| As a child, when you thought you wanted to be a | | | | average of £101,627 to be exact) looks paltry in |
| fireman or a nurse when you grew up, the concept of | | | | comparison. In third place, with an average salary of |
| salaries had never even entered your head. Even | | | | £84,000 pa, Financial Managers and Chartered |
| when deciding what courses to study at university | | | | Secretaries begin reducing the earnings gap. Medical |
| most students will prioritise long term career | | | | Practitioners gross £78,882 every year, proving that |
| satisfaction over money. However, when your | | | | over six years at university does pay off. |
| earnings are not enough to secure a mortgage or do | | | | Senior Government Officials and Aviation Pilots |
| not afford you life’s luxuries, perhaps motivators | | | | Engineers earn around £69,000 and £65,000 |
| change. What if you could retire at 55 instead of 65, or | | | | respectively and from there on the playing field evens |
| even at 40 for that matter? | | | | out. The next 11 occupations on GMB’s list of 314 |
| If you are considering a career change you may be | | | | professions all attract salaries in the £50,000 to |
| interested in the following top ten occupations for | | | | 59,999 bracket – from Mining and Energy Managers |
| earning potential: | | | | to Advertising and Public Relations Managers at 17th |
| 1. Directors and Chief Executives of Major | | | | on the list. These professionals are joined by IT |
| Organisations | | | | Consultants, Local Government Officials, Air Traffic |
| 2. Brokers | | | | Controllers, Senior HR and Industrial Relations |
| 3. Financial Managers and Chartered Secretaries | | | | Representatives, Financial Institution Managers and |
| 4. Medical Practitioners | | | | Police Inspectors. |
| 5. Senior Officials in National Governments | | | | Not surprisingly the private sector features prominently |
| 6. Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers | | | | in the top 20 occupations, however, GMB’s list |
| 7. Managers in Mining and Energy | | | | indicated the wage gap is decreasing for the public |
| 8. Research and Development Managers | | | | sector and the majority of public sector positions were |
| 9. Marketing and Sales Managers | | | | offering salaries over the UK average of £29,999. |
| 10. Solicitors and Lawyers, Judges and Coroners | | | | Whichever sector or industry you work in you can |
| According to GMB’s review of occupations and | | | | increase your earning potential simply by shopping |
| earnings, Directors and Chief Executives earn close to | | | | around for your next employer. Or if you like your |
| £215,000 per annum, which is more than seven times | | | | employer but feel you are underpaid, equip yourself |
| the average UK salary of £29,999. Those fortunate | | | | with salary information which will give you far greater |
| enough to be at board level earn twice as much as | | | | bargaining power at your next pay review, the salary |
| Brokers, whose salary of just over £100,000 (an | | | | surveys on this website can help you out. |