Who would get the most pay if it was up to you ? Top 6

Usually graduates earn a lot more over their working lives than those without degrees, but that’s far from the only benefit of going to university.

Many of those with the highest incomes have not earned them as wages/ salary. Their wealth comes from bonuses, company shares, dividends, one off contracts etc. etc, so no legislation about minimum/ maximum wage will affect them.
In my book all “ essential workers” are underpaid but especially those looking after us, be they care workers, medics, teachers, emergency services. But they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs effectively without the right infrastructure- office, maintenance, training…….So it gets harder to draw the line.

I'm not clear what you mean by this, Chardy

In our day, to train for certain professions going to uni meant you missed out on 5 or more years of earning. Nowadays you get a bill of £30k or more, and miss out on at least 3 yrs of earning.

Nurses, doctors get enough
Emergency staff, police fire and ambulance
Armed forces

Not necessarily in that order

People who do the messy jobs that no-one else wants.
Carers and care home workers.
Cleaners
Bin men.
Nurses and doctors.
Police. Firemen. Soldiers.
Farmers.

I agree with Lixy's comment about teaching assistants. I've worked as one for 30 plus years (still do, but now I am in a special school which is even longer hours (40 pw) but better pay). Prior to this, I needed additional work to survive. I changed from mainstream ed after spending almost an entire year delivering lessons when a teacher went long term sick - fully paid. The school could not afford a supply teacher. My reward? An extra £1,000 per year, still about half the wage of a newly qualified teacher.

nanna8

Good idea with engineers. Husband’s profession ! 👏🏻

Mine too, though now retired.
The title covers everything from washing machine engineers to consulting engineers building whole cities! All have their valuable uses.

Maggiemaybe

MaizieD

Wouldn't it be easier if people just said what jobs aren't worth paying decent wages for? There must be far fewer of them.

Influencers, “personalities”, YouTubers, anybody who’s famous just for being famous, because they’ve got a famous mummy or daddy or because they once ate a dingo’s testicle in a jungle.

Any "celebrities" really - certainly all grotesquely overpaid considering that they have no skills other than self publicity.

Others not worth the amount they actually earn.
Entertainers, Actors, Singers and most of all Footballers.

When I say entertainers I don't include musicians in that as that is a highly skilled job.

Doodledog

Oh, I think we needed actors. Without the TV to watch, lockdown would have been even more miserable.

I agree about food producers, growers, pickers and deliverers - again, this is the sort of thing that should be well-recompensed, IMO.

We may need actors, but we certainly don't need the thousands who are always "resting" and claiming unemployment pay.
In my humble opinion there are a few degrees that are very unlikely to lead to a fully employed working life and drama is one of them.
I'm sure we can all think of others - one of my sons did Fine Art and then a masters degree, neither of which has ever lead to a day's paid work.
Limiting the number who undertake these degrees to those who have a real talent or vocation would release funds for more useful degrees.

I love my bin men and always make a point of saying Thank You Lads for doing a great job.

Nurses, Junior Doctors (but I feel they shouldn't have to work all the hours they do anyway, so if they worked less hours their wages would be more in proportion).

Police and Fire Services

Social Workers because they are the ones that end up having to arrange all the care. Care Workers

As someone else has said, without the people working behind the scenes and in the Administration all these deserving people's jobs would be even harder.

I worked in Admin all my life and my late husband worked in Hospitality between us we didn't even earn anywhere near what a Doctor or even a Social Worker was earning but we managed. We still had to pay the same prices as everyone else that were almost all earning far more than we were.

It's an impossible question to answer except in the most subjective manner. Are ratcatchers worth more or less than molecatchers? Are physicists worth more or less than naval officers? Are kings worth more or less than archbishops?

Agree with most of these. Plumbers are already on a fortune! Their call out alone - just to tell you what you already know Ie, The boiler isn’t working - is more than a teacher’s daily rate. I think car mechanics need to get a more realistic ( lower) rate of pay. At Jaguar , it’s over £ 160 per hour! I have wondered what journalists in war zones get - Clive Myrie and the Luke ( nice Bolton lad ) Not enough, I’ll bet.

I agree that some people are grossly overpaid - the managers at Lucy Letby’s hospital spring to mind. TV presenters like Amol Rajan are in high six figure salaries at our expense. Why? Loads of people would love to do the job for much less money.
During lockdown I admired supermarket staff, bus drivers and postmen who had to keep going despite health risks but didn’t get a lot of credit and don’t earn much. At least the health professionals got their clapping session on a Thursday evening!

Premiership footballers on millions! It's obscene what they get paid for kicking a ball!

Train drivers think they should be in top position! Nurses should not be paid more than teachers scientists or vets. Good job Grans have no say in this whatsoever!

tictacnana

Agree with most of these. Plumbers are already on a fortune! Their call out alone - just to tell you what you already know Ie, The boiler isn’t working - is more than a teacher’s daily rate. I think car mechanics need to get a more realistic ( lower) rate of pay. At Jaguar , it’s over £ 160 per hour! I have wondered what journalists in war zones get - Clive Myrie and the Luke ( nice Bolton lad ) Not enough, I’ll bet.

Car mechanics are probably only earning £20/hr the rest is dealers overheads and profit

nanna8

We were talking to each other about this earlier today. My top 6, just off the top of my head would be
Medical professionals ( Doctors and nurses not admin and managers)
Teachers - all levels
Plumbers
Political leaders ( if you pay peanuts you get monkeys)
Professional Drivers including air, sea and land
Builders

The NHS would be in an even bigger mess without admin staff. They need to be paid fairly too in my opinion. Unreasonable to lump them in with managers who are on good money.

What about people who unblock plumbing and drains. It's the job I'd least like to do myself. Down and dirty.

Regardless of pay, MPs should have a work contract. Then lazy folk like Nadibe Dorries couldn't be paid for doing nothing, as per the last 11 weeks and more. And they couldn't go off to do TV programmes abroad for weeks on end , as she did, whilst parliament is in session.Shameful.

Gravediggers!

We'd be in a mess without them!

eazybee

I would agree with your selection but not the sentiment: 'If you pay peanuts you get monkeys' which has been disproved in all sections of top wage earners; it just seems to promote entitlement and reduce commitment.

I would include all ranks of engineers, particularly the ones that do mysterious things with cables down manholes in the pouring rain to restore power.

if plumbers why not electricians and gas engineers?

Oops, the OP asked for six:

-Doctors and many in the medical professions
-Engineers
-Teachers
-Research scientists
-Farmers
-Gravediggers/Dustmen

But 'we' aren't paying for footballers. They generate their salaries, or the sponsorship does. If they were paid £20k a year the difference between that and the money they are paid wouldn't be used for good causes.

Similarly, plumbers get paid what they can charge - much as dentists, hairdressers or car mechanics do. There isn't a salary scale like there is for teachers or civil servants. We can't cap their charges, but we can shop around. It is really only in the public sector that there is control over what people are paid - everywhere else the market decides depending on how easy it is to find people willing and qualified to fill any vacancies.