Dear Kamal,

I was intrigued to read in IPT (November 2008) that a UK-based PhD in molecular biology had decided to double his income by becoming a plumber.

Over the last 10 years or so the UK media has carried stories of plumbers earning very high wages. I was once interviewed on a London radio programme very early one morning and was asked to comment on a story which had appeared that morning which said that a London plumber could earn £200,000 per annum. My reaction was to laugh as the previous “record” figure I had read in the press had been £90,000. Even the lower figure was a gross exaggeration.

The IPT item talks about the PhD's plumber earning £33,000 per month while his colleagues were earning up to £60,000 per month. These figures translate into £396,000 or £720,000 per annum.

I think your readers should be reassured that I don't believe there are any individual plumbers in the UK earning these fantastic wages. In the example quoted I am sure that “per month” should have read “per annum” and even then the higher figure is significantly more than will be earned by an average UK plumber today.

Kind regards.

Robert Burgon B.A. MLITT, FPMI, Hon.FCIPHE, FIPA
Chairman
World Plumbing Council
c/o 2 Walker Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 7LB
Scotland