Best Paid Jobs in the UK
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Best Paying Jobs in the UK
Best Paying Jobs and Worst Paying Jobs in the UK - this article was first published here - best paying jobs
Anybody trying to find a job in the UK will know that living costs are horrendously high. Housing, transport (in London you pay £4 ($7) to travel 4 stops on the underground and a 4 mile bus journey in Bristol costs you £7 ($11) return), energy (petrol i.e. 'gas' costs around $8 a US gallon - 138p per litre) all cost an arm and a leg (and gas and electricity have just gone up another 20%) and yet wages are not particularly high and you hand over a minimum of 25% to the government before you even get paid, in the form of taxes and national insurance payments.
A recent survey by the Office for National Statistics shows annual average wages for full-time employees rose by 2.6% to £25,800 ($41,280) in 2009 (that seems high as there are lots of people who earn a lot less).
Highest Paying Jobs in the UK
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Highest Paying Jobs in the UK
The current economic crisis is making job hunting even more difficult of course and it means that people have less bargaining power when it comes to trying to get wage increases. I have also heard that big companies like Microsoft are paying 'American' wages to employees in the UK. That may sound good but it is actually bad, as American wages are generally lower than UK wages as the cost of living in the States is, surprisingly, lower than in the UK. But when you think that US products are sold in the UK for 50% higher than in the US e.g. if something costs $200 in the US then in the UK it will be £200, as it is so much easier to just change the currency sign without actually changing the amount and also, as mentioned above, gas (petrol) costs over $7 a gallon in the UK, then it is not so surprising ! So go for a high-paying job and try to insist on a high starting salary if you can !
However this hubpage is not here to waffle on about prices, but to show you, if you are looking to find a job, which are the top ten best paid jobs and the top ten worst paid jobs in the UK. So here they are ! If you don't want a job but quite fancy the idea of making money online without buying some guys ebook then check out make money online for free
1. Directors and CEOs of major organisations.
Average annual salary: £115,576 ($184,920) [I would have expected more, but this doesn't include bonuses]
Jobs such as : CEO, company director, general manager, managing director (of major organisations).
2. Medical practitioners
Average annual salary: £78,366 ($125,385)
Jobs such as : Anaesthetist, hospital consultant, doctor, GP, psychiatrist, physician, registrar, psycho-analyst, surgeon.
3. Senior officials in national government
Average annual salary: £68,283 ($109,252)
Jobs such as : Assistant secretary, MEP (Member of European Parliament), MP (Member of Parliament- UK), diplomat, permanent secretary.
4. Brokers
Average annual salary: £61,117 ($97,787)
Jobs such as : Commodity trader, foreign exchange dealer, financial broker, shipbroker, insurance broker, stockbroker.
5. Air traffic controllers
Average annual salary: £60,548
Jobs such as : Air traffic controller, flight planner, controller of aircraft, ground movement controller.
6. Financial managers and chartered secretaries
Average annual salary: £58,295 ($93,272)
Jobs such as : Company registrar, credit manager, company treasurer, financial director, finance manager, merchant banker.
7. Senior officials in local government
Average annual salary: £55,921 ($88,465)
Job titles include: Chief executive of local government, town clerk.
8. Police officers (inspectors and above)
Average annual salary: £53,937 ($86,299)
Job titles include: Assistant chief constable, chief inspector, chief constable, chief superintendent, deputy chief constable.
9. IT strategy and planning professionals
Average annual salary: £50,143 ($80,228)
Jobs such as: Computer consultant, software consultant.
10. Solicitors and lawyers, judges and coroners [I'm surprised and even incredulous to see the legal profession so far down the pecking order ! ] In fact I was so incredulous that I did some further research. Clearly these figures can only be true if you include everybody working in the legal profession when working out the average,i.e. even secretaries and tea ladies !! Judges in the UK earn anything up to £236,000 ($377,600) so the 'average' shown below is clearly an average and gives no indication of how much lawyers and judges earn. M'lud.
Average annual salary: £48,908 ($78,252)
Jobs such as : Articled clerk, coroner, barrister, judge, solicitor.
