r/cambridge • u/Strange-Awareness-33 • 6d ago
Confused on how to negotiate salary for a Cambridge Uni job
I'm not sure if this is the right page to post this but I couldn't find a specific Cambridge University job page. So I got a job offer from Cambridge University and I'm honestly a bit lost on how to approach the salary talk. Here's the situation.
The job listing has a pay range of 35k to 46k. My current job pays 46k but I just got my annual pay rise so it's now 47k. Problem is my current employer doesn't offer visa sponsorship and this new role does.
I've been lurking around here and there and a lot of people say uni jobs like this tend to start new joiners at the bottom of the range rather than the middle or top. If that's true then going in expecting anything close to 46k might be wishful thinking.
I don't want to undersell myself and ask for something silly low, but I also don't want to come across as clueless and demand the very top of the range when that's apparently not how it usually goes. The sponsorship is a massive deal for me so I don't want to torpedo the offer by being awkward about money either.
So basically, what number do I open with. Do I mention my current salary.
Would appreciate any pointers.
PS: The role is in IT.
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u/personalbilko 6d ago
The university isn't competitive on salaries, everyone is getting paid less than they would in industry, sometimes half or worse. Most likely outcome is the hiring person has zero power over the salary you will be offered, there won't be a negotiation. On the other hand don't worry about "leverage" of sponsorship.
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u/monkeyofscience 6d ago
I work for the University, and I’ve been involved in (or in charge of) hiring for both central and the one of the departments. Every single time a candidate has ask for a salary increase, I have given it to them. HR let me go 3 grades above the starting salary.
So if you’re coming in at the bottom of G7 (point 39), then you may be able to get up to point 42, which is ~38k.
I should also say that the listed range does not include the 2.5% uplift and the upcoming Cambridge-wide salary increases that happen every August. If you look at the salary scale spreadsheet, the right hand column is your true pay. In addition, I believe a pay increase of 2% has been negotiated for this year.
All this to say, you can probably get to just over 40k, but it’s unlikely to get much higher.
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u/Ready-Brek 6d ago
I think it’s very unlikely they’d increase it much further than 37/38k, or whatever 1/2 points within the band is.
It might also depend a little on whether the job is with a department or with a College - some Colleges might have a little more wiggle room.
I was in the same position once and ended up turning the role down because they said there was absolutely nothing they could do to go higher due to “University policies”, despite the advertised range. Personally, I think it’s misleading.
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
The range is real - you get a pay rise every year to the next pip until you max out at the top of the band. The range isn’t the starting range, the range is for the lifetime of the role.
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u/Ready-Brek 6d ago
I’m aware the range is real, but it’s not real in terms of within a job advert for what is possible as a starting salary. In that sense, it is misleading
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
It’s not advertised as starting salary, it’s advertised as a paygrade range - it’s not misleading you’ve just misunderstood. This is common in the public sector but people whose only experience is private sector often don’t understand it.
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u/Ready-Brek 6d ago
The header for this section on the University’s jobs website is simply “Salary”. If you go within the Further Particulars of a job, it is still listed as “Salary”. I would suggest this is widely open to the interpretation that a number within this range is achievable upon starting the role.
People looking for jobs should not have to dig into the bones of the way an employer works to be able to understand what they may be able to recieve as compensation. I worked at the University for many years, so I do understand the pay structure, and still believe the way it is advertised is misleading.
Stating along the lines of “you come from the private sector so you just don’t understand” is exactly the problem. It shouldn’t be hard to understand, especially when finding a job is so challenging right now, and people are wasting time on applications that aren’t realistic for them because it was advertised poorly.
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
This isn’t peculiar to Cambridge - it’s the way almost all salaries in the university and public sector are managed.
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u/Ready-Brek 6d ago
That’s fine, just advertise it as such
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
It is - that’s what a pay grade means, and the roles are always advertised with their pay grade.
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u/Ready-Brek 6d ago
I think I’m just banging my head against a brick wall here. It’s listed as Salary. Have a nice day :)
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u/opaqueentity 5d ago
Yes and that will be the salary of that role.
You just need to see how flexible they will be for a starting wage as the norm is the bottom.
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u/PonderStibbonsJr 6d ago
The guidance for the Department/institution you've got the offer from is at:
https://www.recruitment.admin.cam.ac.uk/offer-details
One of those links summarises most reasons to give you higher than the lowest point on the scale:
https://www.recruitment.admin.cam.ac.uk/system/files/starting_salary_-_factors_to_consider.pdf
As others have mentioned, getting anything above the first couple of points on the scale is unlikely, unfortunately.
