Average wages

Even when the money looks good, it doesn't always tell you the whole story. For instance, a yearly salary may be high but the employee is expected to work very long hours.

So what do you think most people earn?

According to a survey of young people carried out by a well-known bank in 2009, most thought they'd be earning around £53,900 by the time they were 35. In fact, the current average salary for a person of 35 is less than half this amount.

Work areas that are said to be 'high-earning' are:

• Accountancy
• Law
• Medicine 

However...

• The training, which might include university followed by further full time courses, may be very long
• Salaries in some of the more traditionally lower paid work areas (such as retail and hospitality) can be good for some roles (hotel managers and supermarket managers etc.)
• It might take many years of hard work before someone earns a high salary
• Some jobs in 'high paying' sectors pay much better than others - for instance, a business solicitor in a huge city firm will usually earn more than a non-commercial lawyer

A few questions to ask yourself when looking at salaries:

• Is the amount quoted in the job advert the minimum or maximum salary payable?
• What are the long term job prospects?
• Will I have other expenses where I work?
• Will I be expected to do unpaid overtime?

What next?

Look at the salary ranges on the jobs section on Next Step and on our World of Work website. Remember these are broad guidelines NOT what YOU would necessarily receive.