Local Council Jobs - Starting Salary
02peast
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi everyone,
I hope there's someone out there with a bit of experience in this sector that can help.
I'm currently working for a national private sector company but I'm looking for something that can give me a better work/life balance (I'm currently salaried and although there's a 9-5 work pattern I'm expected to work however many hours needed to get the job done with no effect on salary, hence the looking for something new).
I've applied for a job with my local council which (without wanting to sound arrogant) would be a bit of a step down from where I am currently but would give me a better quality of life.
Looking at the person specification I meet/exceed the essential and desirable attributes so I'm hoping I'm in with a good chance.
I've been offered an interview in a couple of weeks and I've been doing a bit of calculations around how a drop in salary could affect my bills etc. The job is advertised as a salary range (£19.5K - £21.5K). That £2,000 can make a big difference to take home salary so I'm wondering what people's experiences are of starting salaries in local councils and if there's any chance I might be able to start higher than the bottom figure?
Thanks for your time!
I hope there's someone out there with a bit of experience in this sector that can help.
I'm currently working for a national private sector company but I'm looking for something that can give me a better work/life balance (I'm currently salaried and although there's a 9-5 work pattern I'm expected to work however many hours needed to get the job done with no effect on salary, hence the looking for something new).
I've applied for a job with my local council which (without wanting to sound arrogant) would be a bit of a step down from where I am currently but would give me a better quality of life.
Looking at the person specification I meet/exceed the essential and desirable attributes so I'm hoping I'm in with a good chance.
I've been offered an interview in a couple of weeks and I've been doing a bit of calculations around how a drop in salary could affect my bills etc. The job is advertised as a salary range (£19.5K - £21.5K). That £2,000 can make a big difference to take home salary so I'm wondering what people's experiences are of starting salaries in local councils and if there's any chance I might be able to start higher than the bottom figure?
Thanks for your time!
0
Comments
-
Exceeding the requirements for the job won't make any difference in a role at that payband. You are more likely to start at the bottom of the payband than at any other point although there is no harm in asking if you are offered the job.0
-
As far as I am aware you will start at the bottom /lowest figure.
In situations such as these you need to weigh up is it a longer/shorter commute time, how many holidays/bank holidays per year, what pension % they put in for you, flexi time, the hours you work, work/life balance. Add all of these up and I am sure it's worth more than 2k
Mortgage started 2020, aiming to clear it in 2026.0 -
Depends how much they want you. they have the discretion to start you anywhere in the band.0
-
Most councils won't increase from the bottom of the scale unless your are already on more and work for an associated employer, such as another council.
Good luck with that whole work/life balance thing, or the getting paid overtime / not being expected to work more hours. You did do some research about what working for a council is like, not just depend on the popular myths? If you have any desire to progress, they'll be little work / life balance, and plenty of unpaid hours...0 -
Most councils won't increase from the bottom of the scale unless your are already on more and work for an associated employer, such as another council.
Good luck with that whole work/life balance thing, or the getting paid overtime / not being expected to work more hours. You did do some research about what working for a council is like, not just depend on the popular myths? If you have any desire to progress, they'll be little work / life balance, and plenty of unpaid hours...
+1
I'm a contractor in a council and thats wholly what i'm seeing. Theres a small percentage who work hard, go way above and beyond and progress slowly (and are still paid significantly below private sector market rates), the rest just get their small yearly increment and stay on the same grade year after year after year.....0 -
Should have done a search was searching for something else and ironically this old thread popped up
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4661693
Admittedly bit out of date and would seem the poster didn't stay in the Council job to long, even 5 years ago ...perhaps they could well echo the above experience pointed out...
Personally the last very, very, very well paid job I interviewed for at £24,500 (private sector, large corp, fully backed by a recruitment agent and it's umbrella co. dare I say!!) turned out was actually rather temp to perm for a reason...
I never look at a job now without the likes of this godsend!
https://wageindicator.co.uk/pay/hourly-pay-converter0 -
Don't just look at the salary (for what it's worth, I agree with the others who say that you would start on the bottom band - end of) look at the pension benefits as well.
Your own pension contributions would be 5.8% of your £19.5K salary - but your employer will pay considerably more.
So, you would pay £904.80 per annum (£1,131 before tax relief).
In return, you would get £19.5K / 49 = £397.96 (plus CPI revaluation) as an annual pension for the rest of your life.
Multiply by number of years service.0 -
MovingForwards wrote: »As far as I am aware you will start at the bottom /lowest figure.
In situations such as these you need to weigh up is it a longer/shorter commute time, how many holidays/bank holidays per year, what pension % they put in for you, flexi time, the hours you work, work/life balance. Add all of these up and I am sure it's worth more than 2k
+1 for this
I work in the public sector and you cannot get a pay rise whilst in that role, and it is extremely difficult to get above the base salary when interviewing - it is basically your only chance to barter.
You could go for line management allowance to bolster your salary, which is popular in local councils, but extremely difficult to do because everyone does it0 -
What line management allowance? If this exists at all, it's a very localised thing. I've never heard of it in over 30 years of working with councils. So, far from everyone doing it, I don't know anyone who does it.+1 for this
I work in the public sector and you cannot get a pay rise whilst in that role, and it is extremely difficult to get above the base salary when interviewing - it is basically your only chance to barter.
You could go for line management allowance to bolster your salary, which is popular in local councils, but extremely difficult to do because everyone does it0 -
What line management allowance? If this exists at all, it's a very localised thing. I've never heard of it in over 30 years of working with councils. So, far from everyone doing it, I don't know anyone who does it.
Possibly referring to TDA which if memory serves stands for Temporary Duties Allowance. When somebody takes over the duties of a higher grade this used to be payable immediately. I'm aware that some areas tried to get away with only paying it if the role was covered for a week or more. Where I worked they had to back down when nobody would take on the higher grade roles. What did management expect??0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
- 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 449.7K Spending & Discounts
- 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
- 607.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 173K Life & Family
- 247.8K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
- 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards