<P> Typical jobs include: accountants, architects, solicitors, surveyors, social workers, teachers, managers, specialist IT workers, engineers, doctors, university - educated nurses and civil servants . Displays of conspicuous consumption are considered vulgar by them; instead they prefer to channel excess income into investments, especially property . </P> <P> Members of the middle - class are often politically and socially engaged and might be regular churchgoers, sit on local committees and governing boards or stand for political office . Education is greatly valued by the middle classes: they will make every effort to ensure their children get a university education; they may pay for private education, or go to great lengths to get their children into good state or selective grammar schools, such as moving house into the catchment area . </P> <P> They also value culture and make up a significant proportion of the book - buying and theatre - going public . They typically read broadsheet newspapers rather than tabloids . Typical Mosaic geodemographic types would include Provincial Privilege . The middle classes particularly of England are often popularly referred to as "Middle England". </P> <P> The comedy character Margo Leadbetter is a satirical stereotype for this group, as is Jilly Cooper's Howard Weybridge . </P>

When did the class system start in england