Hi AMTC - Would you mind if I asked what sector (i.e. parent Govt department) you are in? I understood that Finance came down pretty hard on insisting that all new joiners come in at the bottom of the scale now. I heard that HSE seemed to make their own rules, but other sectors were pretty firm on this. Would this match your experience?no you don't have to enter at the bottom. I negotiated my salary off an AP scale.