Debate House Prices


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Income brackets: what is prception of low/middle high

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  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    MrsTine wrote: »
    .
    Are there official figures on the definitions (other than the government tax brackets...)?

    Not as far as I'm aware - it seems to be very much a personal viewpoint, depending on the people with whom you live, work, and befriend, and are related to.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    beecher wrote: »
    Interesting link SingleSue - £20,801 is the median wage for the UK. I think many people would find it hard to believe that as many people earn less than that figure, than earn more. Does put a lot into perpective

    It does seem pretty low to me.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    SGE1 wrote: »

    And are you saying that aged 38, you're earning less than £14k?? If that's the case, according to my little theory, you're a low earner - isn't that what you would argue?

    As I understand it, Sue's unable to work at all at the moment, as two of her sons are disabled and she can't get childcare so she can work.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    fc123 wrote: »
    In SE London, I did know a lot of 'high earners' but they didn't live big flashy lives at all. However, they had 2 or 3 kids...and a house to pay for. It was one of the poorest boroughs.

    I don't really know how much most of my mates earn, it's not considered good manners either to state specifically or to ask, I think.

    Obviously, I'm aware that the mate who heads an IT department in a merchant bank earns a fair bit more than the mate who is a teacher.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    fc123 wrote: »
    A patient tried to strangle her one day...nearly succeeded too..it was so quick.
    Her pay packet was shameful for the work she did.

    When I was a pupil, one of my clients had a good go at attacking me, actually in court. It was a Saturday night court (an experiment at Bow Street Mags to run night courts on Fridays and Saturdays, it failed miserably) and I got paid £35 for 8 hours.
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • Cleaver
    Cleaver Posts: 6,989 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    neverdespairgirl wrote: »
    Obviously, I'm aware that the mate who heads an IT department in a merchant bank earns a fair bit more than the mate who is a teacher.

    Maybe not for much longer. ;)
  • neverdespairgirl
    neverdespairgirl Posts: 16,501 Forumite
    This chap's a survivor - he's worked in the past for both Lehman Bros and Bear Sterns....
    ...much enquiry having been made concerning a gentleman, who had quitted a company where Johnson was, and no information being obtained; at last Johnson observed, that 'he did not care to speak ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the gentleman was an attorney'.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    If you are lucky enough to be in a couple, even if you're both on minimum wage, together it adds up to what I call "doing OK".

    It's hard-working singles this Govt have failed. :P

    Employers' attitude is "I can pay little because people get benefits topups", but singles don't, the bar is way too low for most on that score.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    beecher wrote: »
    ... £20,801 is the median wage for the UK. I think many people would find it hard to believe that as many people earn less than that figure, than earn more.

    I've been unlucky in that I pick bad employers. Because of this I am always "starting again at the bottom". I also geographically challenged myself in error when I moved to a new area some years back and the dot com bubble burst so I couldn't get out and go contracting.

    Things were sort of going OK until about 1997, when I started a job where finally I was getting on. Started at £17,500, within a year I was on £26k (with overtime), then the company got taken over but I managed to get a job straight away at £25k, that came to an end 6 months later so I was off to £28k, that one came to an end after 4 months, so I was back contracting at the first company on £38k for 18 months, then into a contract at £50k for 6 months....

    Then bang. Nothing. Didn't work for 4 months.

    Next took "any job" at £22k, that one lasted one year, by then it was mid 2002. Next one was £15k, lasted a year. Next one was £16k, lasted 6 months. So from July 2001 to July 2007, 6 years, I had 2.5 years of employment and all the rest was fill in jobs, self-employment, bit of this, bit of that, bit of "any work I could find".

    Now, I seem to be stuck in a cycle of: "How much do you earn" boxes which don't show much. And, harder, "so what have you been doing?" being asked.

    I am job hunting from January though ... aiming for £25k

    Edit: hoping for more, £35k would be nice. Or £45k.
  • Pobby
    Pobby Posts: 5,438 Forumite
    My wife works part time, around 12k a year. My money is all over the place, from £800 in a month to £6.5 k.Our industry has slowed up for the past couple of years and things are a lot tougher. Having no mortgage we say that an after tax income of £2000 a month is ample.
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