The Duchess of Cambridge, as you might have heard, is on the look-out for a new personal assistant to her Private Secretary.
Kensington Palace said it is on the hunt for someone to support the Duchess of Cambridge in her official and charity work, providing a range of admin and operational support including organising travel, managing their diary, monitoring emails and taking minutes.
The new person also needs to be a big fan of the Duchess’s work.
The Palace is looking for someone with experience too, with the successful candidate showing previous secretarial and administrative responsibility, excellent IT skills and interpersonal skills and being good at organisation.
And all that for...£27,500.
That might sound about right to some people, given how poorly Brits are paid in this country, but actually, it’s below average.
And let’s not forget, the work is for one of the richest and most powerful families in the world.
So, £27k doesn’t actually sound like a lot. And Twitter is pointing it out.
How much is the average salary then, we hear you ask? Well, it’s a little bit complicated at the moment due to Covid, as the pandemic made it somewhat difficult to collect data from businesses.
But according to the latest earnings analysis (2021) from the ONS, the average salary for full-time workers was £31,285 (you might see figures floating around online between £24-25k but these may be based on part-time salaries, after tax figures, and from bodies which collate their data differently - HMRC has different data, for example).
You also have to consider how the average salary is impacted by region. London, for example, has higher earnings than other parts of the country. Don’t forget that high-earning CEOs, executives and figures on six-figure salaries boost up the average.
While it can vary from industry to industry, depending on level of seniority and experience, the median London earning according to some research is around £39,716 (though some sources cite as high a salary as £53,000). Some of the most common pay ranges in the capital are between £32,000-£36,000 and £36,000 to £39,000.
The cost of living is also higher here too, therefore the London living wage is applied to some roles.
So given some of the high figures here, a pay of £27k for a role that’s sure to be stressful, potentially dangerous, and outside a traditional 9-5, seems rather low.
And yes, the problem isn’t exclusive to the Royal family and workers around the country are earning lower than the pay advertised by the Palace – but what does that say about our culture of work in the UK, when so many people are underpaid?
Many of our European counterparts are excelling in this realm, paying their workers a decent wage while also ensuring excellent healthcare and education systems.
We should rise to these standards as opposed to accepting menial pay for poor conditions.
Let’s also not forget the squeeze that cost of living is having many of us. Which is why we need to demand more from our bosses, even if they may be royalty.