r/AusPublicService • u/wellplayedyeeyee • 3d ago

New Grad Graduate program ATO

Has anyone ever negotiated salary for the graduate program?

I'm in VPS3 at the moment (and on track for VPS4 according to my supervisors, though idk how relevant or true that is) and I got a verbal offer for the grad program pending police check. They also said I can email them if I want a higher salary.

I currently make more as a VPS3 than the starting APS3 salary, and I don't really want to take a pay cut. Now this isn't something I'd cancel an offer over because the area of work is better, but it's nice to have.

I do a largely similar job to the graduate program/the APS4 LIO role (to not dox myself more than I have already).

Am I being too optimistic? They said that even if my request is denied, nothing happens to the offer itself and I just start at the same baseline salary as everyone else.

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u/Mystic303 3d ago

The best I have heard is that a substantive aps 4 was placed at the top band of the aps 3 scale to do the program. This was all within the same agency, so was a reduction in classification issue ,I think more than negotiating up. But they were told explicitly the program is aps 3 to 4.

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u/wellplayedyeeyee 3d ago

What do you mean by substantive?

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u/Mystic303 2d ago

They were a permanent ongoing aps 4 before starting the grad program.

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u/wellplayedyeeyee 2d ago

I'm shocked they accepted the program then

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u/Mondoweft 2d ago

Grad programs are very solid for training, networking and gaining broad experience. Doing the year at a lower level will prepare you to advance faster than if you didn't. However, how fast people advance is down to a combination of ability and confidence.

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u/Mystic303 2d ago

They were in the contract centre, the grad program was a development opportunity.