average admin salary for surrey?

WolfSong2000

I'm afraid this may be a bit of a vague question, but only because I'm not entirely sure what's going on myself...

Basically I got a temp job working for a small company a few weeks back...it was advertised as a sales/admin role - they weren't sure what they actually needed and have been using me to figure out precisely what the role should be.

To cut a long story short, they like me, and are thinking about taking me on permanently, but I need to negotiate salary with them...as a temp I am on £7.50 p/h full time (40 hours per week), but the only reason I can afford this is because I am living with my parents. I'm 26, have a masters degree, and looking to move out, but job is in an expensive area of Surrey, so £13k odd a year just isn't going to cut it.

Additionally, I am currrently doing the work of about 3 people...the bulk is admin work (liasing with suppliers to place orders, chasing various things up, dealing with post, CRM systems and databases, etc), but I've also helped to develop and implement new systems, have started taking on more sales related work (sourcing stuff for the sales team, putting together the odd quote, etc) and have also agreed to head up their new marketing campaign, with the idea being to let me have a shot before they fork out thousaands of pounds to outsource it.

I'm thinking the average salary for what I'm doing, for the area I'm in would be £20-£25k. Is that about right? Now, bearing in mind I work for a small company, there's no way I'll likely get £25k (a girl can dream), so what should I realistically be asking for?

I don't have a lot of previous office experience, but I do learn very quickly, which is why I've been able to help and develop new admin systems within weeks of starting. I just really love the people I am working with - it's a great environment - and I'd love to stay, but can't afford to long-term unless the salary starts to reflect local living costs.

Anyone have any suggestions/advice? This is bearing in mind that I still have no idea if I'll definitely be hired on a permanent basis, and even if I am what the perameters of my role are likely to be. I just want to go in having some idea of what I am worth.

Savvy_Sue

Well, you could ask the agency for advice. You don't have to take it, but ...

You could also see if you can find out what the salary scales within the office look like - even if yours is a one off role. Do they have sales staff? Would you be a bit less than them? A switchboard operator / receptionist? Would you be a bit more than them?

Also look at the local papers, see what's advertised there. And look around at other agencies to see what jobs are out there, and what the salaries are.

do you get the idea?

jfh7gwa

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

there's no way I'll likely get £25k (a girl can dream), so what should I realistically be asking for?

If the market rate for the role is 25k, then you should ask for 25k. Admittedly, don't just pluck it out the air based on a gut feeling - you need to do some research. Look at similar job opportunities in the area, the level of responsibility involved, how much the roles expect in terms of flexibility (hours, location). Also think about the whole package - not just salary. Will they give you a commission based on the sales aspect, or not? Is there a potential bonus for meeting certain goals? What about the employer's pension contributions?

Stop selling yourself short. You appear to be quite defeatist in what you hope to attain in terms of salary, which I could understand if (say) the market rate was £15k to £35k and you're trying to get the 35.

Think of this as a business negotiation - you will be satisfied at the market rate. Make sure your research backs up whatever rate that is when you're dealing with the discussion.

(And yes, I'm well aware it's quite possible that your employer may spit out their coffee if you asked for £25k... but if that's the market rate for the area, it's likely they'll have to pay someone near that to get the role filled. Or do you want to work for an employer that's only willing to take on mugs, working for less than the norm?)

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ACtually:

Edit; having just done a 30 second Google search, it appears the market rate for that type of role in your area is about £18k - £20k. Do more research like that, and see how closely the job offers match your role. Do you speak another language which your employer will benefit from? Add a chunk of change. Do you have excellent IT skills (and the certifications to prove it)? Another chunk of change on top. And so on.

Be prepared to justify what you're asking for - take in notes, if need be.

denla

You should be able to negotiate £16k a year. £20k+ is unrealistic for a Sales/Admin role. Try asking for £16k for the first year with the promise of increase to £19 after year one or something like that.

an9i77

In my experience, it is hard to negotiate for entry level roles in areas such as admin. Main reason being that there is a glut of candidates out there who can offer themselves to do this kind of work, so the employer will work out what the lowest rate they think they can get away with is, and advertise the role and see who applies. Unless there are things on your CV that really make you stand out from the crowd, why would they pay you any more? If there's loads out there who can do the work they'll just offer it to someone else with the same skill set who can work at the salary level they have identified. There may be scope to negotiate a little above the advertised salary, but not much more than 1-2k tops.
Salary negotiations come more in to play when you have very in demand skills, and the economy is not in recession.

