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned media but c-suite at TV production companies/broadcasters will be on about this. Ditto screenwriters if they sell a show and write most/all of the episodes - they are freelance though and some years might earn zilch.

Not sure anyone in publishing is on 200k, unless you look at the CEO of Penguin or whatever. Publishing salaries are terrible!

Wills - no!

There are a few firms doing wills and taxes for multimillionaires / billionaires (eg the Bernie Eccelstones of this world or members of royal families) who will be paid very handsomely for it. But the vast majority of private client lawyers doing more routine work will get nowhere near that kind of level.

Okay, so I take one point but not the other.

I am male and I do see your point on this.

The choice of degree point I do disagree with however. Life is a series of choices. I wasn't allocated to a law degree. I chose to do it even though there were other subjects I would have found more interesting. However, I was brought up by a working class dad who taught me that a job was about earning the most you could to support your family. He would have been baffled if anyone had ever asked him if he enjoyed his job. It just wasn't a thing for him.

If someone else chose a degree they found more interesting then I commend them for that choice and I hope they enjoyed their time at Uni, but perhaps nobody should be surprised if fewer career options opened up for them later.

I know my answer sounds really unfair, but there comes a point in life when people need to take responsibility for their own choices and not just protest that life is unfair.

Someone that works from 8/9am until 8/9/10pm at night...a bit on the weekend and during holidays. Somone who does not really take completely off. Of course many don't choose to do this. But this is what I see from my dh. And I have seen even more crazy hours from a family member who used to work 48 hours over the weekend w an hour of sleep at the desk....dh works hard, but not crazy hours like I have seen/heard about from some others.

Yes I see your point too. My reply wasn’t to protest, just state a few sociological facts, that research would collate. OP asked how to earn £200K a year. My point is that is not straightforward for the vast majority. I didn’t choose law etc but do a job which involves helping others which I love. To me that is more important than mega-bucks but must be nice for you all the same (apart from the tax you’ll have to pay). All the best. :)

I'm a nurse, been a deputy manager, took a pay cut for my own sanity! Love my job will never earn big bucks .... Would I change it, probably not

Inspiring!

I use my grandfather as my inspiration - immigrant who arrived with nothing and worked hard to provide for his 7 kids, set them all up really well.

I was a v senior civil servant in a niche operational and policy field, and latterly CEO of a non-Departmental Public Body, then after 30 years moved into a global outsourcing company as Ops Director in my niche field, and more than doubled my salary. I earn c £185k base pay, plus £75k bonus (variable) and £70k in shares.
Moving from public to private was liberating in many ways and I certainly feel well-paid. But I'm acutely aware of the precariousness of tenure, and the lack of safety net makes work pretty relentless.

My route was Oxford (History) then graduate scheme for a vocational operational service, moving through leadership roles and to the centre of Government over 30 years. I stepped across to a different Govt department to do a Covid-related role and pivoted from that out of my professional niche. I joined the outsourced initially to work in a different field but was quite quickly promoted into a role back on my specialist subject, where I remain.
One piece of advice I received from a recruitment consultant friend was that it's possible to seek advancement or change sectors, but it's very hard to do both in a single move.

Good for you, there are not many women in senior roles at the housebuilders. Or indeed in investment/development (my area). We may know each other, it's a small world. I am endlessly frustrated by the sheer numbers of (white) men in the sector compared to... Anyone else.

Having said that, I find the women hugely supportive of each other. And it's a fascinating area to work in and is always changing. I'd always recommend construction/surveying/development as a career, and there are many places to earn excellent money. Although not the best market just at the moment.

Hi OP. I just wondered why you have set your sights on that particular salary? Google tells me only 1% of earners in the uk earn that much.

Is it because you have very high expenses? Is it because you want to use it to retire early? Is it because you are using salary as a score sheet to measure success in life?

I don’t earn anywhere near that much but I work in a skilled varied role that I enjoy, and my working hours are such that I can also enjoy life, spend time with family and friends etc. If you spend many years retraining do weigh up the costs of this vs the potential gain in future salary.

Why not?
good to have a specific goal
and apparently it was Napoleon who said
“Demand the impossible, and you will obtain the maximum.”

Personally I think it's a great idea to ask for ideas on Mumsnet - there are all sorts on here, and they can answer anonymously so you'll get much franker answers than you would IRL.

There's a chasm between "Russell Group dominated" and "Oxbridge/Ivy League dominated" in my opinion.

