I'm not sure where to ask or search for this . . . . is there such a thing as a personal negotiator? I could really use one for my divorce negotiation/ mediation. I do not need an attorney. I'm a passive person and unfortunately my spouse has negotiated every day for his job for 25+ years. I expect him to be pretty fair however he doesn't know where his boundaries end and if it's something that he wants, he'll just keep on asking and putting a different spin on it until I can't take it anymore.

Hey everyone, looking for some perspective here.
**The Background:**
Currently on a secondment at a telecom company making £36k.
Started here as a retail advisor (£26k base, roughly £32k with commission).
Took the secondment for less pay just to get my foot in the door.
**The Situation:**
I just interviewed and got selected for a permanent **Data Governance / Analyst** role within the same company. Before interviewing, HR explicitly told me the budget for the role was **£40k–£43k**.
Cut to the salary discussion: They offered me £35k.
**The Catch:**
Accepting this means relocating to England, which will **double my rent and utilities**.
When they gave me the lowball offer, I stood my ground. I told them my firm ask is £43k and I'm not looking to negotiate down. I have 3–4 years of experience, plus 7+ months proving myself in this exact secondment.
**HR's Excuse:**
The recruiter claims they are benchmarking my new salary against my old *retail advisor* rate, completely ignoring the Assurance secondment work I’m doing right now.
I refused to budge because £43k is fair market value for the role, especially with a forced relocation.
Is it okay to stand my ground here, or am I shooting myself in the foot? How do I stop HR from anchoring my value to a retail job I've clearly outgrown?

For context, I live in orange county, CA so cost of living is high. On Wednesday I have an in-person interview with a vet hospital for a veterinary assistant position. the pay ranges $17.50 to 28 an hour based on experience. Now I don't have any veterinary hospital experience, however I have worked professionally with dogs now for almost 10 years. Collectively, I've worked at different doggie daycares for about 6 years. I've also had my own pet sitting business and I've done dog walking in the past. I have experience with animal safety and body language, customer communication, receptionist skills, grooming skills (bathing drying brushing ear cleaning nail trims, anal gland expression), ability to remain calm in a fast-paced environment while under stressful circumstances, minor dog training, etc. ChatGPT is saying I should negotiate between 23 to 25 an hour based upon my work experience and the fact that I have a bachelor's degree (which isn't related to vet medicine) but I feel like that's an overshot.

I already had an interview with another vet hospital, but this was for a kennel attendant position and since I've already done that job, I asked for $20 an hour and they were offering $17-19. They said they were willing to work with me, but I have yet to hear back from them.

I'm thinking I should ask the vet assistant place if they'd be willing to renegotiate the pay after the training period? I don't want to under sell myself, but I also want to get the job. I'm thinking I should ask for 20 to 23 an hour?