Civil Service Pay Bands

[DunkFriesinShake]

I’ve just been offered an interview for civil service EO grade and I wondered if the bands for salary advertised are negotiable? I have a lot of experience in everything being asked and I would want to match my current salary which is within the bands. I don’t current work for CS.

Thanks in advance!

Unless you've applied for something quite specialist then I would say no scope for negotiation. What they also dont tell you is that there really isnt a way to move up through the band either. There is no performance related pay so everyone starts on the bottom and you all move up whatever the annual % rise is together. Only way to increase is to either mpve up a band or move to another department where the EO job pays more - not all EO banding is the same.

Also .... does it mention this on the job advert?, a lot state now you start on the bottom of the banding. If not then theres no harm in asking.

Likely they won’t be able to negotiate as they’ve had approval for recruiting at the minimum of the band only. Certainly worth a try though

There is no harm in asking once the job is offered OP, given your desired salary is within the pay scale advertised. They do put a blurb on adverts about starting at the bottom if I recall but still, nothing ventured. You might also want to look at whether increased pension contributions in CS might reduce your take home pay, just so you’re prepared for that.

The pay range isn't really a range you stay at the bottom and don't move up spinal points, and just move up with normal annual % payrises or through promotion.

Im not CS but another public body that follows the CS rules. I joined 6 months ago and already moved to a higher pay grade role as there is lots of internal movement at the moment so although I took a pay cut to join I'm almost back to where I was before but also get to benefit from the brilliant working conditions within my organisation.

No, normally you'll go in on the bottom of.the band. And imo that is correct, yeah you may have transferable skills but you'll still need training once in post, probably by someone on the same grade as you

It may be possible to match your current salary, given that it's within the bands. Worth a go!

MOD here - if you’ve been in a grade for less than 14 years, you’re at the bottom rate. Spine points exist but you don’t move anymore. The only way to increase pay is blag promotion, meaning many have talked the talk, but been found not able to walk the walk.

Definitely not impossible, think your chances of success vary between departments.
It's much harder to negotiate on salary for internal moves once you are already in the CS, so I'd give it a really good shot before you join.

Hello I was a temporarily ao years ago and applied for eo jobs in other departments. I got two offers : a permanent and a temporary but likely to become permanent. I told the permanent one that I had another job offer where the pay was more ( mid range in pay band) they came back to me and matched it. I couldn't believe my luck as that hadn't been my intention I was just being honest as wanted time to think through which option best.

The temporary one came back and offered more when I said I was going with permanent one but I had already accepted other post.

So I would say any negotiation best done after job offer and before accept job. As others say once you are in CS you start at lower band and don't move up the bands.

Make sure you set out reason why- any qualifications or x years experience or x experience you will bring. I think makes it easier for them to see with HR if they do have any wiggle room.

Good luck x

Annoyingly, I didn’t save the advert so I can’t even specifically remember what the pay was, and now it’s no longer available.

Thank you. I’m already getting a similar Le soon/similar contribution so this part should be fine.

That’s interesting to note, thanks. I assume the generic moving up the band is annual?

Wait, so the advertised range is for what then, if you don’t move up the range? Confused!

Thank you, that’s really helpful!

If it’s a role they find hard to recruit in they can put a business case forward to offer more money

Yes they can pay more but it has to go through a fairly stringent sign off process. Did they not tell you the starting salary at interview ? When I joined they made a point of it right at the start saying the entry point salary and asked if I was happy to continue the interview on that basis

I’ve not had the interview yet. But that’s handy if they do that.

No they aren't, you start at the bottom of the grade payscale & move up one step a year, you get a normal pay increase as well. The payscales have been shortened, it used to take 6/7 years to get to the top, but now it is only 5.

That happened in local government when I worked there yrs ago but civil service you don’t move up a point each year. I’ve been in CS over 10yrs and it’s not the case I’m afraid

CS here for 27 years ..

Moving up is via the derisory annual increase . This gov hates the CS so no chance .. 1% for last few years.

HOWEVER ... promotion is easy. Once you are in you are in.. and can apply for the gazillion internal jobs never advertised externally and they cross all government departments.. the possibilities are endless.

Took me 5 years to go from EO to G7 (25k -57k) The perks are great and worth the lower wage . Flexi time, 25 days annual leave plus 11 'privilege' days .. hybrid working although I work from home full time as do most SEO and above ... when kids were young I did term time only . 6 months full pay for may leave and sick leave and a decent pension (not as good as it was but still not too bad )

In both the civil service and the NHS there is now much less negotiation about starting salary than there was just a few years ago. Your previous experience doesn't count for much if anything any more. You will start at the bottom of the scale if you're joining for the first time or rejoining (or in the NHS even if you've successfully obtained a job at the next band) and you don't go up a spine point every year like you used to either. I'm sure it hasn't affected recruitment at all.....

If you have been there 10 years you will be on top of your pay grade.

This entirely untrue.

As previously explained you go to the bottom of the band and are pretty much stuck there unless you get a rare year of decent payrise. That might take you a fraction of the way up the band but you'll then be stuck very near the bottom. And yes for 10 years, and more. Annual increments were abolished many years ago: it's utterly unfair.

The Civil Service paybands are basically a lie. It's not the only reason I left but it was utterly galling every time anyone talked about pay.

The pay bands aren't a lie actually, if you're promoted or move department they are important. Each CS department has its own payscales.

I work in one with higher pay, I'm looking for another job but I'm discounting a lot because I'm past the top of their payscale for my grade. You get the bit past the top as "marked time" so it means no pay increase while you're in that grade/dept until the top of the payscale catches up with you.

Also if you're promoted you get 10% increase to your current salary or onto the bottom of the new pay scale, whichever is higher. that can sometimes put you further up the new grade payscale. Once it put me over the top of the scale!

Also if you move sideways to another dept you'll not have your salary decreased, again you either get a salary match within the band or you go onto the bottom if that is higher than your current payscale.

These rules are applied strictly once you're in - as has been said, now is your chance to negotiate higher than the minimum as a new entrant. Always worth a try, they can only say no can't they!