Just wanted to say thanks so much everybody for sharing your examples. And congratulations on your hard work and achievements. I’m going to go through all the posts again and take detailed notes. I think this is taking me in the direction of building on my existing skills and trying to leverage them in a higher paying sector. I also need to consider the pros and cons (eg long hours) carefully!

Hopefully this thread has been helpful for others as well.

Thank you.

Agree with your comment on white, middle aged men in the industry. Thankfully the real dinosaurs (‘you’re a woman, what would you know’ types) are dying out but they still like to stick the knife in occasionally.

I’d still recommend the industry (despite what I’ve said above!) especially Quantity Surveying if you’re good with numbers but want something more interesting than accounting

I’m not there - Yet! But I am on track.
I don’t agree you need to have been lucky with parents, posh education etc.
I went to a crappy state school that still has a reputation for being useless. If you accept you’ve been dealt a bad hand it’s everyone else’s fault you can’t make it then that’s what will happen.

My route was to set up my own business -alongside work at first and then building to being able to step in to it first to replace my paid income and then to exceed it.
I don’t have a degree - it wasn’t financially an option for me straight from school.
I did a range of entry level jobs in banks / local authority / retail. Learned quite a lot, then found a niche and exploited it.

I could have achieved more, more quickly but I’ve managed to get to a package of around £150k having never missed an assembly or sports day and being able to manage my own diary.

It has been extremely hard, and very long hours, I never really switch off and I’m always trying to stay ahead of competitors and looking for the next step forward for the company.
I believe I could have achieved in it in 8-10 years with 100% in but round kids and COVID it’s taken 15.

My kids now have the lifestyle I never had the opportunity for, which has been a huge motivator rather than a specific salary to aim for.

Can you elaborate on this?

I think in the ultra prestigious grad schemes you are more likely to see a lot of oxbridge - and those I know in their 60s+.

But in between, all sorts, including no degree. Most of the time people have a particular commercial skill / ability which becomes apparent later on, and then that’s what propels them ‘to the top’.

All the people I know earning this in finance / law / consulting etc are good sales people. Thats what they really do day to day - they can build good relationships and sell to clients.

I can’t think of anything I know who went to an ‘Ivy league school’ and is one of these jobs in the UK. Pretty niche to have attended one.

There are fewer than 400,000 people earning over £200k pa (in 2023-2024) in the uk

www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/collecting-the-right-tax-from-wealthy-individuals.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Look at the industries and sectors which are on the up and skilled people are in demand - defence and AI are two that I can think of from top of my head. Qualifications and technical skills are only part of it; being articulate, self-aware, having a can-do and positive mindset, being a smart negotiator and networker, being trusted and operating with high morals and integrity. These are behaviours and skills which will get you the megabucks long term…if you’re a woman. In my experience, men just have to be in the Masons, be arrogant, a good delegator and narcissistic!

44% of those earning £200k+ are taking some of that income in dividends, so are business owners (in some capacity).

Interesting stat in answer to the ‘how do I make X’

I've heard of quite a few smallish but prominent firms (I'm thinking along the lines of Fintech) where you'd be a massive outlier if you didn't go to Oxbridge. Someone told me that one of them was on a diversity hiring kick - which consisted of interviewing people who went to Non-Oxbridge Russell Groups! I think it's probably much easier to build a network that will get you places at Oxbridge than at another RG (always exceptions to every rule yada yada)

DH and I own and run businesses in the construction industry. We earn £200k each. He did half a degree in structural engineering and then worked as a labourer for 6 years. I have post grad qualifications and 10 years experience in an adjacent industry.

Started first business 21 years ago. Earnt very little money for first 9 years as reinvested into business and developed more businesses. I did all the company accounts in those days, payroll, vat, etc. At this time I was working elsewhere in adjacent industry to pay the bills.

Took a long time and lots of risk, e.g. remortgaged house to buy commercial property in 2019 right before pandemic. Very nearly lost our home.

The tax burden is enormous for running a business since corporation tax was increased. Our employees are highly skilled and on very high wages. This past few weeks the weather has been a nightmare so we’re paying wages but getting no work done as it’s too wet. DH works 5 - 7 hours a day now, for the first 10 years was 15hrs a day 7 days a week. I don’t do any work for these companies anymore, I work from home on other projects. It’s doing well now but it’s been years of stress, long hours and taking financial risks.