What salary for a deputy head of a private school?

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Hi all, wondering if anyone can help me.

I’m into the last few for a deputy head job at a private school. They’ve not indicated salary yet, the old ‘commensurate with experience’ line.

What would be a reasonable level do you think? I’d report directly to the Head, wouldnsit on SLT etc. I’ve been teaching for 15 years and clearly have a reasonable chance of getting it as I’ve gotten quite far through the process so far.

Not London based, so no London weighting.

Many thanks.

Depends if it’s junior or senior, size of school and their budget and the structure of the school - some have 6 deputies and no assistant heads. Some have 2 deputies and 5 assistant heads. Etc.

Senior. About 500 pupils (yr 9-u6th). Two deputy heads (pastoral and academic), no Assistants.

Hmmmmm. About £70-£80k?
Are their finances on their website or on companies house. They normally have to declare how many people are paid within certain brackets, so you should be able to tell from this. If it says 1 person on £100-110k, 2 people on £70-80k you’ll know.

They will normally have a minimum they put you on when you arrive and then you progress up the scale.

Maidstone Grammar with 1250 pupils is recruiting a deputy head for a salary on points L18-22. So circa £63,770 to £68,000. Morpeth School In Bethnal Green wants a Deputy Head. Around the same size but is paying £80,000 upwards. London makes a big difference. With only 500 pupils and not in London, £70,000-£80,000 seems high unless it’s boarding.

Check it’s accounts as mentioned above and check what it would offer if it was a state school. Few are that small though!

Thanks for the advice. It is boarding. I was thinking between 70-80k as a ball park. Shall have to see if I’m offered it

I was head hunted recently for a HoD job with an offer of 52k plus benefits, quite far away from London so 70k-80k seems fine for a DH job.

Wow!

My experience from a couple of schools is the absolute minimum they can get away with. Some of those salaries quoted I doubt even my Head gets in a successful prep school, let alone me as deputy!

You would earn your oats in Bethnal Green I think. Very different from a nice prep! I think £70-80k is high for 500 place senior school even if it is boarding. That’s a small school.

Private schools here pay less than state schools - my friend is paid £38k as head of department 600 person school not boarding, don't know any deputy heads. The parents expect so much though, they have paid so feel they are entitled.

Head of very large faculty I get 50k with not a massive amount of years of experience so I’d be shooting for 70/80k in your shoes.

If the Head gets £85,000 though, you’d be licks to get £70-80,000. No faculty can be that large in a 500 place school. Demanding parents go with the territory but demanding children are there day in day out! Not comparable!

In our case 68K + 4 bed house + 66% fee remission.

What size of school 4point?

600

There are such a range of independent schools in terms of size, affluence and salary packages.

Some Preps are part of a Foundation, with a big name Senior and places are highly sought after and fees high. A Deputy could well achieve £75k+ in such a school and accommodation too. However, there are also lots of little tin-pot Preps which are struggling along, struggling for numbers and staff and who haven't invested in their premises etc for many years - they may well pay their staff less than a state school and especially in a small struggling Prep salaries could be low - I've never been quite clear why people want to go and work in them, when conditions and resources are so poor and sometimes they are far behind the latest techniques....but people do work in them and indeed put their children into them and pay the fees.

I would think that Internet research into similar types of school should throw up roughly what people are getting paid. If you get offered the job, don't show you are thrilled, but ask for the information about salary package. Sometimes schools aren't even able to give it on the day of the offer and behave as if they are doing you a massive honour to offer the job and that you should accept without knowing the salary. This is your most powerful bargaining point, so just be clear that you need to know the package before you can consider the offer and when they tell it to you, don't accept then and there on the spot unless you are sure it's a good offer and you are happy with it....if in any doubt at all, say you need to consider their offer and return to them next day.....and ask for more if you need to. Don't feel that it's crass to discuss money or conditions - it absolutely isn't when you are getting a job offer. If you think they are under-offering in terms of your experience or the local market place ask for more....but also be clear in your own mind what you will do if they say 'no'. It's fine to still accept or to walk away. And do t resign your current job until you've had everything in writing and make clear that any acceptance given verbally is subject to the paperwork. Tell them thatvyounwont be resigning until you've received it - you'd be surprised how slow some schools can be to send it out or that things can be different to what Was discussed - if you are very clear, you're much less likely to get pushed about - it isn't pushy and rude, but shows you in a good light I think.