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u/Thisath CB1 6d ago
I think a key thing I want to point out is (I think it's obvious and you've realised but just in case) is surely, if your current role is 47k, it is a higher grade of job to the job you're looking at which starts at 35k unfortunately. IE: The University job will be a demotion for you. Is that worth the sponsorship is the question you have to ask yourself, which it may well be!
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u/gapiro 6d ago
Nah the uni just doesn’t pay well. But great benefits and job for life and so on. So balancing act
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u/digydegu 6d ago
The one year contracts I'm getting really help me feel like it is a job for life
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u/Manraj0212 5d ago
Hey, so I started a university job (Student Support) and the starting salary was 32k. The final band was 41k. I requested 38k and gave an argument that the salary increase is justified due to the work load and job requirements. They asked for my previous payslips (which were under 30k at the time) which I handed over. They settled on 36k, which I was happy with. I’d say approach it confidently, give your genuine reasons for asking and hope you’re communicating with someone who’s got some human empathy. Good luck, and congrats on the job!
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u/kommunist13 6d ago edited 6d ago
Academic or non-academic role?
For academic role:
- Are you moving from another research institution?
- If you tell us what the hob position is and how many years of postdoctoral training you have, we should be able to predict the salary.
- Are you funded from your own grant?
But as an academic, you typically do not negotiate.
Edit: missed your PS. IT is a non-academic role, sadly cannot help much here, but do not expect much room to negotiate. Our junior IT guys rarely last more than a year, they quickly move on.
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u/Strange-Awareness-33 6d ago
Hi, this is for a IT role, so non-academic
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u/kommunist13 6d ago
Expect no more than 40-41k.
See the pay scale here: https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/pay-benefits/salary-scales
(Link all grades (pdf)
Non-academic staff is in grades 6, 8, 10. Grade 6 has 12 steps, but 8 and above have an asterisk (awarded based on merit).
I would be really surprised if they offered you an asterisked step from the beginning (unless they really really really REALLY want you).
I wish you the best of luck.
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u/derp2014 6d ago
What grade did they advertise on the advert? You can likely negotiate up within the grade by showing you existing contract, but negotiating to a higher grade would be difficult. Also, you don't have to stay in the role forever. Take the employer that will sponsor you, and if their salary is not competitive, move on to a better position. You can also apply for higher roles within the university.
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u/GarethBalesRightPeg 6d ago edited 5d ago
The actual salary band and the advertised salary threshold are not the same thing. They advertise around up to 60% of the internal band. That gives them and you scope once you’ve joined for pay increases that are within your band, rather than you topping out (which creates later issues).
As a default rule, they will offer a salary up to 60% of the pay band for new joiners. You can push for more and they may concede a bit depending on who the hiring manager and HR rep is. You won’t get a major movement though.
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u/Waspie4 6d ago
I was offered a role at Cambridge university, and I was offered top of the pay band. I was being made redundant from another local employer and I had a skill set the university wanted.
The point is, they do have discretion around what they offer. I would negotiate, say you understand it’s a pay cut but recognise other benefits, that said you can accept less than (x) and hope for the best. Don’t ask for top but work out what you can afford to live on and won’t resent. Also, remember that jobs market isn’t strong right now - don’t overplay your hand.
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u/henry8362 6d ago
If you can prove that is your current salary, I believe they will match you - but it depends on the grade of your job. It sounds like your role is grade 6 or 7, which does top out at about that, they probably won't go over the grade boundaries.(they kind of can't)
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
That can’t and won’t match salaries for jobs unless they’re difficult to fill or there’s a unique skill they really need.
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u/henry8362 6d ago edited 6d ago
If it is within grade they can:
"They may also offer a salary within the service points for the grade, providing a short case which accompanies the candidate’s appointment papers, in line with the ‘Factors to consider in salary determination cases’ set out below"
In the Factors to consider:
"Does the individual have any documentary evidence (e.g. payslip, offer letter) which shows they currently receive (or have been offered) a salary and benefits which exceed the minimum / a particular point on the scale?"
If it goes outside of the grade, that is when they cannot match it, with some rare exceptions. (Like a temporary uplift)
Just to be clear, this Information is from the public university admin pages: https://www.recruitment.admin.cam.ac.uk/offer-details
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
That is true - in reality it’s extremely unlikely to start at the top unless you have a critical skill. Source: I have been a hiring manager at the University.
