How much would James Bond earn in real life?
Discussion
P-Jay said:
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 s
t-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.
Sounds like the absolute polar opposite of bond to me? Dressed like a scruffy builder and did work scuzzy housing estates and 3rd world s
t-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
sidekickdmr said:
P-Jay said:
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.
Sounds like the absolute polar opposite of bond to me? Dressed like a scruffy builder and did work scuzzy housing estates and 3rd world s
t-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
Bond's all for Queen and Country, so is Nick Stone to some degree, but he's far more cynical and pragmatic.
His relationships with women are usually a disaster, although like Bond a few die along the way because of their involvement with him, but instead of being a bit of a Cad who hides his mental issues with Booze he suffers with PTSD and depression.
They're actually pretty good books IMO, bit samey in parts and he sticks to the basics - but has some interesting plot lines which are far more believable than Bond.
Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 30th September 16:50
Official salary is going to be based on your rank, so I would assume that the numbers posted are probably correct - something around the £80k mark sounds about right. But this will be the starting point I am sure though. Given the travel, I would suggest that he doesnt pay tax due to non-residence and other things like cars, flat / accommodation are provided. Then there will be the pension (why else would he be doing this?) and an expense account for "keeping up appearances" - probably runs to another £100k in reality, but will be managed for him.
Almost impossible to work out a total package and they certainly would never advertise it. But I suspect that £80k a year with almost no outgoings really builds up after a few years. I have worked with and know a few ex-spooks (from both sides of the Atlantic) and they never technically made a lot of money, they didnt spend it though, so amassed quite a lot of savings as a result. Back-room analysts packages are not comparable to front line agents....
Almost impossible to work out a total package and they certainly would never advertise it. But I suspect that £80k a year with almost no outgoings really builds up after a few years. I have worked with and know a few ex-spooks (from both sides of the Atlantic) and they never technically made a lot of money, they didnt spend it though, so amassed quite a lot of savings as a result. Back-room analysts packages are not comparable to front line agents....
off_again said:
. Given the travel, I would suggest that he doesnt pay tax due to non-residence and other things..
Surely if he's undercover he wouldn't be able to declare he's out of the country? The baddies would be checking his Facebook account to see if he'd checked in at Moldovastan international airport and tagged Felix in the photo of the plane.
THX said:
Brilliant.
Now some of our Powerfully Built Company Directors, who may earn a similar amount (if not more), are going to assume they're just like James Bond.
Perhaps the goatees are part of the ensemble and can be shaved off tout suite should the need arise after a particularly heated conversation with a bad parking abilities in the local Waitrose car park.Now some of our Powerfully Built Company Directors, who may earn a similar amount (if not more), are going to assume they're just like James Bond.
RichB said:
Moonhawk said:
Not to mention that fact that according to Casino Royale - he actually won one of his classic Astons in a poker game...
Not in the sequence the books were published, he still has the Bentley in CR and doesn't get the Aston Martin DB MkIII until Goldfinger.Bond was still using his Bentley in the book of OHMSS which is the third from last Bond book.
Mr Will said:
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?).
I thought I had issues phoning up HMRC, I can't imagine trying to explain to Alan in self assessments that I was a civil servant who'd taken a Hercules in and out of the country and whose boss didn't want to confirm or deny it.I wonder if it'd work.
From a slightly more PH perspective,in one of the original books it is mentioned that he had spent some time around the fringes of the motor racing world and it is implied that he had raced at Le Mans.
Pay per race/ good enough amateur? £250k plus for a reasonable level GT season in today's terms?
Does suggest that his salary isn't really paying the bills,very much like Household Div/Cav regiments where the salary really should only cover the mess bill, old boy.
Pay per race/ good enough amateur? £250k plus for a reasonable level GT season in today's terms?
Does suggest that his salary isn't really paying the bills,very much like Household Div/Cav regiments where the salary really should only cover the mess bill, old boy.
ooo000ooo said:
off_again said:
. Given the travel, I would suggest that he doesnt pay tax due to non-residence and other things..
Surely if he's undercover he wouldn't be able to declare he's out of the country? The baddies would be checking his Facebook account to see if he'd checked in at Moldovastan international airport and tagged Felix in the photo of the plane.
He walks into the world's top hotels and it is greeted with "Mr Bond, welcome back".
He's never been the most secret of secret agents.
Asterix said:
THX said:
Brilliant.
Now some of our Powerfully Built Company Directors, who may earn a similar amount (if not more), are going to assume they're just like James Bond.
Perhaps the goatees are part of the ensemble and can be shaved off tout suite should the need arise after a particularly heated conversation with a bad parking abilities in the local Waitrose car park.Now some of our Powerfully Built Company Directors, who may earn a similar amount (if not more), are going to assume they're just like James Bond.
PHB; how much do you earn a year?
Nobody; between 30 and 40k? Or thereabouts, it's none of your business, really.
PHB; You don't earn enough to warrant that watch. What do you drive?
Nobody; 5 Series BM?
PHB; Is it remapped?
Nobody: f
k SAKE. NO!!!PHB; Should be.
PHB then stabs nobody in the throat. Leaves with Nobody's wife.
Tango13 said:
RichB said:
Moonhawk said:
Not to mention that fact that according to Casino Royale - he actually won one of his classic Astons in a poker game...
Not in the sequence the books were published, he still has the Bentley in CR and doesn't get the Aston Martin DB MkIII until Goldfinger.Ayahuasca said:
I am not sure it is a job you do for the money.
They tend to be attached to embassies, no? A third secretary in the diplomatic service earns mid 40's, plus housing allowance, plus pension, plus bits and pieces, and pays tax on it all.
Yep... he'd definitely be paying tax on it... one of my good friends was the UK ambassador to the country that I used to live in... they were forever upset at the fact that though I spent less time there than them I was entirely tax free whereas, as a member of HM Government all embassy staff worldwide pay full UK income tax on all income.They tend to be attached to embassies, no? A third secretary in the diplomatic service earns mid 40's, plus housing allowance, plus pension, plus bits and pieces, and pays tax on it all.
K50 DEL said:
Ayahuasca said:
I am not sure it is a job you do for the money.
They tend to be attached to embassies, no? A third secretary in the diplomatic service earns mid 40's, plus housing allowance, plus pension, plus bits and pieces, and pays tax on it all.
Yep... he'd definitely be paying tax on it... one of my good friends was the UK ambassador to the country that I used to live in... they were forever upset at the fact that though I spent less time there than them I was entirely tax free whereas, as a member of HM Government all embassy staff worldwide pay full UK income tax on all income.They tend to be attached to embassies, no? A third secretary in the diplomatic service earns mid 40's, plus housing allowance, plus pension, plus bits and pieces, and pays tax on it all.
I do remember reading some of the books when I was younger, Fleming goes to some trouble to make it clear that these adventures are a rare occurance and 90% of the time his job is office based paperwork, he isn't constantly on combat training exercises in case some villan pops his head out of his hollowed out volcano.
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