What careers pay better or worse than most people think?

I just finished watching Orange is the New Black. Frigging loved it (

will they all be reunited in Litchfield? And is Piscatella really dead?

? Anyway, I was curious as to how the show could hire so many actors, and was really surprised to hear that the highest-paid actor "only" earns 35k per episode, before tax ... on a per annum basis, that's less than Joe Duffy earns, and this show reaches many millions of people worldwide.

I was also surprised to learn that a group of doctors I know earn about the same, on average, as a group of schoolteachers in our circle of friends. Both groups do important work, but it surprised me.

I have also heard that writing books is no longer financially viable for most authors. There are apparently even hosehold names in this country who live on bursaries and grants, or hold down a second job outside of writing. This probably isn't a new thing. Even James Joyce died almost penniless, after having written 2 contemporaneously-acknowledged masterpieces.

Meanwhile, I once did work experience with a farrier whom at the height of the boom, was bringing home a pay-packet above €80k. Very highly skilled guy, and he didn't finish secondary school.


Any similar examples you guys have experienced?

Tilikum

Veterinary.

myshirt

Member of An Garda Siochana

Tilikum

Tilikum wrote: »

Veterinary.

Oh yeah, that's another I was thinking of. I assume you mean lower than expected, right?

Unless you own a practice, you'd probably be financially better-off as a hospital nurse, and you'd have a better work schedule too.

I think Law is full of misconceptions regarding pay. Barristers in particular seem to struggle for years to make a half decent living.

buried

Plumbers do very well, and in fairness why wouldn't they? I know f**k all about that work, could never do it myself, but I know I can't do without it either and will pay to get it rectified very quickly if it goes haywired.

Hollister11

buried wrote: »

Plumbers do very well, and in fairness why wouldn't they? I know f**k all about that work, could never do it myself, but I know I can't do without it either and will pay to get it rectified very quickly if it goes haywired.

My dad works in management in construction. He was saying that companies are struggling to get plumbers due to demand, and lack of people working in the trades at the moment. There raking it in.

BAAA RAM EWE

All farmers are poor.......not.

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

barbers and car washers

both with very little variable and minor fixed costs

Mardy Bum

There is no way a doctor and a teacher earn a similar salary. A junior doctor earns over 50k after four years continuous work and a teacher earns 38k (up until recent pay agreement this took about 8 years). It takes about 30 years for a teacher to earn 60k and it takes a doctor 10 maximum.

Both salary scales are available online.

buried

Hollister11 wrote: »

My dad works in management in construction. He was saying that companies are struggling to get plumbers due to demand, and lack of people working in the trades at the moment. There raking it in.

Yeah, I'd say that's the case, in Ireland anyways with what happened the last 10 years. Plumbing though, Jesus, it's vital. People don't realise how vital it is until some disaster happens then it becomes extremely vital which is every fecking day, it's just you don't think about it until something goes wrong.

Mardy Bum

Mardy Bum wrote: »

There is no way a doctor and a teacher earn a similar salary. A junior doctor earns over 50k after four years continuous work and a teacher earns 38k (up until recent pay agreement this took about 8 years). It takes about 30 years for a teacher to earn 60k and it takes a doctor 10 maximum.

Both salary scales are available online.

Well I haven't trawled through my friends' payscales online, but maybe there's a demographic aspect to it.

I'm 30 and most of my medic friends are only out of medical school 3-4 years, whereas the teachers would have about 8 years of employment behind them.

Not everybody in medicine becomes a consultant though, and I don't think it would be unusual for a hospital doctor to end up on a similar salary to, say, a schoolteacher or a vice-principal.

BAAA RAM EWE wrote: »

All farmers are poor.......not.

They're asset-rich, and cash poor.

With the exception of dairy farmers, most farmers are mainly reliant upon transfers from the EU. The average farm income is about €25k.

Teaching English in certain countries pays shockingly well.

Gangu

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Teaching English in certain countries pays shockingly well.

What sort of amounts?

Gangu

Gangu wrote: »

What sort of amounts?

My inbox gets rammed if I ever post it so I don't bother anymore.

pappyodaniel

Fishing can be very lucrative if your willing to rough it offshore for a few weeks at a time.

bigpink

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Teaching English in certain countries pays shockingly well.

