How much would James Bond earn in real life?

How much would James Bond earn in real life?

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Ari

Original Poster:

19,328 posts

214 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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Ok, first off I appreciate he's a fantasy movie figure, but James Bond is always portrayed as very wealthy. The flat, the classic Aston Martin (ok a company car in early films, but portrayed as his own car in later ones, albeit we also saw him winning it in Casino Royale), the clothes, the expensive tastes in restaurants, etc.

One of the books (Gardner, not Fleming) makes reference to an inheritance, but that's a fair way into the story.

So if such a thing as a real James Bond exists - how much would he realistically be earning?

sidekickdmr

5,065 posts

205 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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The suits and lifestyle are part of the cover so would be on expenses i assume, as would the travel and the day to day expenses.

What have you seen him "personally" pay for in any films?

Id guess a government salary of about £80,000?

TheEnd

15,370 posts

187 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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Public sector worker, so he'd be getting more than he should anyway...

P-Jay

10,551 posts

190 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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SIS or MI6 staff start on £19k and it goes up to £49k - they don't have a listing for "Playboy Assassin" on their site sadly.

Even thought it's obviously the stuff of movies, it's probably naïve to think the UK Government has never got involved in any 'wet work', but it's probably been done by military types rather than intelligence types.

James Bond the character is an independently wealthy orphan in most versions of the story, his cover is sometimes a wealthy playboy aristocrat, but sometimes he's just a rep for "Universal Exports".

Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 30th September 14:23


Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 30th September 14:25

trickywoo

11,706 posts

229 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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sidekickdmr said:
Id guess a government salary of about £80,000?
Good guess, sounds about right http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/pay-benefits-a...

OllieC

3,816 posts

213 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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don't get me started on his pension

Phil Dicky

7,162 posts

262 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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Can't be short to have left that property in Scotland neglected for so long. Saying that he fked it up when he did return smile

williamp

19,215 posts

272 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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Dont forget all the holiday he's had. His boss has, several demanding he has a fortnights leave.

Probably q member of unison too,..

Ari

Original Poster:

19,328 posts

214 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
P-Jay said:
SIS or MI6 staff start on £19k and it goes up to £49k - they don't have a listing for "Playboy Assassin" on their site sadly.

Even thought it's obviously the stuff of movies, it's probably naïve to think the UK Government has never got involved in any 'wet work', but it's probably been done by military types rather than intelligence types.

James Bond the character is an independently wealthy orphan in most versions of the story, his cover is sometimes a wealthy playboy aristocrat, but sometimes he's just a rep for "Universal Exports".
I'd say 99% of the time he's the sales rep, in the books and the movies, which doesn't really tie in with the expensive suits, Aston Martin and first class travel being cover expenses.

Ari

Original Poster:

19,328 posts

214 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
Ah, now he is at the rank of Commander in the Navy (although not serving, obviously).

Commander / Lieutenant Colonel - £68,679 to £79,524

dmitsi

3,583 posts

219 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
Phil Dicky said:
Can't be short to have left that property in Scotland neglected for so long. Saying that he fked it up when he did return smile
Insurance job I reckon.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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He could easily fiddle his expenses......

"M, I need £500K to get the attention of the baddie at the casino."

and later...


"Got a bit of bad news M, he's a better card player than I am."

Impasse

15,099 posts

240 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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Maybe if he didn't have freebie access to First Class travel and a decent tailor he might become inclined to pilfer a quid or two from the various assignments he's been on. The expense account could be seen as being a way of removing temptation.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

218 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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My understanding that his actual salary isn't much £50-£80k in today's money.

What he does have however is an unlimited expense account - and all the equipment (car, watches, suits etc) are provided as part of his cover. Not to mention that fact that according to Casino Royale - he actually won one of his classic Astons in a poker game. He can probably make a lot of money on the side playing poker.

He often has to appear legitimately wealthy to infiltrate high end criminal circles - hence his expensive tastes etc.

It'd be a bit of a giveaway if he ordered room service consisting of a pint of bitter top and a burger instead of a bottle of Bollinger and some caviar. biggrin

Dog Star

16,079 posts

167 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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One of the books (the originals) - I think it might be Moonraker - mentions his salary (how it allows him to do this and that, keep his housekeeper (May) and stuff. I cannot remember the amount - however whatever that amount is I'd index link that. He won 15K (iirc) off Sir Hugo Drax and that was an utter fortune.

Personally I'd disregard all the modern "Skyfall" flim-flam.

fido

16,752 posts

254 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
He could easily fiddle his expenses......

"M, I need £500K to get the attention of the baddie at the casino."

and later...


"Got a bit of bad news M, he's a better card player than I am."
I can imagine after spanking a few £xxxx on high-class escorts to look the part.

Mr Will

13,719 posts

205 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
Okay, lets assume £80k per year.

What expenses would he have to pay for in day to day life? No mortgage, no family, pretty much all of day to day life can go on the expense account. Not to mention the possible tax implications of being out of the country for most of the year (would that work for a government employee?).

That £80k is pretty much all either play money or savings.

Studio117

4,250 posts

190 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
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SpudLink

5,671 posts

191 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
Ari said:
I'd say 99% of the time he's the sales rep, in the books and the movies, which doesn't really tie in with the expensive suits, Aston Martin and first class travel being cover expenses.
I always figured his cover was 'Independently wealthy playboy, doing a bit of work for Universal Exports to keep the family happy'.

A bit like Mark Thatcher, or Prince Andrew.

P-Jay

10,551 posts

190 months

Tuesday 30th September 2014
quotequote all
Mr Will said:
Okay, lets assume £80k per year.

What expenses would he have to pay for in day to day life? No mortgage, no family, pretty much all of day to day life can go on the expense account. Not to mention the possible tax implications of being out of the country for most of the year (would that work for a government employee?).

That £80k is pretty much all either play money or savings.
You get the impression he's not really in it for the money, he's an easy come, easy go type - can't imagine Bond having an ISA or Post Office account, he probably has his salary paid into some little private bank, owned by someone his Dad knew who makes sure he doesn't get his Gas turned off when he's away with work.

If you wanted a more modern, down to Earth version of Bond you could do worse than 'Nick Stone' Andy McNabb's character in his fiction books - he worked for SIS on a self-employed basis, would get a few hundred quid a day paid into account he could access with a ATM card in someone else's name for expenses - he made a point of withdrawing the lot every day whether he needed it or not and spent his life boom to bust - when he was working he'd buy houses and fancy motorbikes, but the house was always half finished and he lived in a tent in one of the bedrooms because the roof was damaged and had to leave the bike when someone was after him, at one point it was living in a 'dossers hostel' in London.

Dressed like a scruffy builder and did work scuzzy housing estates and 3rd world st-holes for money.

The closest he got to "Q Branch" or an Aston was a Maplin switch under the steering wheel of his Punto hire car that cut the circuit to the rear lights if he was being chased at night.

Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 30th September 16:13