It's 'orrible out there ...

OK, I know this is desperately nosy, but what rough scale of remuneration
are we talking here? How can one judge whether Domenec is right?

Ali

 

Alison Hopkins says...

Have you ever seen Pretty Woman, and the bit where Richard Gere mentions
spending an "obscene amount of money" in the posh shops? That's Antonye,
that is.

 

Not posh shops, pet shops. Hamster suppliers.

 

Why would you care about what the plebs say or deprive a few other a
laugh? not that I think anyone would laugh as you have done well for
yourself over the past couple of years and deserve a nod of respect.

People who are given lots of money might sneer, those who work for it
would not.

 

Damn, you sussed me out. I was wondering if I'd get the chance.

Ali

 

In all seriousness, I'd totally agree on that.

Ali

 

That's good going.

I'm unlikely to earn any more, in real terms, with my current employer,
and the only way to go would be to move to a poncier publication. I'm on
a decent screw where I am, but the only way to move up the ladder would
be to jettison the pure journalism thing and become a suit and that's
not my thing, really.

So it's a matter of upping the freelance as and when possible, which
makes the difference between a decent wage and a life with a few
luxuries.

 

message

Interesting, that. Having been a sales droid for so long, I got very used to
my salary varying wildly from one year to another. I always lived on my
base - the commission/bonuses mostly got saved in one way or another. If I
look back, I can see several years where my salary almost doubled from the
previous one - and others where it dropped back a bit. I'm now on a straight
base salary and I can't get used to it.

Ali

 

Point and larf, maybe. Not that I'd seriously do that, I hasten to add.
I've had superb years and less good ones, seen people who were paid less
than me and deserved more, and vice versa.

As to the other, I can't abide the overpaid City wanker pejorative.

Ali

Ali

 

Depends on who you sell to and what you sell and who for, stating the
obvious. I like public sector sales - I understand it, and it can be for
things that are of direct benefit to the citizen. It also has very set
processes and milestones, mostly, and is a lot more open than commercial
sales, where things can get canned on a whim. Been there, done that. I also
like selling in an environment where I *can* control things, which is why
Siemens could be so damned annoying. I guess the converse to your take-home
thing is that I can get the chance to greatly improve it?

Exactly. And if they don't perform, their cocks are on the block, to coin an
inelegant phrase. It's high risk. I understand that very well indeed.

Ali

 

In his case, I think 'overpaid city wanker' is about as pertinent as it
gets.

 

Heh. We've gone the other way. The Doctor wanted to reduce her hours,
and so is now working three days a week at the nearby cancer unit (Royal
Marsden).

OTOH, it's two and a half miles down the road and an easy commute.
Before, when she was working at St George's in Tooting, she could spend
up to an hour commuting each way, which was dire. Not to mention
expensive on petrol, even in a Micra. She fills up the thing once a
month now, instead of once a week.

 

The silly thing is that until.... well, until Christmas, when we got the
bonuses and increments through, I couldn't have told you what I earned,
not gross.

I knew, and know, the net monthly figure (freelance excluded) but wasn't
aware of the gross. It never seemed important. It turned out I was
earning a couple of grand more than I thought I was.

The last time I knew what my gross pay was was when I got the job, more
than five years ago.

 

<snort>

 

Often more than once.

 

<g>

 

What, both of them?

 

I suspect that there are more than two.

However the well paid wouldn't have a *clue* what their package was
worth until they did their tax return for the year.

 

In message

I only remember mine cause it gets published in the Evening Standard
every time there's a bit of a dispute on the Underground.