Lowest paying jobs
1. Waiters and waitresses
Average annual salary: £11,930 ($19,088)
2. Bar staff ($19,088)
Average annual salary: £11,930
3. Kitchen and catering assistants
Average annual salary: £12,410 ($19,856)
Jobs such as : Canteen assistant, counterhand, catering assistant, kitchen assistant, dining room assistant, kitchen porter, washer-up.
4. Travel and tour guides
Average annual salary: £12,561 ($20,097)
Jobs such as: Coach guide, escort, courier for tour operator, guide
5. Launderers, dry cleaners, pressers
Average annual salary: £12,657
Jobs such as : Carpet cleaner, garment presser, dry cleaner, laundry worker.
6. Retail cashiers and check-out operators
Average annual salary: £12,736
Jobs such as : Cashier, forecourt attendant, check-out operator, petrol pump attendant, restaurant cashier.
7. Leisure and theme park attendants
Average annual salary: £12,767
Job titles include: Arcade attendant, funfair attendant, fairground worker, usher/usherette.
8. Hairdressers and related occupations
Average annual salary: £13,194
Jobs such as : Barber, hairdresser, beautician, manicurist, make-up artist, slimming consultant, barber.
9. Cleaners, domestics
Average annual salary: £13,807
Jobs such as : Car valeter, cleaner, chambermaid, domestic cleaner.
10. Nursery Nurses
Average annual salary: £13,872
Jobs such as : Creche assistant, nursery nurse, nursery assistant
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Hi Lctodd - yes, transport costs are horrendous here, especially in London about 4 times any normal city. The police salaries in the list are only for advanced police with many years experience - inspectors and higher - I don't think just ordinary first year policemen get anywhere near that amount.
People here are looking for the best paid jobs - not business loans - but hey you got a college loan to buy a house !? That is waaay cool - please tell me more :-)
Very helpful indeed. great job
Very interesting, I'm wondering if wages have gone up since 2009,a comparison would cool.
Great job
I think we'll have to wait a while as the 2010 figures on the best paying jobs have only just been published. I suspect wages have gone up but only by very little - unless you are an executive at a bank of course
Interesting list. I'd be keen to see what the top and bottom 10 jobs in terms of job satisfaction. I think that would be a great read.
Yes Marcus you are right - but I suspect job satisfaction is more difficult to measure than pay levels - I've got to say I find the pay levels a bit low I would have thought the best paid jobs would be lawyers and the legal profession in general
It sure is but expensive which is why people need one of the best paying jobs in order to be able to afford one. Good luck with the forum.
Great topic, although I have never put much thought into how much others earn, some of the earning levels did surprise me. I have lived and worked outside the UK and am always shocked when I return at just how much the basic essentials cost. It’s not only public transport that’s the problem putting petrol in your car to get back and forward to work can really smart as well. Oh and there is the horrendous taxes to contend with on beer and cigarettes which I must admit I have a fondness for.
Hi Peter - thanks for the comment, I agree with you I am constantly surprised by how much everything costs in this country, if I had any money I would emigrate somewhere warm with a decent health service. Just why people would want to come and live here I don't know - petrol is now £1.20 a litre which equates to $7 a US gallon for those in the USA. How do we manage ? I think a lot of people don't, which is why we have such horrendous debt levels. As you point out, tax levels are also horrendous but we need high taxes to finance our MPs expenses e.g. Gordon Brown who earns £190,000 a year and lives rent free, but nevertheless feels the need to claim £15 for his light bulbs !
I'm amazed there is no mention of high paid jobs in the list of offshore workers. £120K tax free.....
Yes - that is surprising, maybe they don't count because they are offshore ? These are government figures too, so to be taken with a pinch of salt no doubt.
Its interesting to see that the occupations that receive mainly cash in there professions seem so low. Perhaps these figures are taken HMRC and are not a true reflection.....were are the property brokers etc aswell
Hi Tomo - yes I think you are right, for the best paying jobs some of them seem very low ! But these are government figures and we know how reliable governments are.
where are the dentists ?
A very good question Salma ! And also where are the good dentists that people can actually afford to visit without taking out a second mortgage. As I've said elsewhere, these are government figures on which are the best paying jobs and qute honestly I find them hard to believe, I created the page out of a feeling of duty but I suspect some people earn a lot more than the figures show.
