Applying for a public sector job with a salary 'grade', does everyone start at the bottom?

[ChipsOrDaddy]

I've applied for a public sector position which has a salary 'grade' which has a number of 'points' spanning around £4,000 from lowest to highest.

Do they automatically put every new start on the lowest point and you then work your way up every year? Is there any point in trying to bargain being put on a higher point within that grade or is there no chance of that happening?

Thanks

Generally yes you start at the bottom. In some places you automatically move up each year. Where I work it depends what they have to spend year on year and we have had many years with no increase or 1%.

In my experience, you always start at the bottom. Only exceptions are for the most senior roles, or if you are eligible for an additional allowance.

Mostly. However if you're currently earning more than the bottom and doing a similar job I'd ask if they can match it.

I've got this issue too in a job that I'm already doing on temp contract and having an interview for a FTC today. I wasn't sure either. I think I have a bit of leverage but am more concerned about flexible working than a higher salary so that is what I'm going to bargain for if I am offered the role.

It depends on the authority. Some organisations will start people with relevant qualifications or experience at a higher point in the band. It's worth making a case.

Ok, thank you all! I will wait and see what they offer me. Thanks.

In a previous role (part time, school support staff) I started at the very top of my grade as I was really overqualified (relevant PhD for job that really could have been done by school leaver with A levels) and had previous experience (4 ish years in similar roles).

Good luck :)

I've asked to go into the middle before and got it.

If its local authority and they've been through single status then its highly unlikely they will let you go in at a higher spinal column point unless there is a market forces argument. So for example in some areas such as social work, it is very difficult to recruit without paying more than the job evaluation salary. You might therefore receive a market supplement. Apart from that sort of situation though, they are unlikely to allow you to enter at a higher spinal column point.

If it's civil service, yes.

It depends on whether you already work for that organisation in another role. EG I was a Band 5 in the NHS and was at the top of the Band already, which is higher than the bottom of Band 6. (They overlap a bit). When I got my Band 6 job with another NHS trust, they put me on the next level up from where I already was - so about halfway up the Band 6 at the start.

However, when I enquired about moving into a Local Authority role at a similar level, I was told I would start at the bottom of the banding, even though it was lower than my current one, as I hadn't worked for them before.

Good luck

You can ask, but it's not guaranteed, and it would usually depend on whether they were prepared to risk you not taking the role - I have known it happen for senior/specialised roles but if they had a couple of strong candidates you might not get it.

It is sometimes possible to start part way up the band, in the NHS at least. I'm just about to start a new job in the NHS and will start half way up the band. To be eligible for this I needed to have previous experience directly relevant to the role and at the same level. My line manager had to argue for it but I got it!

I work in local government. At interviews we generally explain that it is normal practice to start at the bottom of the grade and ask if that's OK. We're happy to listen if someone has a reason why that's not going to work for them.

They will always offer you the lowest point on the scale. You can negotiate to start on the 2nd or very very rarely the 3rd point if your skills and experience greatly exceed the requirements of the job. But once you are in there is no negotiation.

If it's NHS you will start at the bottom of the scale but you can try to make case for starting higher up the scale. In my current NHS job I was offered a starting salary at the bottom of band but negotiated to be paid at the top of the band because of my past experience this is unusual though.