Not had a pay increase in nearly 3 years and learned I’m earning a lot less than others with my qualifications

[mummytippy]

Wanting advice please on how to broach asking for a pay increase.
I’ve worked for my current employer for 6 years and had only one pay increase in that time.
I’m a qualified Bookkeeper (ICB - Institute of Certified Bookkeepers) and hold AAT Accountancy qualifications. I’m contracted to 3 full days (21 hrs) per week and earn £9.00 per hour.
The thing is I’m just about covering my outgoings but have no extra money for much else after bills. I’ve recently learned a friend of mine with the same qualifications earns £3.00 more per hour. Does anyone know the ‘going rate’ for this type of work? Also I currently don't earn enough to be eligible for the workplace pension scheme and I didn’t receive the official letter from my place of work to tell me this, I had to Google it. I’ve chatted in confidence to another member of staff (in a different department) and they said if I don’t ask I won’t get. I’m a lone parent with one ds who is a teenager. I’m not good at asking (lack confidence) but I have a lot of responsibility in my role and am starting to feel resentful and taken for granted. Any advice most welcome. Thank you in advance.

Hi I’m a Finance Manager and I’d say the going rate would be more like £12.

I recommend you look on Indeed for current local vacancies and compare the job descriptions with your role. So google:

Indeed Bookkeeper (Your Town or County)
Indeed Finance Assistant (Your Town or County)

Also think about whether your responsibilities and role have changed over the years.

I’m sure others will be able to suggest how best to approach HR.

Thanks ChemiseBleu

Will check them out.
Not good feeling taken for granted.

You should be auto enrolled to a pension.

Hi, if you google ‘salary comparison calculator’ you can enter your wage in your role within the area. Do a few websites and present this to your manager in your next catch up along with all the goals you are currently achieving. Hard evidence and good performance should be enough for them to review it. If not, they are cheap....

Thanks Cordial

I’ve done that. My job description is coming out at £23500. So that divided by 52 and the 35 hours is approx £ 12.90 per hour.

I can’t see my boss jumping to that from £9.00 although as I’ve not had a rise for 3 years it would go some way into paying what I feel I’ve been short paid.

I have on occasion had an advance on my wages here and there so my boss does know my financial situation.

It’s awful being ‘nailed down’ week in week out.

Hi AlwaysCheddar

My colleague and myself (who each work 21 hours) were enrolled (we think) but aren’t eligible as we earn below the threshold I believe is £10,000.00 per year.

Oh and Cordial

They don’t have ‘catch ups’ where I work... I’d have to raise it myself :-(

I strongly advise looking on NHS jobs. We always cry out for good finance people, and the pay is quite good.

Thank you Causeastir

Hi there are three things you can do:

1. present evidence your salary does not reflect market levels
2. present evidence that you are now doing more or have taken more responsibility or ask how do you get promoted?
3. leave and work where the pay is better - most times ironically once you find a new job the old employer will counter with a pay rise to keep you

Thanks WelshLady

I plan to do points one and two in the hope that as we close over Xmas (as factory accounts office) they’ll think I’ll be looking during the break.

It shouldn’t have to come to this though should it :-(

I think that's low.

I'm a finance assistant (zero qualifications relating to the field aside from a Maths Alevel) on 1.50ph more than you.

The I would be looking elsewhere I pay my bookkeeper with similar qualifications £15 per hour.

In my experience it is near impossible to get a big pay rise with the same employer. You have to change jobs. On the upside, you'll be so incensed there's good chance you will make damn sure you are top of the scale in your new job.

How keen are you to stay in your current job?

Someone at my place years ago got a huge payrise by interviewing for and getting offered a job at the salary he wanted, and then having a meeting and saying basically "I've been offered this salary but would rather stay here if you'll match it from the end of this week".

The advantage there is that rather than a potentially wishy-washy response to a No being "well I'm not happy", the response is "then regretfully I'll be taking up this new position".

Thank you for all.

I’m keen to stay where I am, I just want to feel valued.

Maybe I should have said earlier but I do have a colleague (we each work 3 full days) only one together. She feels the same as me and we’re on the same rate of pay.

I learned today that another office employee (that my boss doesn’t hesitate to say is useless and lazy) is on £6.00 per hour more than me and my colleague. My boss doesn’t know I know this and insensed!!!

I’m going to tell my colleague tomorrow and think we need to have ‘the talk’ tomorrow to!!! Really feel like a mug now!!! 😪

Apologies for spellings and missed words... I’m tired and fed up. I just seem to spend all my time trying to juggle my non existent bank balance to cover bills and bus fare for my ds. Xmas is cancelled here 😪

Is the colleague earning £6 more doing the same role as you?

Hi Leghair

No he’s based in the office and is there to drum up business/deal with customers/measure and estimate jobs.
He doesn’t deal with accounts like us... he raises invoices for us to process - this is where his errors get picked up.

I think that's v low. I'm in a pretty basic job at the minute due to needing flexibility for childcare, and I'm on £8.30 p/h. That's just your big standard job you can walk into with no qualifications other than a few GCSEs, and no experience.

Definitely raise it. If they say no, I'd apply elsewhere. You deserve more pay for sure.

From experience in engineering firms Estimators and Marketing do get paid more than finance assistants, so you can't really use that as your basis.
Where in the country are you as that will also reflect on your salary? I have worked in finance/accounts now for a few years, in the NE, I'm on £14.00/hr as a payroll manager now - which is around average around here. The bookkeepers, depending on experience and quals earn around £10/11 per hour (so still more than you but maybe not as much as more affluent areas.

Thanks Pepe

They are flexible here too but remember too there was a law passed where employers have to be.

Thanks QforCucumber

I understand what you’re saying.
We’re in Manchester.

A quick indeed search shows Finance assistants and bookkeeping around Manchester pays 18-20k per year for full time - 37.5 hours. So at the top end you're looking just under £11/hr. Definitely worth raising with your employer.

Hi QforCucumber

It’s definitely going to be raised.
One thing though I looked on ‘Total jobs’ and Accounts Admin is coming in at £21k and Bookkeeper at £26k.
Also, if you’re on a part-time contract do you know if you usually get a slightly higher hourly rate?