One of the best paying jobs imho is on oil platforms. My best friend works there and although his salary may not be as sky-high as, say, a pilot, but much more than average Joe's job. The main thing is, he's 2 weeks offshore and then 3 weeks at home, 2 offshore, 3 at home, all year long.
With the money he makes on the oil platform, he buys old property and fix it up and sell it in his free time. I don't expect him to still work when he's 50, arrrgh jealous haha...
Lol - Paul so much info for only $59.95 - rig workers may be good work though for people who are fit and willing to work hard
nurseing is a great job
Hi bca - yes you're right nursing is a great job and one of the best jobs around, it's a pity nurses don't get paid more.
good job.
but there is no mension of marine engineers . i think they also earn good
Hi Jainson thanks for the comment - these are the official government figures, but I've got to say they seem a bit odd to me I'm sure there are jobs that earn more - marine engineers could be a good example of this
Hey there, this gives me a lot of encouragement indeed!! I have been looking for the best jobs in the industry, the list is big, will definitely get to one of these!
Chris Harris
Hi Chris - Yeah the best jobs are inpiring if you like jobs - but a lot of people are learning how to make money online for themselves, as working for the man is not to their liking - so good luck with the enterprise - anyone else should check out http://www.makemoneyonlinefornothing.com/2010/01/m - working for yourself is a god alternative to getting a job and needn't cost anything to get started
How can a job seeker stand out from a crowd of millions of people in today's competitive marketplace. The author of a charismatic and the survival economy has published a solution: the book value of race. What makes this book different? The book value of one's career provides instructions on how to develop portfolios to help job seekers stand out and get visual offerings. The labor market is highly competitive due to high demand and limited employment opportunities. Candidates should try something new to avoid being overlooked.
The book value of race ? Not sure what you mean and the link takes you to a list of good paying jobs in the USA - but hey why not ?
I am so scared i won't be sucessful to do them job
Which jobs do you mean Vanessa ? Some of them take a lot of training some of them are a lot easier - unfortunately the best jobs tend to need the most training - just go for it ! Everybody is good at something so pick a job you think you might be good at and don't give up !
i can't beleive nurses are earning very low.there are always at work, no time with their family.
It's not actual nurses in the list but nursery nurses - although real NHS nurses are not too well-paid either
if doctors are the highest paid
why are britain, 18th world wide in healthcare,
way behind, greece, and many other poorer countries
Molly - I don't know - I live in the UK and I think the health service is awful and doctors generally unhelpful as they don't like to be disturbed and seem to think we should be grateful to them for providing us with a "free" service. I actually had a GP say to me once "what do you expect from a free service" ! Dentists are all smiles and very helpful but that's because they are outrageously expensive and you have to pay for their services yourself or do without. A lot of people in the UK are resorting to 'health tourism' i.e. going abroad to fix their medical problems as it works out cheaper even with the air fare and accommodation costs.
One thing is sure: low paid jobs are becoming more numerous and paying less. There are some job portals that are now concentrating on 'high paying' jobs but job-seeker evaluations of such highly paid jobs often fail to take account of such factors as unpaid overtime and unpleasant work environments. A better approach I think is the elitist concept of www.qualifind.co.uk which concentrates on quality jobs, which are not necessarily the most highly paid, though they often tend to be, but are indisputably among the most desirable career opportunities and work environments.
Hi Yves - thanks for the comment and the info. good luck with the jobs site - you are right good paid jobs are becoming something of a rarity unless you work in a bank or are a dentist - the best paid jobs are probably still in the City depsite what the survey above says - you should have made your web address into a link !
Surely judges get paid more than lawyers?
Funny that, judge is one of the highest ranks to get- you have to be promoted and work hard!
But then, once you're there, you don't need to do much (a lot less than lawyers!)
but still get paid a huuuuuuge sum.
For example; the youngest judge is about 53years of age, which is considered very young to become a judge!
Yes Sanaaa you are probably right - these are the official figures of what the best paid jobs are, but the more I look at them the more I find them hard to believe - like I said in the article they must include every Tom, Dick and Harry who works in the legal profession, including tea ladies and sweeper-uppers before working out their 'average' it is clearly nonsense to suggest that a judge earns $75,000. There was a report in the newspapers the other day about some general doctors in the UK earning £475,000 ($750,000) - so clearly somebody is being economical with the truth when compiling these figures for the highrst paying jobs.
