Crunch time for council workers’ golden pensions

MUMMYTO2BOYS

I agree that the current system is unsustainable.

However, Council Pay Rates and Pensions are seen by some as a kind of benchmark. If these standards are lowered then our employers will think their ideas of rates of pay and pension contributions are too generous and lower them accordingly. And no, we will certainly not see a drop in our Council Tax to reflect the changes.......they'll spend it on something else.

SuzieSue

carolt wrote: »

It's by no means that hard to get a job as a lawyer or accountant - I know plenty of dim ones.

In fact,one of the stupidest people I've ever met was an accountant; he told me it took him 15 goes to pass his accountancy exams but presumably, eventually he struggled through. (Assume he didn't share that info with his clients.)

I know lots of exceptionally bright teachers.

In fact, I am one.

I am an accountant and I can tell you that it was very difficult to get in to train in a top accountancy firm (I didn't make it even in 1988 during the boom times) and I know it is even harder to get in to a top law firm. Yes, they may be paying £64,000 a year, but that is because they want the brightest graduates.

SuzieSue

carolt wrote: »

In fact,one of the stupidest people I've ever met was an accountant; he told me it took him 15 goes to pass his accountancy exams but presumably, eventually he struggled through. (Assume he didn't share that info with his clients.)

Anyone can be an accountant or a lawyer but it is very difficult to earn a very high salary. Your dim accountant friend would not be able to work in a top accountancy firm.

carolt

Sorry - have to disagree. I'm not inventing the chap I mentioned in my last post - he is a true example. I did work experience in 2 top law firms and didn't feel the standard was anything special - they were just bog standard graduates; just rather more money-obsessed than I was and less cultured. Not saying that applies to all lawyers; but possibly firms that offer more money attract the money-obsessed?

SuzieSue

carolt wrote: »

Sorry - have to disagree. I'm not inventing the chap I mentioned in my last post - he is a true example. I did work experience in 2 top law firms and didn't feel the standard was anything special - they were just bog standard graduates; just rather more money-obsessed than I was and less cultured. Not saying that applies to all lawyers; but possibly firms that offer more money attract the money-obsessed?

What do you disagree with? There are very few £64,000 jobs for graduates and only the brightest graduates have any chance of getting them. That is a fact.

carolt

I disagree with both parts of that sentence - £64,000 is a far from unusually high salary for graduates outside the public sector, and the most money is by no means paid to the most deserving.

Is that clear enough?

SuzieSue

carolt wrote: »

I disagree with both parts of that sentence - £64,000 is a far from unusually high salary for graduates outside the public sector, and the most money is by no means paid to the most deserving.

Is that clear enough?

You really think that £64,000 is a normal graduate salary? I would have thought that the average graduate salary in the private sector is around £22,000. What do you mean by deserving?

carolt

Out of interest, you claim you couldn't get a job to train in a top accountancy firm in 1988.

What was your background? My brother (who is now a very highly paid tax accountant) went in the 1980's from having 1 A Level to working his way up, and qualifying. He trained with 1 of the top firms, and has worked for several.

Did you have less than 1 A Level?

If so, you certainly wouldn't have got taken on as a teacher.

carolt

SuzieSue wrote: »

You really think that £64,000 is a normal graduate salary? I would have thought that the average graduate salary in the private sector is around £22,000. What do you mean by deserving?

22K! That's barely a starting salary! See my figures above. If solicitors are earning 60K plus after just 2 years in the job, then what the average salary is I wouldn't like to say.

That's less than the national average, which includes unskilled, part-time, manual etc.

Graduate jobs pay far more.

Are you sure you're an accountant?

SuzieSue

carolt wrote: »

Out of interest, you claim you couldn't get a job to train in a top accountancy firm in 1988.

What was your background? My brother (who is now a very highly paid tax accountant) went in the 1980's from having 1 A Level to working his way up, and qualifying. He trained with 1 of the top firms, and has worked for several.

Did you have less than 1 A Level?

If so, you certainly wouldn't have got taken on as a teacher.

No, I was a graduate and it is more competitive. Your brother went in to accoutancy after A levels and worked his way up. With hindsight, I wish I had done that, but I decided to do a degree which I didn't like so ended up only getting a 2:2 and the top firms would only accept a 2:1. I did train with a top 20 firm, but it isn't the same as a top 6 firm.