To not accept a low ball offer?

[5599katherine]

I have been working in Private Education as Deputy Head for 3 years. I have worked really hard and completed my NPQH this year, which I paid for, myself.
I am being interviewed for the Head position at my school, where I am against external canidates.
I have heard rumors that I will be lowballed for the position - and I am aware of how the budgeting works.
What type of increase should I expect for this promotion?
If I get lowballed, how should I respond? I have made the decision that if the numbers are lower than my expectations, I will finish my contract and leave. I really dont know how to navigate these situations - my head says I should be grateful for the gold plated opportunity!
I am in my 30s, and saving for a home.

Do you have another job to go to if you just leave? Does the person spreading this rumour have an agenda themselves? It sounds like it will be your first head position so don't keep your expectations too high either, although I guess if you don't need the job you can be as demanding as you like!

Do you want to leave? Obviously you don't want to sell yourself short but getting the head position at a private school in your 30s would be great and pave the way for future earning potential. I wouldn't cut my nose off to spite my face.

If you're not offered what the external going rate on the advert was, simply negotiate with them. They have the budget if it was on offer externally.

I think you have to be aware of the benchmark for a fair and average salary range at market rate for a head position at a similar school.

If you are offered something within this range then great.

If offered something below this range, you can always ask for conditions to be attached to the offer such as base salary increase of x% if x conditions are met after x time period. You'll know better than me what these metrics could be but I would imagine they could be around student and team retention, numbers and achievements or/and budget management.

Not sure if it's worth leaving if you don't get it or if you get a low offer. Private schools are a business so I'd play it like any other senior role package negotiation.

Take the job, get the experience and move on if they can’t meet your salary expectations. Don’t cut off your nose and end up in the state sector at an oversubscribed hellhole.

Research the market so you have a reasonable idea what a headteacher’s role in schools of a similar size / with similar levels of responsibility is paid.

Somebody who’s told you that you’re going to be “low balled” is probably shit stirring and doesn’t have your best interests at heart. It wouldn’t be unusual, for example, or unfair, for your offer to be at the lower end of the pay scale, or lower than that requested by an external candidate, if it’s in recognition of you having less experience but the school having confidence in you and wanting to give you the opportunity. That doesn’t mean you’d have been low balled.