The best and worst paid jobs in the world
What do a pole dancer and an airline pilot have in common? Well they both make a living from whizzing around in the air but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. In fact, the connection between the two is that they roughly take home the same pay each year. That may seem surprising to many considering the training, cost and responsibility an airline pilot has to shoulder in order to fly planes but perhaps it’s more of a reflection of how much money there in the sex industry.
And it’s not the only surprising comparison when you look at the pay scales for many of the nation’s workers. Real life James Bonds’ or MI5 agents earn roughly the same as refuge collectors or electricians. Paramedics and nurses often work longer hours and earn less than a manager at Starbucks. Even the current British Prime Minister, David Cameron, only takes home in one year roughly the same pay as footballer, David Beckham, makes in one week.
Of course not everyone works to earn money, spiritual leaders often earn less than the average wage despite hours of public speaking and fund raising duties. Muslim imams’ earn between $7,500(£5,000) and $22,500(£15,000) per year while Jewish rabbis and Church of England clergy get slightly more at $30,000(£20,000) per year.
At the opposite end of the spectrum both in terms of pay and lifestyle are city workers and banking staff, the average worker at Goldman Sachs scooped a pay package of $430,000 (£269,000) in 2010.
So how do you fair in the pay scales?
The top and bottom earners
1. $0 to $15,000 (£0 – £10,000)
Cleaners, fast food restaurant staff, car wash cleaners, school cooks, Imams, film extras, child minders, newspaper delivery people, checkout staff, florists
2. $15,001 to $30,000 (£10,001 – £20,000)
Manual workers, laborers, farm workers, call center staff, Army privates, air cabin crew, hairdressers, counselors, nurses, factory workers, bus drivers, local government workers, IT technicians, data entry staff, receptionists, rabbis, vicars, bank cashiers.
3. $30,001 to $45,000 (£20,001 – £30,000)
4. $45,001 to $60,000 (£30,001 – £40,000)
Newly qualified airline pilots, pole dancers, police officers, tea tasters, customs officers, cab drivers, prison officers, architects, junior doctors, welders, deep sea divers, university lecturers, sound engineers, food testers, health and safety assessors.
5. $60,001 to $75,000 (£40,001 – £50,000)
Accountants, solicitors, officers in the Army, management consultants, IT consultants, network engineers, telecommunications engineers, geologists, ethical hackers, air traffic controllers, bounty hunters, submariner engineers.
6. $75,001 to $100,000 (£50,001 – £67,000)
Senior managers, university deans, headmasters, offshore oil rig workers, senior PR executives, dentists, Army majors, corporate lawyers, junior analyst at investment bank, celebrity stylists, film producers, MP’s, lumberjacks.
7. $100,001 to $200,000 (£67,001 – £134,000)
Partners in Accounting and Law firms, Senior Judges, members of Congress, financial advisers, senior police officers, stockbrokers, heads of state, foreign ambassadors, senior doctors, private psychotherapists.
8. Over $200,000 (£134,000+)
CEO’s of large companies, celebrities, sporting stars, bestselling authors, football managers, investment bankers, Media moguls, professional bloggers and Bill gates.
