Advice for New Position Salary

republicofheaven

Hi all,

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time read this and reply.

I was recently successful in my application for an internal position, it's the next step up from my current role and I'm genuinely really excited about it. However, there's an issue that's niggling at me and it's the salary - it's only £3.5k more than I'm currently on at the moment - after tax, pension and student loan deductions it works out that I'm only £130 better off each month. I think given the additional responsibility and workload this feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth.

Am I within my rights to ask for more or am I just being entitled? I'm not sure who I'd even raise the issue with if I were to bring it up.

Any advice appreciated!

M_Python

Presumably you knew what the salary was before you applied for the job, so if you weren't happy with it, you probably shouldn't have applied.

Asking for the salary to be increased after being offered the job could very well annoy your employer and you wouldn't want them to regret their decision to give you the job would you?

If it were me, I would let it go and hope for a rise in the not too distant future rather than making waves so early on.

republicofheaven

I actually had no idea what the salary was before I applied, as it's a position that is rarely recruited for externally and it's not best practice to go around the office asking people in the same position what they're earning. I was actually only made aware of the salary yesterday and I'm rather shocked.

steampowered

It is perfectly reasonable to ask for a higher salary, if you think this is justified.

The worst that can happen is the employer says no.

You also need to consider the long term. If the new role has additional responsibility, could it open up better opportunities in future - either with this company or another company?

nicechap

republicofheaven wrote: »

Hi all,

Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time read this and reply.

I was recently successful in my application for an internal position, it's the next step up from my current role and I'm genuinely really excited about it. However, there's an issue that's niggling at me and it's the salary - it's only £3.5k more than I'm currently on at the moment - after tax, pension and student loan deductions it works out that I'm only £130 better off each month. I think given the additional responsibility and workload this feels like a bit of a kick in the teeth.

Am I within my rights to ask for more or am I just being entitled? I'm not sure who I'd even raise the issue with if I were to bring it up.

Any advice appreciated!

Some key info is missing. What’s the current salary? £3.5k rise on £18k is different to £3.5k on £40k. And, are these agreed pay scales like in civil service where you move up each year assuming acceptable performance?

If it’s civil service like, there will be no negotiation, if it’s a private company a polite push back saying you were expecting more, or how does this compare to external comparators, might be one way, it might also let them know you’ll leave for better pay.

Once you got enough money to pay your bills and enjoy yourself a little, work is not just about money, you spend a lot of time there so things like enjoying what you’re doing, responsibility, autonomy, who you work with, respect/ status in eyes of lovedvones/ friends, future career plans, pension, security all start to matter.

At end of day, only you can decide whether the overall package is acceptable or whether you’ll start off in a bad mood in new role.

Good luck, well done on promotion.

republicofheaven

steampowered wrote: »

It is perfectly reasonable to ask for a higher salary, if you think this is justified.

The worst that can happen is the employer says no.

You also need to consider the long term. If the new role has additional responsibility, could it open up better opportunities in future - either with this company or another company?

Thank you, this makes me feel a lot better. It does open up other opportunities for me, so that's definitely a positive. I think I'll discuss how I'm feeling with my team leader before I take the issue any further.

ohreally

I would tread carefully. Terms were known to you and depending on culture/ personalities, this subject may sour the ongoing relationship with you manager.

maisie_cat

While it's perfectly acceptable to ask for a higher salary, be mindful that this is a promotion and a presumably learning experience for you. It might be better to settle into the new role and address this at the next lot of annual pay reviews. As an aside £3500 is nearly £300 a month so the fact that the gross to net is such a drop must be your personal circumstances

republicofheaven

nicechap wrote: »

Some key info is missing. What’s the current salary? £3.5k rise on £18k is different to £3.5k on £40k. And, are these agreed pay scales like in civil service where you move up each year assuming acceptable performance?

If it’s civil service like, there will be no negotiation, if it’s a private company a polite push back saying you were expecting more, or how does this compare to external comparators, might be one way, it might also let them know you’ll leave for better pay.

Once you got enough money to pay your bills and enjoy yourself a little, work is not just about money, you spend a lot of time there so things like enjoying what you’re doing, responsibility, autonomy, who you work with, respect/ status in eyes of lovedvones/ friends, future career plans, pension, security all start to matter.

At end of day, only you can decide whether the overall package is acceptable or whether you’ll start off in a bad mood in new role.

Good luck, well done on promotion.

Thank you

When I started it was on a salary of £30k, this was raised to £31.5k after 10 months. My promotion will raise my salary to £35k - I hope that gives a bit more insight.

It's a private company, so I can definitely negotiate, I'm just unsure of whether I'm justified in doing so.

republicofheaven

ohreally wrote: »

I would tread carefully. Terms were known to you and depending on culture/ personalities, this subject may sour the ongoing relationship with you manager.

I had no idea of what the salary would be until yesterday and the position is quite a big step up from my current role (I'll be managing people)

I feel a bit blindsided by it, especially as it's a London based position. I was expecting it to be at least £5k more. Maybe I'm being unreasonable? Up to this point, the money wasn't an issue at all, I was just excited for the new opportunity.

republicofheaven

maisie_cat wrote: »

While it's perfectly acceptable to ask for a higher salary, be mindful that this is a promotion and a presumably learning experience for you. It might be better to settle into the new role and address this at the next lot of annual pay reviews. As an aside £3500 is nearly £300 a month so the fact that the gross to net is such a drop must be your personal circumstances

I'm on tax code 1232L because we're provided medical insurance as a work benefit. I also pay 5% pension contributions and pay off a pre-2012 student loan. My deductions at the moment add up to around £720, and will obviously increase with the pay rise.