Earning and the types of jobs we do

headchef

Skintchick - :rolleyes: Oh yes of course! Funny how they are both related to print (traditionally). I know it is very different now, but BIL worked as a printer in the local paper industry and earnt a fortune (30k in 1980 when the average wage must have been 15 to 18K).

skintchick

Was that the days of the unions? Or a bit after?

Nationals pay well but us freelances have to take our chances with wages! Some payments are dismal, but it is still that same vocation not a job mindset.

headchef

Union days. He was very lucky to get into the industry as tradionally it was as nepotistic as a merchant bank or Whitehall - you didn't get in unless you were 'knew' somebody. During his final school year, the Head of Year read out a few local vacanices during assembly and he thought it sounded 'OK'!

Sad to say that he started out well, then met my sis! Went downhill money wise after that and is in the same boat as the rest of us

trigger_mike

I work at a port driving cranes and take home £400 a week for doing 4x 12 hours shifts, 2 days and 2 nights. plus a bonus and a pension. not bad considering i've only been there a year.
forgot to say thats 4 days on and 4 days of as well.

headchef

Hi Trigger Mike - thanks for the reply.

Mm I bet you need good coordination for that job - no shakey trigger fingers And good head for heights

trigger_mike

Been plenty of accidents, staying awake is the hardest part though, spend most nights watching dvd's!,
I load up lorrys and tugs that take the contaners to and from the big cranes for the ships.
My cranes only 185 tons heavy and 80ft tall, with 16 big rubber tyres...

lynzpower

i work for social services in london - not a fully qualified social worker, but i sort out link alarms meals on wheels, adaptations to properties, that sort of thing.
I get just under 25k a year, and am at the top of my salary grade as ive been with the same council for 5 years.

mummytofour

Dh works as a designer for a paper too, he spends 4 hrs a day on the train/tube and car...

NO over time pay and I never know when he will be home, he leaves home at 930am and as i say I dont knwo when he will be home. We do need to work out weather the stress and trian fares are worth the trouble, I dont think they are BUT he has been there a loooooggg time, still only just on the national advarage wage.

headchef

There are a lot of very hard working, dedicated people here on MSE who, in my humble opinion should be getting more! Compare yourselves to my boss who has awarded himself 50 days paid holiday a year (worked for small companies most of my life and have never had a boss take more than 25 - 30 days hols) and took a 6 week paid sabbatical last year. His salary is almost 6 figures and he can enjoy many perks of being the boss of a limited company.

On the plus side - is he happy? :rolleyes: No he's a miserable sod
Mainly because he wants more - admitted he couldn't bear to look at Sunday Times Rich list because James Dyson has done so well for 'just selling vacuum cleaners' :rotfl:

mummytofour

headchef wrote:

There are a lot of very hard working, dedicated people here on MSE who, in my humble opinion should be getting more! Compare yourselves to my boss who has awarded himself 50 days paid holiday a year (worked for small companies most of my life and have never had a boss take more than 25 - 30 days hols) and took a 6 week paid sabbatical last year. His salary is almost 6 figures and he can enjoy many perks of being the boss of a limited company.

On the plus side - is he happy? :rolleyes: No he's a miserable sod
Mainly because he wants more - admitted he couldn't bear to look at Sunday Times Rich list because James Dyson has done so well for 'just selling vacuum cleaners' :rotfl:

He he he he so money does not make you happy then!