TEFL?

4068ac1elhodqr

Deleted User wrote: »

Teaching English in certain countries pays shockingly well.

Probably only in somewhere like Dubai, or some SE Asia regions where expenses/accommodation is also covered. Wouldn't fancy it.

Part-time college Lecturers (in any subject) can generally earn more than full-time staff.

In some countries regular airport taxi drivers can earn more than short-haul/budget-class airline pilots.

endacl

Mardy Bum wrote: »

There is no way a doctor and a teacher earn a similar salary. A junior doctor earns over 50k after four years continuous work and a teacher earns 38k (up until recent pay agreement this took about 8 years). It takes about 30 years for a teacher to earn 60k and it takes a doctor 10 maximum.

Both salary scales are available online.

Ah, but teaching is effectively a p/t job. (Sorry, colleagues!). Provides handy hours, a pension I couldn't match in the private sector, and leaves plenty of time for my second career. Which, on an hourly rate, pays substantially more than teaching. I work about the standard working week. Well, for eight months a year or so. The summer holidays do kinda rock... Half my hours give a full time salary. The other half is gravy.

Added bonus: When I qualified in my second job, I qualified for a Masters allowance in my teaching work. That's just shy of an extra 5k a year.

I do feel a little guilty. I never meant to be a teacher. Just kinda fell into it covering classes while I was between jobs.

Conor Skinny Vegetarianism

Conor Skinny Vegetarianism wrote: »

Probably only in somewhere like Dubai, or some SE Asia regions where expenses/accommodation is also covered. Wouldn't fancy it.

I posted because this is the exact thing that everyone thinks but it isn't true. But I'm quite happy for people to think it is true, I guess. Less competition.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Deleted User wrote: »

My inbox gets rammed if I ever post it so I don't bother anymore.

Deleted User wrote: »

That article made me laugh.. I make $3,300 a month net in a ridiculously cheap country. Don't let a badly written spiteful article change anything.

PM away lads, he's in Vietnam :D:D:p

Jesus Wept

Conor Skinny Vegetarianism wrote: »

Probably only in somewhere like Dubai, or some SE Asia regions where expenses/accommodation is also covered. Wouldn't fancy it.

Part-time college Lecturers (in any subject) can generally earn more than full-time staff.

In some countries regular airport taxi drivers can earn more than short-haul/budget-class airline pilots.

Pilots are glorified taxi drivers.

previous user

Luas drivers get paid well, fair play to them.

Fr_Dougal

Deleted User wrote: »

I posted because this is the exact thing that everyone thinks but it isn't true. But I'm quite happy for people to think it is true, I guess. Less competition.

Yeah, remember you posting before that you're on over $100k for teaching English in Vietnam, nice money in fairness.

ChikiChiki

Jesus Wept wrote: »

Pilots are glorified taxi drivers.

Ridiculous statement, absolutly outrageous in fact. Jesus wept is apt.

Chiparus

Mardy Bum wrote: »

There is no way a doctor and a teacher earn a similar salary. A junior doctor earns over 50k after four years continuous work and a teacher earns 38k (up until recent pay agreement this took about 8 years). It takes about 30 years for a teacher to earn 60k and it takes a doctor 10 maximum.

Both salary scales are available online.

To be fair doctors don't get 4+ months holidays every year.

Tilikum

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Oh yeah, that's another I was thinking of. I assume you mean lower than expected, right?

Unless you own a practice, you'd probably be financially better-off as a hospital nurse, and you'd have a better work schedule too.

Correct.

Mardy Bum

Chiparus wrote: »

To be fair doctors don't get 4+ months holidays every year.

I am not saying they should be paid the same. The OP made the point that the salaries are similar when they are not.

Mardy Bum

Mardy Bum wrote: »

There is no way a doctor and a teacher earn a similar salary. A junior doctor earns over 50k after four years continuous work and a teacher earns 38k (up until recent pay agreement this took about 8 years). It takes about 30 years for a teacher to earn 60k and it takes a doctor 10 maximum.

Both salary scales are available online.

