Negotiating starting pay - local council

[signsofspring123]

I have been offered an admin job with our local council. I am way over qualified and experienced but due to time out of work for caring responsibilities I am starting again. In my favour they also let slip I was by far the best candidate.

It is advertised as "starting salary £24 - £26452".
I currently earn £24, 500 so wondering how I approach pay negotiations.
I understand the local councils pay bands are pretty rigid but given this is a starting salary pay band there must be room for negotiating. Ideally I am looking to start on at least £25, 5000.

Any advice much appreciated

In the councils I'm familiar with, there is a 1st April annual increment, and a 6 month increment only applies if you started between October and March (i.e. don't have 6 months in the grade as at 1st April).

I agree with curlywillow - different councils will have slightly different rules, and you should look to see if the one you're applying to has published their T&Cs and/or pay progression rules.

At my largest client annual increments occur on 1st April. If you start after 1st April but before 1st October then you get an increment after six months as long as performance has been satisfactory and you have passed probation. If you start after 1st October you have to wait until 1st April

Apologies this isn't correct. I clearly need more caffeine. If you start between 1st April and 1st October you get an increment the following 1st April in the normal way. If you start after 1st October you have to wait until you've been in post for six months before you get your increment (subject to passing probation). So you can't for example start on 1st January and then get another increment on 1st April. You wouldn't get one until 1st July but would then get another the following April.

I work for local authority and frequently employ people - we can start people at different points within the band dependent upon their experience and current pay. It's not a big deal just say I would like to accept the role but I have x experience and am currently paid y and therefore would like to be started at z. Obviously it can only be within the increments of the paygrade you are on and you are unlikely to be started at top of the grade.

I think you need to ask. They may be amenable to giving you accelerated increments but that does depend on their budgets, how essential the job is and how difficult it was to recruit.
Also ask re their policy on October increments.

Hence definitely ask. I mean if paying you 1-2 k more than the base salary means you’ll go there they should consider it at least. If they don’t they don’t then it’s for you to decide isn’t it . Good luck.

Unless you have specialist skills they can't do without or loads of relevant experience, or they're having a recruitment crisis with that particular post, you're unlikely to be successful negotiating salary for an admin role, sadly.

Hmmm the bottom of the range puts them at risk of violating NMW rules if you work over 40 hours a week - if you're likely to go over then use this as a negotiating point?

How? It's a council, so the salary scale is likely to be for 35 hours or maybe 37 hours a week.

There's not an expectation of unpaid overtime, and it's likely that they have a flexi time scheme where if you accrue extra hours above your contractual hours you use them to take flexi days off. Depending on how squeezed their budgets are, paid overtime might also be on offer.

But no, they're surely not going to be at risk of violating NMW rules... councils are too highly unionised for that.

@skilpadde

Well at 37 hours NMW is 22100. This means at 24000 OP only needs to work an extra three hours a week to be under minimum wage per hour, easily done when you're busy and work through lunch or stay an extra 15 mins to finish something.

I work in local govt. I will always consider requests to start at a higher than the bottom SCP. In fact, it’s very rare that I start someone at the bottom of the scale.

I manage my budget forecasts on the top pay for every post, so there’s always room to negotiate.

It’s always worth asking!

Well, yes, if the OP did work over 40 hours in a week it’d be below minimum wage at the bottom of that payscale. But it’s not a norm within councils to work through your lunch, especially at lower grades. More likely that you’d take a short lunch and only clock out for 30 minutes. And it’s unlikely that she’d be on fixed hours… staying on an extra 15 minutes would mean clocking out 15 minutes later and accruing that as flexi time to be taken later. As a council employee you don’t gift free time to your employer. It’s highly unlikely that the OP would find herself working 40 hours for 37 hours pay. And if it happens… talk to your union.

@skilpadde

I suppose it depends what type of employee you are though, not everyone clock watches?

Anyway still worth highlighting to the council how close to NMW they are.

At LAs where I have worked people clock in and clock out, so even if you aren't "clock watching" any extra time you work will accrue and can be taken at another time either as a whole day off or just working shorter hours another day.

Clock watching and fixed hours are now quite unusual in councils. Much more likely to have ‘agile working’ policies where output, rather than hours spent at work, is key.

Apart from my admin staff who work the hours the council is open, my team can please themselves regarding hours. There is no expectation they work 37 hours, only that they get their work done and targets met.

Update!

Straight off the bat I've been offered the 3rd spine point and that it should go up to next point 01/10.

Finally that the new pay claim is yet to be settled but looking at another £1925

Excellent! Well done. And yes, that is what I am expecting the next pay increase to be, although hope it will be sorted before November this time!!

Good for you; I hope you enjoy your new job.

Am ok with that offer

How do I draft my response?
"Hapoy to accept on understanding I receive the full claim when it's agreed and the next spine point 01 October 24."

Because it's the starting point of the scale. Unlike the private sector it's a rigid start and rarely up for negotiation.

That would look strange. You don't need to say you'll accept an offer on condition of receiving the pay deal. Nor can you specify that you're expecting a certain figure, even if a provisional one was discussed.

The pay deal is the pay deal. And once agreed, it is universal and applied automatically.

Ok maybe I've been too long in private sector - have to get it all written in blood!!

I moved back into LA work 2 years ago and was over qualified for the job - I told them I’d take it if I could start on the top of the scale and they agreed immediately 🤷‍♀️

I've not read the whole thread so apologies if I'm repeating what's already been said but I work in local government and have some experience of recruiting to roles at different levels and have negotiated starting salaries on a number of occasions - when candidate has considerable relevant experience or when their current salary was significantly higher. Local government pay scales are rigid but hiring managers do tend have some discretion. In short there's definitely no harm in asking - but just be realistic that it's only likely to get you one spinal column point if anything at all! Good luck in your new job!

Thank you All...would never have even tried to negotiate if it hadn't been for MN.
Whichever poster mentioned needing to negotiate like a man sadly hit the nail on the head.

Without wanting to seem greedy Im now wondering if I try and push for another point on the scale, especially given how quickly the first offer was made.