I am a prospective teacher and want to know if there is room for negotiation on NQTs’ pay rates. Would it help to have a first class degree or to have worked in your subject field in industry for more than four years?

Most new teachers start on point one of the relevant scale. You will not receive anything extra for your degree: such supplements for “good honours” degrees disappeared some time ago. There is scope to negotiate on your industrial experience, especially if your salary before training was higher than point one on the scale. How successful you are will depend on how much the school wants to employ you.