I have been offered a job on point 5 of the unqualified pay scale (Pounds 16,500), after four years working as a supply teacher at local primary schools. I have a PGCE in post-16, without qualified teacher status. The head of the school wants me to do the graduate teacher programme; is the money enough, and do I have a chance of a higher starting point?

The present scale for unqualified teachers is 10 points long and reaches a maximum of pound;25,000 in inner-London and just over pound;22,000 outside London. You have been placed about halfway up the scale; presumably because of your previous teaching experience. If you think you have additional expertise, based on anything you did before gaining your PGCE for post-compulsory education, you could try to negotiate a high point.

However, even if the school really wants you, they may be constrained by their financial position. As you have “taught” for the past four years, you may be able to achieve QTS faster than normal, so your time on the unqualified scale might not be as long as you think.