You might be struggling hard to earn a living, but still might not be earning as much as someone repairing your leaky pipes. No, we are not kidding. A plumber in London earns enough to afford a place to live in the most exclusive areas of the city and to go on luxury holidays in the Maldives.
In fact, he earns more than the UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and he doesn't work on the weekends! Stephen Fry, 34, earns £210,000 as a plumber in Kensington by fixing blocked toilets and broken taps for the Capital's richest residents.
He told the Mail on Sunday: "I am one of Pimlico's best-paid plumbers, but also one of the most tired." Fry said that the secret to his success is burning the candle at both ends and taking advantage of a shortage of tradesmen, Mirror.co.uk reported.
Fry, who grew up in Croxley Green, Herts, joined the firm Pimlico Plumbers in 2013, set up by entrepreneur Charlie Mullins — a man who is himself a rags-to-riches businessman and is believed to be worth around £75 million.
A Jobcentre suggested Fry do an apprenticeship when he was 17 and said it would be for four years at £100 a week. After completing the apprenticeship, Fry set up his own business in his early 20s and began working for London-based Pimlico Plumbers five years ago.
"Every day is fun," he said. "You can go to a place where some woman has water gushing through the ceilings and is crying, so it's a nice feeling when you stop the water and make her happy."
Due to the shortage of qualified tradesmen in the capital has led to wages rocketing for the plumbers. Fry works from 8 am to 6 pm on weekdays but is also on called for an overnight on Monday and Tuesday, bringing his total work time for a week to a staggering 58 hours.
Mullins said more than 200 of his tradesmen earn £200,000 or more a year. He said Fry is one of the best in the business and is certainly well rewarded. Other tradesmen earn almost £100,000 or more.
Workers who earn less than £100,000, that is, around £70,000, are already in the top 5 percent of earners in the UK, while the average UK salary is about £28,000 — incidentally, around the wage of the average plumber.
