This week I was asked to participate in a Careers Afternoon Carousel for second year students. Since my dear friend, a teacher, invited me to take part I must admit I have been very excited. Armed with a stack of newspapers I planned to go in guns blazing and convince all of these impressionable 13-year-olds that reporting is one hell of a career. You get to hold power to account, meet interesting people doing interesting things, cover events you might not otherwise have attended, type until your fingers bleed. But since news broke that senior staff at Glasgow City Council are receiving substantial payments, I’m having second thoughts.

Realistically kids, you should become a solicitor - but don’t stop there, I’ll say. Become a solicitor, and work your way up to becoming a chief executive. Once at the top, you can earn upwards of £224,690 per year, regardless of a cost of living crisis or £107 million black hole in the local authority budget. Even better, when you take early retirement, leave on a six-figure exit package.

Those students might look up at me wild-eyed. There’s no way that’s a real job, they will think, shuffling off to learn about working at the Barclays Campus. But it is! Look at Annemarie O’Donnell. She retired from Glasgow City Council in May, aged 59, and was given a £357,845 contribution to her pension. This is after years spent earning 7.5 times the average Glasgow salary. Elaine Galletly, former director of Legal and Administration, got a nearly £60,000 compensation payment for........

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