NHS job offer; advice please regarding salary negotiation

pinksprout

Thanks for the suggestions, information and advice p1tse, SevenOfNine, ManicMum and LittleVoice.

The phone call on Wednesday with the job offer took me completely by surprise as I had been informed in the interview that morning that I would hear on Friday. Unfortunately, as a consequence of being caught on the hop I didn't think quickly enough to broach the subject of salary. I will obviously do so when I deliver my CRB form and proof of ID to the staff resourcing office next week.

Thank you again.

starjumper

I work in the NHS and often recruit staff, or at least used to before the vacnacy freeze came into effect.

Just to reinterate the points above, it's very, very unusual in this climate to get an offer above the bottom of the band unless you've prior NHS experience, even then they may just match your current salary and not move you up a pay point. This is what happened to me 18 months ago when I changed jobs in the NHS but it was worth the move because it was closer to home etc. The way the NHS treat staff in my opinon is worth the paycut alone, better to be skint and happy than rich and miserable, which is why we all work for the NHS.

If you take the job, enjoy and welcome.

pinksprout

starjumper wrote: »

I work in the NHS and often recruit staff, or at least used to before the vacnacy freeze came into effect.

Just to reinterate the points above, it's very, very unusual in this climate to get an offer above the bottom of the band unless you've prior NHS experience, even then they may just match your current salary and not move you up a pay point. This is what happened to me 18 months ago when I changed jobs in the NHS but it was worth the move because it was closer to home etc. The way the NHS treat staff in my opinon is worth the paycut alone, better to be skint and happy than rich and miserable, which is why we all work for the NHS.

If you take the job, enjoy and welcome.

Thank you for the encouragement starjumper. It's very nice to hear from someone who enjoys their job and appreciates their employer

pinksprout

Thank you again for all the advice. I am still waiting to discuss the salary for this post with the recruiting manager who has not been at work this week. I should be able to speak with her tomorrow.

In the meantime I wonder if anyone can answer a general question about Band 2 and Band 3 NHS clerical jobs:

Prior to being offered this Band 2 post I have been interviewed for two Band 3 jobs and got as far as being shortlisted to the final three for both vacancies. If I take the Band 2 job that I have been offered will it reflect upon me badly if I continue to look out for a Band 3 job (possibly at the same hospital although I am with commutable distance of three different hospitals/Trusts) or will the fact that I already work for the NHS actually be in my favour and put me in a stronger position? Alternatively will I somehow be 'expected' to work in a Band 2 post for some time before being eligible to apply for a Band 3 job?

One other question; how does one progress up the Band 2 point scale? Is that down only to length of service and, if so, how many months/years does one have to work before progressing up a point?

I'm sorry to appear so indecisive here, but as I haven't worked for the NHS before I am just trying to get a general feel for how the banding and pay systems function. I would like to take the job but I am 'put off' by the fact that it is Band 2 as in content and responsibility it seems very similar to the two Band 3 posts that I had interviews for but didn't get offered.

Thanks for your insight and advice.

polgara

Pinksprout

Re Band 2 to Band 3 - it can help already being in the NHS, it could reflect badly but tbh it all depends on the recruiting manager so it shouldn't put you off applying.

Progression is annual.

Just note that there are lots of potential redundancies at present so there may be less and less admin roles available.

LittleVoice

And I think there is a bit of "band deflation" going on too - to keep costs down. That is when someone leaves the replacement is sought at a lower band.

RosaBernicia

I personally wouldn't think that a candidate moving up from one band to the next reflected badly on them - I'd be more likely to think that they'd explored that band and found they needed a challenge. But that might be because I've worked up three grades already and am pitching for a fourth! The only problem I can see with this is if you keep on applying for any grade 3s and are not successful in getting them, your Band 2 manager may wonder about your commitment to that job. So I'd be selective about the applications you make and keep them quiet if possible.

And you are more likely to hear of new vacancies, secondments etc if you're already there. (The new external vacancies may be rarer, but secondment opportunities etc may increase as things change but they don't want to be seen to recruit.)

Progression up the scale is annual, but if I remember rightly it now involves two key 'gateways', one after your first year and one near the top of the band. You should get an outline of what you're expected to be doing by the end of your first year and of course it will only be what's in your job description. I think the gateways were basically put in to stop people getting automatic pay increases when they weren't actually capable of the job.

I also have rarely heard of people being offered points beyond the bottom of the scale (ManicMum's story would have caused mutiny at our place!), but if you have relevant experience it's certainly worth asking. Just make sure you get the final offer in writing before you accept or decline!

Good luck

Rosa x

emg

I just wanted to reiterate about the increments. You will automatically keep going up each year until you reach the top of your band. Although there are two 'gateways' i have never heard of anyone failing to pass them, i didnt even notice when I went through mine! At the moment the cost of living payrises have been frozen but at some point they will be back too (let's hope!). In my department our clerical staff were on band 2 and kept applying for band 3 jobs, in the end their posts got rebanded at 3 so that they didnt all leave!

Clowance

I read these posts with intersest as for 4 years I have worked for the NHS on the clerical bank, mostly on grade 4 but the last few months due to recruitment freeze I have worked on a grade 3.
Next week I have an interview for a different healthcare trust at a different site - on band 3. Could I use my "normal" salary on a 4 to bump up the minimum a little does anyone think? (Thats if I got offered the job, apparently there were 80 applicants!). In a weak position as bank work has really dried up now, but this place is going to cost me to commute to more than I pay now.
What do people think?