weapon69

According to a TV programme, London Cabbies(£60,000) earn more than pilots(£55,000) and Fast Food managers (£33,000) earn more than Bank managers(£30,000)

hmmm won't bother with qualifications then

darlodge

I would guess that cabbies have to put in a lot of hours to earn that. Also being a cabbie, there is always overtime available as they run 24/7. Does this figure include overtime or basic wages?

Darren

OllyK

Trouble is not only does it take bloody ages to figure your way round London by the most convoluted route to rack the cost up, it also takes ages to learn how to spout cockney garbage non stop all day long. In comparison, flying a 747 is a doddle, take off, auto pilot on, hand over to co-pilot, head down for 9 hours, auto pilot off, land.

weapon69

I have no idea whether that figure is from basic pay or with overtime or whatever. Still a lot more than i thought they earned!!

ProperCharlie

i doubt that many cabbies are pulling £60k. i thought the average wage was about £35k. bear in mind that it takes 2 years or more to do the knowledge.

ProperCharlie

also, the cost of leasing or buying a cab is pretty high, then you've gpt insurance and whatnot on top. if some prat drives into you you are losing money whilst your cab is off the road. it's not a complete doddle.

weapon69

lol alright.

rr_ww

According to a TV programme....

Sorry I couldnt be bothered to read the rest. Anything interesting?

Jerome

Considering BA pilots used to start (after training) on 35k a few years ago, I'd be surprised if they only earn 55k on average. Having said that, many of the pilots I've spoken to say that their job is actually straightforward. It's when something goes wrong that they start to earn their money...

As for cabbies earning 60k, I be amazed if the average cabbie made that. I've been nearly ripped off by many a black cab that has tried to take me via the palace (when it isn't on the way), but there must be far more mug toruists in the Smoke than I realised.

GU5

Be serious, it's chaos.

Butkus

This might be true - don't let your preconceived ideas make you think it couldn't possibly be right.

I used to work for a firm of accountants, and I remember one of the guys there getting really quite irate when he did the accounts of a cabinet maker and it turned out that he was earning far more than he was - "how can a cabinet maker be earning more than me?!" he shouted. But this guy had trained for probably longer than he had! It's all people's preconceptions!

Tiggs

i have 3 pilots as clients- they all earn over 100k

i have no cabbies......so cant comment on them! at a guess if you remove the top at bottom 5% and avarge the rest i reckon you'd get £26k

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Its as PC says really, around the 30-35k mark for a cabbie putting in a 10hr, 5 day week

But, its the expenses that go against it & they have to adhere to very strict monitoring of vehicle competance on a regular basis etc



Interestingly, the Inland Revenue have a fixed charge for Black Cabbies, whatever they earn. They obviously took the view that it'd be better to get at least something out of them rather than pile through loads of BS that tried to prove they owed nothing!


PCO regulated London Private Hire Vehicles are probably a better and cheaper bet than black cabs as you get a fixed rate Postcode to Postcode that is not subject to going skyward if stuck in a jam.

Danny B

Don't forget that £35k is declared earnings, they probably earn another £5k off the meter.
My Uncle is a Tax inspector and many of his cases have involved cabbies and he reckons they earn far more than what the say they do.
How many times have you jumped in a cab, negotiated a fare, and handed over the cash while the meter wasn't even running?? I have loads of times.

kamikaze

black cabby taking me home talked told me about about pulling in 90k fiddling the tax man. said most cabs were leased.

alll the cabbies where i live live in 250-300k houses

takes 2 years to learn but after that not exactly a skilled job for that amount of money

ProperCharlie

in a black london cab? never AFAICR. they won't let you *negotiate* a fare as you just pay what is on the meter.

as for earning £90k a year - if that was true you wouldn't be able to move in london for prospective cabbies doing the knowledge on honda 50s.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

kamikaze

It takes longer than 2 years to learn (2 yrs is the absolute minimum allowed and is rarely achieved) and involves knowing/remembering every single street/road/alley etc within 6 miles of charing cross, an area in excess of 110 square miles (Pi R Squared). Not only that, you have to know all the hotels, pubs, clubs, restaurants, churches & god knows what else besides. Then you have to know and recite on demand the precise shortest route between any 2 points within that area + know all the "recommended" routes.

During this time, you have "appearances" before an examining board at regular intevals depending on what stage you've got to. At any stage you can be dropped back or not achieve the stage you're going for.

Once you're close, you have a further test on the "suburbs", so places out as far as Richmond or Croydon and the routes between them.

Only after you've passed The Knowledge can you get your license. Then keeping it is subject to rigid checks and scrutiny by the PCO on an annual basis, both of you and the vehicle you drive.


I know that driving per se is not a particularly skillful job, but being able to say that you've passed the Knowledge demands a certain amount of respect and admiration. I've been a London courier for 15 yrs and although I know London like the back of my hand, I don't to the level that cabbies are required to. When you get in a cab, you are paying for that knowledge to get you and yours safely from A-B. I mean, flying an aeroplane is easy once you know how, so why do pilots get paid so well?

Tentenths

...and don't forget that most airline pilots also receive significant additional benefits like final salary pension schemes, generous sick pay packages, private medical insurance whereas the cabbies, being self employed, are entirely on their own.

I think I'm right in saying that in most cities/towns cabbies have to purcahse their "plates". Many councils only issue a finite number of these, so they can be pretty expensive. For example, in Chelmsford I believe that the going rate for a plate is (or certainly was) in excess of £35,000.

davyboy

I don't think many Pilots earn 100k sort of salaries, maybe if they are captains and have been with carriers such as BA for a good few years.

There are some who work for Baby BMI, Flybe etc etc, who earn nowhere near the kind of figures being mentioned. I think Ryan Air pilots are on a fairly good wage, but they are flying up to there maximum allowed hour regularly.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

London Black Cabbies cannot purchase their plates - they have to do The Knowledge.

davyboy

Easy jet First Officer gets about 40k per year IIRC. Wages average from about 30k to 75k - 6 Days on, 2 off.

Tentenths

Stand corrected

Tentenths

... and cabbies don't get to "layover" in very nice hotels with the trolley dollys

Danny B

I went from Holborn tube station > Hatton Cross underground one night (after missing the last tube) and negotiated a £45 fare off the meter before I set foot in the cab, the cash went straight in his pocket when we reached Hatton Cross.

Jerome

Taken from here

Salary varies according to the airline and the size and type of aeroplane. Generally, salaries are higher if you are piloting jets as opposed to turbojet aircraft, and jumbo jet pilots may get a higher remuneration than a B737 pilot. If you have undertaken sponsored training with an airline, the cost of your training may be deducted from your salary over a period of years. Under the easyJet (http://www.easyjet.com) sponsorship scheme this amounts to a deduction of £1,000 per month over seven years. The following salaries take these deductions into account: First Officer, approx £18,000; Senior First Captain, approx £25,000; Captain, £48,000.

Qualified pilots joining easyJet would receive basic pay as follows: First Officer, approx £30,000; Senior First Officer, approx £37,000; Captain, approx £60,000. To this should be added pay for each sector flown - typically 420 per year. Training captains, type rating instructors, type rating examiners and airborne base instuctors earn more. In 2003, an experienced Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com/) captain can currently expect a salary package of between approximately £88,000 and £102,000. A first officer with three years' experience can expect to earn around £70,000.

Tiggs

have to admit my clients dont work for budget airlines i didnt know you got a pilot with easyjet....i assumed it was just left to whoever choose to sit up front?