Graduates in the UK in high-profile jobs are more likely to receive a higher salary if they went to a private school, compared to graduates who went to a state school.
This is according to Sutton Trust and UpReach, who looked at information about those working in finance and law. Three years after graduating, students who had gone to private schools earned, on average, £4,500 more.
Factors such as assertiveness, and the university they attended, of course played a role in determining the salary of a graduate, but these factors could have been influenced by attending a fee-paying school.
Their salaries were also found to rise quicker than students from state-schools, experiencing a growth of £3,000 more over the same time period, of three and a half years. Six months after they graduate, independent school alumni earned an average salary of £24,066, which is noticeably higher than the £22,735 earned by state-school alumni.
The type of school attended is not the only reason for someone earning a higher salary of course, but the research suggests that it can carry benefits if you have been educated at a private school.
“We know that graduates from less privileged backgrounds are under-represented in the top professions but today’s research shows that they face disadvantage when it comes to pay progression too,” said Sir Peter Lampl, the Sutton Trust chairman.
“This new research shows us how vital it is that firms do more to improve social mobility through their recruitment practices.”