You need to add on honours allowance of 5k and in the past masters/teaching through irish/etc allowances plus special posts and you could have a teacher with as much as say a GP. And that's without deputy allowance or principal allowance if they take on that role.Due to hours teacher can give grinds or have a related business outside of school as a nixer. I have many friends earning more than a doctor as a result with much less hours. Looking at basic salary they may be on less but accounting for the above they have good scope for higher income.

Pure tashte

I'm not sure if this is typical but I was chatting to a mechanic with 20+ years experience, currently working in a small private garage in a biggish town in the midlands, earning a bit less than 30k. He said Dublin based mechanics would earn a lot more, and he makes a bit on the side servicing cars in his own time, but I was very surprised that he was payed so little for his full time job.

tara73

architects. you might be well off having your own office with good, reliable clients but working as an employee it's not very well paid regarding the workload and responsibilites architects often have.

Wanderer78

I think this thread is a good example of how bad median wages are, it's very worrying

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Wanderer78

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....and people are still trying to convince us that things such as neoliberalism/globalisation/free(for-all) economics etc etc are working for the majority!

MilesMorales1

Bin-Men/Road sweepers get a decent pay packet apparently.

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And it's only going to get worse over the coming decades.

BAAA RAM EWE

What do guards make?

Yourself isit

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Ridiculous statement, absolutly outrageous in fact. Jesus wept is apt.

The bit in the middle is less mentally taxing than most jobs. They can sleep.

Wanderer78

Yourself isit wrote:

The bit in the middle is less mentally taxing than most jobs. They can sleep.

A pilot once told me, he babysits computers for work! That's a good few years ago now, sounds less taxing as it use to be, stressful at times I would imagine though

Pure tashte

http://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/benefitsservices/pay/Consolidated-Payscales-1st-April-2017.pdf

See page 17, surely this is the ultimate;

Hospital Chaplain, Roman Catholic - Grade 1 €45,849

13k more that a doctor starts on and 20k more than a nurse, not bad wages for giving the last rites!

donegaLroad

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I just finished watching Orange is the New Black. Frigging loved it (

will they all be reunited in Litchfield? And is Piscatella really dead?

? Anyway, I was curious as to how the show could hire so many actors, and was really surprised to hear that the highest-paid actor "only" earns 35k per episode, before tax ... on a per annum basis, that's less than Joe Duffy earns, and this show reaches many millions of people worldwide.

I was also surprised to learn that a group of doctors I know earn about the same, on average, as a group of schoolteachers in our circle of friends. Both groups do important work, but it surprised me.

I have also heard that writing books is no longer financially viable for most authors. There are apparently even hosehold names in this country who live on bursaries and grants, or hold down a second job outside of writing. This probably isn't a new thing. Even James Joyce died almost penniless, after having written 2 contemporaneously-acknowledged masterpieces.

Meanwhile, I once did work experience with a farrier whom at the height of the boom, was bringing home a pay-packet above €80k. Very highly skilled guy, and he didn't finish secondary school.


Any similar examples you guys have experienced?

there was a thread like this a few years ago on boards.ie and one guy turned out to be a farrier, or claimed to know a farrier (I can't remember) but was making a lot more than €80k.

donegaLroad

by the way, some of those fast food vans and trailers make a fortune..

draiochtanois

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Wanderer78

draiochtanois wrote: »

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are we more equal though?

Permabear

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Wanderer78

Permabear wrote: »

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was wondering when you were gonna chime in! BORING!!!!!

Banned for being uncivil.

Yourself isit

draiochtanois wrote: »

Back then a 4 bed semi was uninsulated, single glazed, uncovered floors, probably one bathroom (mostly untiled) probably came without central heating, had no fitted kitchen and Ireland was essentially a second world country now it's one of the richest in the world.

None of that explains the difference. If becoming a first world country means getting poorer after housing costs it seems pointless.

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draiochtanois

draiochtanois wrote: »

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+1, my parents without third level education were able to buy a four bed but I remember the old wooden windows just about ready to fall out, and it was bloody freezin :pac: of a winters morn because of the old oil cooker.

And women automatically gave up work when they married.

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Yourself isit

Permabear wrote: »

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Plenty of IT graduates find getting a job hard. It's a precarious enough industry too. Not appealing to those who like security.