High paying jobs in the West are a vanishing species. When you look at the supermarket job portals and career sites you find an ever increasing number of job roles with longer hours and shorter salaries.
Probably because of this there appear to be sproouting niche jobs sites featuring only top salary jobs and only premium employers, notably http://www.qualifind.co.uk which ostensibly focuses on the top segment of the employment market.
Good luck with the site Marion - high paying jobs are reserved for the top 1% - the BBC just pubilshed a whole list of best paid jobs which I will put up here when I get the time - they certainly earn a lot more than the jobs officially listed in government statistics
I wanna be a lawyer and looking at the ,money i am definty being one now
Hi Sarah, thanks for the comment, good luck with your legal career - lawyers are certainly known for not being poor but the studies are quite long
My father is an OIM and earns the top wage. But that does not stop me thinking that it is OUTRAGEOUS how low some of the most important people, such as creche assistants, are taken for granted. Where would people send their children without them? The state of Britain's financial economy is going up but nursery nurses and co are still being ignored for their loyal service to UK ciizens.
I would also like to mention that I am 12 years old. If I can look at the economy in this way, what is stopping politicians?
Also, if I wish to get into Cambridge or Oxford University(preferrably Cambridge) what are good subjects to take if I want to have a career in dentistry? I know the AAAAA OR AAAAB grades etc. I live in Scotland, if that helps.
Hello Rachel - thank you for your thoughtful comment. Yes low-paid workers in Britain do not get paid very much, because we are told that the low-paid would stop working if they earn too much. The best paid however need to be paid even more otherwise they will go away to other countries and work there and we will have to survive without their talent and expertise. It is all nonsense of course but then that is the way of things unfortunately. Dentists are very well-paid which is good for dentists, but down here in England they are now so expensive that some people have resorted to doing their own dentistry at home. I don't know what it's like in Scotland, maybe you still have a decent NHS up there.
As you say, you are 12 years old and you can see that things are not right, politicians however have their own special way of looking at the world, as we saw during the recent MP's expenses scandal.
How to become a dentist ? I'm afraid I don't know, I'm just a blogger. But if you want to get into Cambridge or Oxford then you will need excellent grades at everything, particulary science subjects if you want to do dentistry, but you know that already. Have a look at the Cambridge website for more info. - cam.ac.uk - sorry I can't be of more help but this is not an official government site, just a site for bloggers.
Good luck with your career, Cambridge is a very nice place and once you become a dentist I hope you try to reform dentistry in this country so that people who do not have much money can still get seen by a dentist. :-)
I thouhgt dentists would have been in the top 10?
Yes Kat I would think dentists certainly are amongst the best paid jobs, especially now as they seem to be able to charge whatever they can get away with - they may be included in No. 2 Medical practitioners
i wana job in uk as a waiter or bar staff
You go for it Ali ! Someobody's got to do it
what about pilot, they make good money too
Very informative!
Umagash - yes, I don't know about pilots I guess they should be there somewhere, but these are the official government figures for the highest paying jobs in the UK
if dentists didnt earn as much as they did,,, they wouldnt do it (dentist)
If dentists weren't so expensive and if they didn't do unnecessary work just to boost their income maybe people would have better teeth (victim of dentists)
these taxes here r crazy .. in no country have i seen a bill for outgoing water !!!if we r already paying income tax then what is council tax for? what is road tax for ? what is tv licence for? national insurance for? already taxed income can not be taxed again n again..despite paying so much households r still so expensive ?? people r too sophisticated to raise voice against it.. the government is making fool of us ..i am happy to see the students protest for the fee rise..
Hi Savi - yes you're right taxes here are awful and you missed out VAT - so after paying your income tax you then have to pay another 20% tax on just about everything you buy - and the services are awful too - so anyone thinking to coming to the UK think again ! There are far better places to live where you are not taxed to the hilt !
hey singular, thanks for the information, very helpfull. Im currently saving to get out of this hell hole (uk), maybe go to somewhere nice and cheap like america, id move to pakistan if it saves me money! :)
Hey Jacob - I know what you mean ! If I had the wherewithal I'd get out too (not Pakistan though) - have you tried supplementing your income by working for yourself and trying to make money online ? info. here on how to do it without spending any money ---> http://www.makemoneyonlinefornothing.com ! I've always fancied Canada myself - it seems like a more civilised version of the USA, although that may be a romantic illusion.
