town planners

[stonekicker]

what do they do and once qualified (MSc) how much do they earn? some ideas would be great. thanks x

[Lil O'lady]

Most town planners seem to be employed in local government, in planning and environmetal departments. It does not pay hugely but is secure (ish) with well controlled working condtions. Pay scales to vary according to the size of the council but a graduate should expect to start on an APT&C scale 4 or 5 - this document gives a rough idea of what this could comprise:
http://www.glam.ac.uk/downloads/apt&c07.doc

[buildersmate]

It's a relatively small market of demand, with supply exceeding that demand. This tends to drive down earnings levels. I suspect (but don't know) that many folks qualified as 'town planners' actually do very different things in their careers. Of all the chartered professions - engineering, accountants, lawyers etc. - civil engineering and architects tend to get the rough end of the stick, earnings-wise.
Higher earnings are achieved in private practice - planning consultants, environmental consultants and the like.