Is £17,000 - £20,000 a year good?
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Original post by rjm101
Are you a graduate? Also it depends where you live.
No I'm not a graduate but I live in private accommodation + pay all the bills. I think 15k would be enough for a cheap studio flat in London (max 6k per year on rent + bills?).
To be honest, OP, the question isn't really whether a bunch of strangers on the internet think it's a good salary or not - opinions will vary wildly on that front. I think the main questions are:
I think considering the long-term prospects for advancement is a good idea, too, but personally I would tend to go for a job that's available and moves me in generally the right direction, rather than wait around in the hope that a magic perfect one will come along. It's all experience, and actually it's generally much easier to find a job if you have a job than if you don't. Applying doesn't commit you to taking the job, if it's offered, and even the experience of application and interview is useful.
Good luck!
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Is it a big enough salary to meet your living expenses? If you'd be moving to where the job is, try to get an idea of how much rents are in the area so you can start to work this out; if you'd be commuting, have a stab at putting a cost on that. Work out what your expenses would be (and don't forget things like Council Tax), and then take a look at a tax calculator to figure out how much take-home pay you'd be getting. in practical terms, how good a salary it is is largely a measure of how large the gap between the two figures is, and which way round it falls!
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Do you actually want to do the job? Would you enjoy it, find it interesting, and so on? If so, great! If not... well, not so great.
I think considering the long-term prospects for advancement is a good idea, too, but personally I would tend to go for a job that's available and moves me in generally the right direction, rather than wait around in the hope that a magic perfect one will come along. It's all experience, and actually it's generally much easier to find a job if you have a job than if you don't. Applying doesn't commit you to taking the job, if it's offered, and even the experience of application and interview is useful.
Good luck!
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Dragonfly07
No I'm not a graduate but I live in private accommodation + pay all the bills. I think 15k would be enough for a cheap studio flat in London (max 6k per year on rent + bills?).
If you know of some studio flats in London for 6k per year please let me know!
Original post by yesiambored
If you know of some studio flats in London for 6k per year please let me know!
I used to live in a studio flat in north London for £525 per month (which is 6300). I only had to pay for electricity because the water was paid by the ladlord, but it was generally a **** place. It didn't have heating and the place was very damp.
Original post by Seanm1994
No, that's an embarrassing salary.
*Cough* Working class *Cough*
*Cough* Working class *Cough*
People like you disgust me.
Original post by Farid1
It is a great salary for your first job
Is Farid your real name?? I have never seen anyone with the same name as me ahahah
This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
Original post by KrelboyneChic
People like you disgust me.
Peasant.
It's pretty good.
My first full-time (non-permanent) job in the UK paid £19,000 (working for an airline, hated it). This was enough to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Greater London (zone 4), which I shared with my girlfriend.
If you are willing to house share, your money will obviously go further. £17-20k is a decent first salary and enough to live on almost anywhere (including London, if you are careful).
My first full-time (non-permanent) job in the UK paid £19,000 (working for an airline, hated it). This was enough to rent a 1 bedroom apartment in Greater London (zone 4), which I shared with my girlfriend.
If you are willing to house share, your money will obviously go further. £17-20k is a decent first salary and enough to live on almost anywhere (including London, if you are careful).
Original post by Farid Jalil
Is Farid your real name?? I have never seen anyone with the same name as me ahahah
This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App
Yes my name is Farid
Original post by sharp910sh
Oil and gas engineering pays, 30-40k. so the salary is poor.
What are you talking about? Surely a good salary depends on what you're actually spending your money on?
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
For a twenty-something in Britain, you could probably live off £13k if you stretched your money out and budgeted wisely. £17-£20k is a remarkably good salary at the beginning of your career.
Original post by wanderlust.xx
What are you talking about? Surely a good salary depends on what you're actually spending your money on?
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
For a twenty-something in Britain, you could probably live off £13k if you stretched your money out and budgeted wisely. £17-£20k is a remarkably good salary at the beginning of your career.
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
For a twenty-something in Britain, you could probably live off £13k if you stretched your money out and budgeted wisely. £17-£20k is a remarkably good salary at the beginning of your career.
Well I guess it is all relative. In the south east £17-20k is not that much.
Original post by wanderlust.xx
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
The average first-time buyer's deposit in London is £62,000. No matter how efficient your parents are, if they're doing all that, I suspect their combined wages couldn't put a down-payment on a house.
So you're right: it does matter what you spend your money on, like perhaps, oh, I don't know, a home?
It's mid-low for a graduate but don't base an opinion purely around the salary. Is it what you want to do? Is the location good? Does it allow you to pursue a career path that you are interested in?
Original post by Brevity
The average first-time buyer's deposit in London is £62,000. No matter how efficient your parents are, if they're doing all that, I suspect their combined wages couldn't put a down-payment on a house.
So you're right: it does matter what you spend your money on, like perhaps, oh, I don't know, a home?
So you're right: it does matter what you spend your money on, like perhaps, oh, I don't know, a home?
Original post by wanderlust.xx
What are you talking about? Surely a good salary depends on what you're actually spending your money on?
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
For a twenty-something in Britain, you could probably live off £13k if you stretched your money out and budgeted wisely. £17-£20k is a remarkably good salary at the beginning of your career.
My parents earn just around £35k between them, my father in a secondary job and my mother in a tertiary one (retail). They've been in their jobs for over 20 years each and go on regular holidays, sent me to a good school, can afford two cars and have no financial strains. They're organised and efficient, and they make their money last.
For a twenty-something in Britain, you could probably live off £13k if you stretched your money out and budgeted wisely. £17-£20k is a remarkably good salary at the beginning of your career.
Agreed, It is a great salary for your first job. Most recent graduates (1-3 years) that I know of personally fall into a number of positions now:
1) Unemployed
2) Working retail/McDonalds (MOST)
3) On a very low salary (like half the minimum wage salary because they are doing an internship which they get paid for)
4) On around 15k
That would account for about 90% of the recent graduates that I know personally, the remaining 10% graduated in Pharmacy and are working at a Pharmacy or working as Engineers/Surveyors. One surveyor I know is on 15K but is on a contract where every 6 months he will get a 1k increase (don't know how long that contract lasts though). If I got the kind of money you are getting when I graduate, I would LOVE it. Be happy, you are one of the few who has got a job in the sector they want combined with a solid salary.
1) Unemployed
2) Working retail/McDonalds (MOST)
3) On a very low salary (like half the minimum wage salary because they are doing an internship which they get paid for)
4) On around 15k
That would account for about 90% of the recent graduates that I know personally, the remaining 10% graduated in Pharmacy and are working at a Pharmacy or working as Engineers/Surveyors. One surveyor I know is on 15K but is on a contract where every 6 months he will get a 1k increase (don't know how long that contract lasts though). If I got the kind of money you are getting when I graduate, I would LOVE it. Be happy, you are one of the few who has got a job in the sector they want combined with a solid salary.
Original post by lalalalalalamember
I've been asked to apply for a job role for "Video Editor" (that I really want and is something I'm interested in)
If it is something that you are interested in then I would take the job.
I'm in a similar industry and I say the £20k is fine but 17k is a bit low. Especially if that's what you graduated in.
My partner who's been in the industry much longer than me (over 15 years) says it depends on the job description "If it's wedding videos, then no it's not too low I guess. If it's editing together hours of footage into something useable, then low"
My partner who's been in the industry much longer than me (over 15 years) says it depends on the job description "If it's wedding videos, then no it's not too low I guess. If it's editing together hours of footage into something useable, then low"
(edited 11 years ago)
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