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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for my pay to match an equal colleague?

41 replies

Irishbell · 23/04/2023 12:17

I work in a private school and my equal colleague with the same job description as me has just told me that they earn £1k a year more than me.
I want to raise this with the head and ask for my pay to match theirs but I don’t want my friend and colleague to get into trouble for telling me how much they earn.
would IBU for telling the head that I want it matched?
thank you.

OP posts:
Gazelda · 23/04/2023 12:18

Have you worked there the same length of time?

Original poster
Irishbell · 23/04/2023 12:20

No. I’ve worked there for less time.

OP posts:
shivawn · 23/04/2023 12:21

Do you get a yearly review? It's likely because they've worked there longer.

AppleKatie · 23/04/2023 12:22

What job do you do? Is there a pay scale based on experience?

cryinglaughing · 23/04/2023 13:04

Does she have exactly the same job, or a bit more responsibility?
Is it that you are just behind her because of the difference in time worked?

SweetSakura · 23/04/2023 13:09

This is a bizarrely naive post.

Surely it's normal for there to be a degree of differentiation due to time in post /performance etc

WCRoulade · 23/04/2023 13:11

What do you mean by equal colleague? Are they a different sex, orientation, race?

If it's not a protected characteristic then they can actually pay you differently all they like.

Also usually it has to be >5% difference so £1k is not necessarily going to be considered unequal pay

But it never hurts to ask

Sissynova · 23/04/2023 13:12

Irishbell · 23/04/2023 12:20

No. I’ve worked there for less time.

So not exactly your “equal colleague” then?

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 23/04/2023 13:13

Well, you can ask.

but I’m a teacher. I do the same job as my colleague. She’s on M3, I’m on UPS3. I earn more than she does. Experience counts 🤷🏻‍♀️

OnlyFannys · 23/04/2023 13:16

I have the same role as a colleague and I know I get paid more so she could say the same thing however I also know that I have significantly more experience than her (15 years vs 2 years) as well as a masters degree in my field and I have worked there longer. So you may see it as "equal" but thats not always the case, I was able to negotiate a higher salary due to my experience

FourEyesGood · 23/04/2023 13:18

Have you been a teacher for as long as they have?

Swanfavourite · 23/04/2023 13:18

I'm guessing that your colleague is on the same pay scale as you but higher up? If they have been there longer than you that's pretty normal. As you know, for teachers, progression up the scale is related to performance. So if they have been meeting or exceeding their targets they will have progressed. If you haven't met targets you won't progress at the same rate.

Or - you could have started on the same scale point but as they've been there longer they have been progressing up for longer than you.
You're a teacher, you know this. Of course you can ask...

Oblomov23 · 23/04/2023 13:37

Why on earth would they give you that, if she's been there longer?

Valhalla17 · 23/04/2023 13:40

No, because they've been there longer. There will always be a little differentiation based on tenure and performance. If it was 20k disparity you can ask, but 1k....really OP?

ReadersD1gest · 23/04/2023 13:42

Irishbell · 23/04/2023 12:20

No. I’ve worked there for less time.

You're not equal 🤷🏻‍♀️

GoodChat · 23/04/2023 13:44

Presumably she's had an annual increase that you haven't had...

Wishawisha · 23/04/2023 13:48

It’s very normal in private sector to get different salaries to colleagues. In my last job people were on vastly different salaries. Slightly different teams, different performance etc. Also on different contracts due to standard working practices when they were hired eg holiday days for some were different, legacy pension schemes.

ididntwanttodoit · 23/04/2023 14:01

Most teachers progress through a salary scale according to years in post, as well as having payment for specific responsibilities, so the difference in salary could be experience related.

TearsforBeers · 23/04/2023 14:18

Surely it's to do with where you are on a salary scale?

That's normal.

Ohow · 23/04/2023 14:42

It'll be from an inflation rise or something as they've worked there longer. leave it alone

SweetSakura · 23/04/2023 14:43

I know state schools have salary scales but op works at private school - I imagine they have even more discretion in how much they pay?

I work in public sector (not teaching) and as well as different points on salary scale (due to mix of length of service/performance) there are times when people get extra uplifts above the normal salary scale for different reasons (eg retention,. performance).

Biker47 · 23/04/2023 14:56

If you get it, I hope your colleague asks for more as they would now be getting paid the same as a less experienced member of staff.

Greenfairydust · 23/04/2023 14:59

Don't be daft. She has been there for longer than you so it likely she earns more simply because she got yearly pay increments...completely normal.

Original poster
Irishbell · 23/04/2023 17:03

I’m just as experienced as a teacher but just not in this school. Thank you for clarifying though.

OP posts:
Ariela · 23/04/2023 17:07

I'm sure you'll get a review at some point, so just make sure you've got all the boxes ticked so you can show how good a teacher you are, and ask for consideration to a payrise being given