Private schoolers earn more

Graduates of private schools earn almost seven percent more than their state-educated counterparts from the same university in the same job, suggests a study published by a UK economic think-tank on Thursday.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) research provides new evidence on earning disparities between graduates of different socio-economic backgrounds, focusing particularly on whether or not they were privately educated.

Pay gaps between graduates of the same university suggest that higher education is not the “leveller” for economic mobility that it was hoped to be.

The effect was significantly more marked among male graduates, for whom the “private school premium” earned them up to 20 percent more than state school counterparts.

Differences in earnings may be rooted in values more commonly promoted in private schools as a part of their education programme, such as self-confidence and ambition.

Other such characteristics, unobserved by the study, may include “ability, social skills, determination” among others, said Warwick University economist and Institute for Fiscal Studies research fellow, Dr Claire Crawford.

“Education is often regarded as a route to social mobility.

“But our research shows that, even amongst those who succeed in obtaining a degree, family background – and in particular the type of school they went to – continues to influence their success in the work place.”