Brilliant read… I’m personally not too fussed as to what I do for a living as long as: 1 the salary is high and 2 I don’t get bored doing it.
I am currently looking at a career in database programming/development (I know three people on £500 per day) but, as with an awful lot of jobs now, the experience is more important to employers than qualifications. I wonder why so many people are going to university to get a Degree nowadays? In many cases it gives little advantage, where a Degree isn’t a must in given field, and in fact you may end up with £20k debits and little of the more highly valued experience of people that when into the work place earlier.
Hi Chris - thanks for the comment. As I say in the articles, these are the official figures on the best paid jobs, to me they all seem a bit low, particularly the figures for the legal profession.
As you say, many people are now questioning the wisdom of spending £25K on university fees plus the money spent on food and accommodation for 3 or 4 years. There are countries in the EU where university education is free (they have courses in English), so if you are a EU citizen then it may be worth checking this possibility out.
One outcome of all these fees may be that only rich kids choose to go to university. That couldn't be the aim could it ? One way of keeping the riff-raff out ?
Database programmer at £500 a day seems like good money, but it doesn't sound too exciting :-(. That would be £120K a year which would put you above the No. 1 spot on the list ! Good luck in whatever you choose to do. I know a journalist called Chris - not you is it ?
You forgot dentistry on the highest paying jobs. Dentists earn a good amount and if you specialise as an orthodontist, cosmetic dentist etc. you could make a LOT of money, even more than some of the jobs listed here. Just saying.
Hi - thanks for the info. It's not actually a list I put together myself it's the official government list of highest paying jobs. It is possible that dentists and orthodontists are included within the no. 3 category 'medical practitioners'. I know they make a lot 'cause I visit them now and again and feel the pain of paying their mortgages for them.
For example , What if one day I go to any good university in England, after years of studying I succeed in the graduation of my speciality (which would be closely related to the specialities in the listed jobs ) , after that would it be possible to get employed in any of the jobs ,that I've studied for ?
Im not from England , actually , but im from EU country : ))
THX !
Hi Steven - yes if your from an EU country then you can work in the UK and if you have a degree then it will make it easier to get a job. Studies are expensive though so you might be better studying in a country where education is free - I think some of the Scandinavian countries offer free university courses
Wow. Even the lowest paid jobs make more than I do... interesting.
Thanks for the comment Phoebe - maybe you should ask for a raise ?
how about achitecture?
i thought that was one of the top jobs.. :?
Yes Hobnobs you are right - I don't know why they aren't in the list - and in fact I don't know why the money seems so low for som many people on the list, but then these are government figures so probably they are all wrong anyway !
Hey,recently i read about a job which is less talked about but perhaps the highest paid anywhere in the world i.e of actuaries,the ones who frame insurance policies and calculate the risks using mathematical models. Chief actuaries can earn somewhere around £280,000 *cough* But the catch in it is that one has to clear series of tough exams to get through it and the process takes about 5-6 years. I think the actuarial society originated first in England only. I wonder why it isn't included in the list???
So some prole, that is a train driver, who may well have to deal with suicidal people throwing themselves on the line & nutters throwing stones etc, gets paid a good wage and people are up in arms. Can't have proles getting well paid. Whatever next, perhaps nurses wiping your ageing mother's arse, will get a living wage. But given NHS employees are to get a 2 year wage freeze, that's highly unlikely. Still sounds like ExBriton is living elsewhere, so that's something positive
Pulse - thanks for the comment, maybe actuaries are included in category 6? These official figures actually seem somehat low to me.
VA - you are right, the aim is to pay people enough to let them barely eat and pay their bills so that they have to keep on working.
It's not actual nurses in the list but nursery nurses - although real NHS nurses are not too well-paid either
inspectors get paid alot in london:)
lctodd1947 Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
Interesting..if I had to pay that much to get to work, I would have to stay home...that is if I worked...ha! The police salaries seemed a little high..I don't think they equal that much in the US, unless of course they have been in for a long time.
I enjoyed the information.