The Unofficial SMART Scholarship Forum

Hello,

I have been selected as a finalist for this years scholarship and am wondering about trying to negotiate a pay step before I sign on. I will graduate in 2023 with a BS/MS. I have ~4 years of extremely relevant internship experience to the position I am filling, even been extended offers to sign on full time before graduation. My tuition is low; only about 10k/semester, so I'm mostly in it for the stipend. It doesn't really make sense for me to sign on if I am starting at the base pay step for my region, so I am wondering if anyone has had success negotiating for a higher pay step before they start phase 1?

Thanks!

Negotiating on the front end is definitely not a binding agreement as a lot can change in the next two years before you graduate. Depending on the SF, your boss/ hiring manager could change, you could have a change of circumstances/ heart, etc. What I would recommend doing is asking specific questions on your Site Visit and see how they handle hiring. The purpose of the SIte Visit is to learn everything you can about the site, people, job description, and salary should be included in that. You should not leave your visit without a semi-clear answer for what you can expect your salary to be, but keep in mind this is not even close to a binding agreement. As an MS grad, you'd likely start as a GS-9 and could try and negotiate for a higher step but negotiations with the government aren't really as logical as the private sector where your experience and GPA are taken seriously. After the Site Visit, you could run some numbers with your own situation and figure out if the hassle and lower pay are worth the stipend and tuition, or if you'd rather take your chances to make more money later. PM me if you have more specific questions.

Any negotiations you have with your SF are on the basis of good faith and will not be binding. As per the service agreement, you will have to accept your position at whatever rate you are offered. Be confident you can trust the SF to treat you well. Try to get a feel for the work environment and your prospective supervisor when you go on the site visit.