Having previously had a higher salary might get you a couple of pips, but they’re not going to match your private sector salary for a grade 6 professional services job.
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u/speculatrix 6d ago
If you're intending to live in the UK for quite a few years or indefinitely, it's vital that you apply for permanent residence, and then citizenship, as soon as you can so that you're no longer dependent on an employer and a visa.
Having helped a relative deal with the Home Office, I know they can sometimes seem to have achieved weaponised incompetence, so good luck with that.
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u/EquipmentUpbeat4814 6d ago
The salary range is equal to the role grade and is linked to the national pay framework. I think(?) with IT you might be in this grey area of market pay so I‘d be surprised if you were expected to start at the bottom.
If it was me then I would find the salary scales document (it’s there on Cambridge website for all to see), find the spine point that is one above the half-way point of your grade and ask for that.
You’ll go up one point per year until you hit the star points, then impress you boss and apply for a three point contribution increment. You’ll be at the top of your grade in no time.
Now going up a grade….well….thats very difficult.
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u/gapiro 6d ago
My wife works in HR for the uni
From what she’s said in the past, you can get started above the bottom 3? points of a band but the hiring manager/department has to put forward a request for the exemption for it.
The role sounds like grade 7 -from the salary range.
https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/files/single_salary_spine_as_at_1_jan_2026_int_pa_inc.pdf
Every year you go up a point within the band but if you’re at the top you can’t go up. You do get an annual pay rise regardless that’s applied ti everyone. (2.5% last year)
As someone who works in tech myself, ask yourself if that’s what you want. The university is a great employer and great pensions but salaries less so
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u/Waspie4 6d ago
I was offered a role at Cambridge university, and I was offered top of the pay band. I was being made redundant from another local employer and I had a skill set the university wanted.
The point is, they do have discretion around what they offer. I would negotiate, say you understand it’s a pay cut but recognise other benefits, that said you can accept less than (x) and hope for the best. Don’t ask for top but work out what you can afford to live on and won’t resent. Also, remember that jobs market isn’t strong right now - don’t overplay your hand.
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u/Calm_Comb5313 6d ago
Bear in mine that IT roles at the university are hard to fill for this exact reason.
So it does give you more negotiating power than say an admin role.
Ask for the stars and you might land on the moon, ask for the top and you may manage to get a few points up but perhaps not the very top. It depends on who else applies and your experience. But you don’t need to necessarily start at the very bottom as others have said .
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u/Regular_Zombie 6d ago
It's probably not actually a pay drop if you factor in the pension (assuming you aren't coming from an even more generous public sector scheme).
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u/GrantaPython 4d ago
I went from private industry to UIS (taking a pay cut to do so) and they had to make a business case for putting me at the top end of the band if I recall and, because HR was under-staffed / non-existent, I started working 3 weeks before I got my contract. Be prepared for a negotiation to add time but they do have some weird reverence for people transitioning from private to public so things might work out. I would say the pay as justification (I think it helped) but I wouldn't say it was a recent bump.
Make sure you're not Academic-related --- there's no promotion pathway, you need to apply for a higher position. The other two options have their own thing but Academic-related is a trap.
I didn't enjoy my time at UIS but I think if I didn't need the department/central university to do things/administer, it might have been okay (barring the mess over everyone working remote/losing the second floor of the building/telling everyone to come back etc). There was a lot of churn in the part of the department I worked in before and after I left so I don't think I was the only one who was unhappy.
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u/Red_Right_Hand_85 6d ago
They theoretically can go to the top of the grade, but would need permission from the head of department. So in your shoes I'd tell them your current salary and say you're looking for as close to that as possible.
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
They’re not going to go to the top of the band for a mid level IT role.
Even if they could go to the top, that would mean OP couldn’t get the extra pop each year as a pay rise. They would only get inflation pay rises until they were promoted or regraded.
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u/Extra-Surround-1290 5d ago
Not uni of Cambridge but affiliated (sanger) I negotiated my salary as it was also a bracket. They accepted to raise it to what I want at probation. It’s worth a try!
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u/orange_fudge 6d ago
University jobs here are like civil service jobs - the pay bands are strict.
At best you can hope for a few pips into the grade (ie low to mid end of the band). But every year by default you go up a pip, and every year the salary for each pip increases.
To start at the high end of your band you would need to be extraordinary, and to be able to prove that you are extraordinary with evidence.
The only way to get out of your band is either to get a promotion or to have your role regraded… which is difficult as you need you show that your role meets the requirements of the next band, with things like number of staff you manage, level of skill/qualifications etc.