Sysadmins teaching too

[palmer_eldritch]

Not a job ad, so apologies if I've posted in an incorrect forum. I have been reading the job description for an IT network manager post at a school. The usual enormous list of 'essential' personal qualities and duties was there and I was on the verge of just getting on with the application form, when I noticed the following in the 'Professional Duties' section;

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with pupils
• Contribute to pupils’ learning by demonstrating or advising on the proper use of equipment and materials, as requested by the teacher
• Act as a personal tutor for a group of pupils
• Act as a ‘cover tutor’ in relation to ICT lessons
• Provide general support for pupils during unstructured situations

Now, I know education is renowned for abusing the 'any other duties commensurate with the position' clause, but this seems to me to be taking the piss.

Is anyone out there in the position of being a network manager and an 'unofficial' teacher / tutor as well ? Btw, no teaching qualification is required in the above job, 'experience in management of pupils' is 'desirable'. How do you do it? (This is of course assuming they will be able to find the time to read this post in the first place )

[Geoff]

My understanding is that you cannot be left alone with kids to do anything unless there is a qualified member of staff (teacher, grade x teaching assistant) also present.

[plexer]

Ask them if their insurance covers this, I think you'll find it doesn't.

Unless they employ you on a teaching/cover supervisor contract and pay you accordingly for the times when you are instructing I'd tell them to stuff it.

Ben

[palmer_eldritch]

Indeed so, Geoff. It all reminds me of a job interview at a school I went to several years ago, in which the advertised position was for an English/IT teacher and ended up being for a Special Needs co-odinator.

"If we offered you the job, would you accept?"

[palmer_eldritch]

Ask them if their insurance covers this, I think you'll find it doesn't.

Unless they employ you on a teaching/cover supervisor contract and pay you accordingly for the times when you are instructing I'd tell them to stuff it.

Ben

The advertised salary is c26K, which for the job as described made me laugh even more.

[webman]

Should be atleast another £10k on top of that for what they're asking.

[broc]

Cover supervisors & classroom teaching assistants get paid considerably less than £26k, so I would argue that having a NM do some of these roles is wasting valuable school resource

[palmer_eldritch]

Oh, forget to say that the person spec also says -

• Commitment to the Christian values of the Academy

Nice and vague, I thought.

[beeswax]

Ahhh...Academy. Playing by different rules there.

[CyberNerd]

I do some teaching as part of the extended schools programme, only 2 hours per week + 2 hours prep time. It's in addition to my regular job, not as part of it. Useful for beer money

Oh, forget to say that the person spec also says -

• Commitment to the Christian values of the Academy

lol, they need Ubuntu CE - christian edition (what would jesus download.com )

[GrumbleDook]

Teaching ... let us dispel a myth now ... anyone can teach in a school.

You can be employed as an unqualified teacher or as an instructor.

Insurance is the responsibility of the school but it is beneficial if you join a teaching union (in case you school drop you in it and don't support you if something goes wrong).

You can only instruct for a limited period of time before you have to have some level of recognised qualification ... IIRC it is 3 years, but if you then do the HLTA stuff you can keep going for longer.

If you have to do this then I would recommend that you try and ensure that there is an upper limit that you get collared for ... and if possible have it confirmed that you will only do it for specified subjects (eg ICT, Media Studies, Music Technology ... you know ... things involving computers!)

[Midget]

WWJDownload?

Porn and Lost episodes probably

Only JewKing ..... i mean joking.

[palmer_eldritch]

Interesting stuff, grumbledook. I'm not going near the job - after eight years' teaching which ended some time ago, I've had enough of the job to last me a lifetime! Still find it hilarious that they pile on the 'responsibilities' with no clear idea about how they'll be addressed. Mind you, if the job spec was written by masochistic workaholic, then...

[Lord_Edam]

You can only instruct for a limited period of time before you have to have some level of recognised qualification ... IIRC it is 3 years, but if you then do the HLTA stuff you can keep going for longer.

So, how does Half Life Team Arena help teachers?

[elsiegee40]

It's in my job description to cover lessons when the ICT teacher is unavailable. Doesn't happen often - maybe a couple of times in a year - but I'm happy to follow the lesson plan with a class. Particularly as the max size of our classes is 17.