I'm not trying to downplay admin as a career at all, I think it is a good career for those suited to it BUT it does not usually require any formal training or qualifications and that means there's a lot of people out there who can do it. The more people who can do your job, the lower your negotiating power.

sapphireeye

For whoever said that 20k was unrealistic for an admin role, I live in Surrey and my first admin role was 17.5k a year which then went up to 18.5k. It was as a Team Administrator for a large commercial department, very busy role but the only previous admin experience I'd had was a one month temp role at £6 an hour!

I then worked in London for a while as HR Admin for 22k a year and then moved back out to Surrey and was on 20k a year as a Project Administrator for a small warehouse where there was hardly anything to do.

To be honest in this area I see a whole range of salaries advertised but considering the high cost of living in Surrey I would expect around 18-20k and I would imagine that if you looked on the Reed job board or the Job Centre site you could find plenty of admin roles paying that. I know that Surrey Council pay about 19k for admin roles and having had a quick look on Reed it seems that Sales Admin roles are paying anywhere between 17-22k. It might be in your interest to search for similar roles, find salaries and present them when making your case.

PasturesNew

Don't get hung up on how much you're worth, or the job's worth.... once you've got your feet under the table you're in a position to either [a] look for other things with that on your CV, or, prove your worth and ask for more a bit later. I've just had to pluck a random salary out of the air, I went in low (40% less than I think I'm worth) and got the job.... now to prove my worth or at least have a springboard elsewhere if they turn out to be titusarsoles.

mountainofdebt

I'm sure that salary ranges, quoted in job adverts, are there to encourage people to apply and then the company sees if they can beat down the salary requested.

I recently went for an interview at a competitor, and knowing what the salary range on offer was told them my expectations.

I was later told that I had interviewed well but couldn't afford to employ me on my expected salary, even though it was mid-range

Kato70

Firstly, it may be an idea to do some sums and work out the absolute minimum you can get by on.

As you are aware there are a heck of a lot of people out there looking for the same type of work (I'm a sec/admin myself) so employers are able to push the salaries down. The advantage you have is that you have already been doing the job for a while, they obviously like you and know that you are capable, and they don't want to start from square one with someone new.

I don't know the area you are in (I'm also in Surrey), but don't sell yourself short. Firstly you have a masters degree, not many admins i know have that! Secondly it doesn't sound like a run of the mill admin role (especially the marketing campaign piece), and therefore the role is quite meaty with a lot of responsibility, and also very busy too. Therefore personally I would expect £20k, but be cheeky and ask for £21k, you can always knock them down to £20k.

By the way I'm sure that I saw this same job on reed.co.uk - it was the marketing campaign bit that rang bells for me.

Good luck!!

WolfSong2000

Thanks for all the advice, guys...my boss has apparently figured out the "scope" of the role, and I am sitting down with him tomorrow to have a talk through it. If I had a say in my salary, I'd be aiming for 20-22k as I've done a lot for the company so far, with minimal training...I've helped develop and implement new systems to assist with streamlining admin tasks to save time, taken on pretty much anything they've thrown at me, regardless of if I knew how to do it or not (if not, then I learn - quickly). As for the marketing, they initially asked me to find a company to outsource it to. I did some investigation and figured out I should be able to have a decent shot myself as I learned what was involved....obviously no guarantees that it will work, but I understand the basics and the psychology involved, so they've nothing to lose by letting me have a go, but a lot of potential benefits/cost savings.

My agency put me forward for a customer service role (much more up my street than admin!) with another company down the road which was paying £15.50 per hour, but never heard anything more about that...thing is, that company was much bigger than the one I am at now, so not sure if that will have an impact on wages.

I don't want to stay doing admin work for the rest of my life, but at the moment I'm enjoying myself and the people I work with, and in addition am learning a lot of new skills...

Just wait and see what tomorrow brings, I guess!

quirkynesss

I agree that you should stick with it for a while as you are enjoying and especially because it'll look great on your CV, it's difficult to get any sort of job straight after graduating these days. After a while you can always look for another role which pays more or is better suited to your skills/degree.