Originally Posted by
Non Emmett
There has been much interesting and no doubt well informed opinion here on the vexed subject of senior officers. This civvie completely fails to appreciate whey we need so many of Air rank,
It was pointed out today that there are actually few senior officers on pay around £100k, less than 500, against 40,000 doctors on higher than that.
indeed why we need more than say 40% of the Wing Commanders and Group Captains we have. Squadron Leaders?
They are all in established posts although a case could be made for getting rid of some of these posts.
All I can get my head round is that £50K in the private sector is a hell of a good salary
But less than an airline pilot and half that of a doctor and less than a police constable when overtime is added.
To return to the subject of public perception
as well you might. Service pay is in the public domain and you can usually see what you neighbour is earning. Private sector pay has an average of about £23k with many man people on £10k-£12k but you might be surprised what many people in the private sector earn. Our local DIY shop owner sends both children to a fee paying school.
My view over decades has been that amongst the very best and most competent and can do people I have met have been in the military whilst many others have been fully deserving of their rank......... but I have felt over the years that a small proportion have been a major disappointment and would probably not have survived in any plc I have worked in over the decades.
How have you gained that perception?
PS At a guess, one doctor is responsible for about the same number of patients as one senior officer is of men in the Services.