ICT School Wages

[nephilim]

Any jobs going Roberto? I can send a CV...lol

[Roberto]

In all seriousness, we *might* have a technician vacancy in the new year. I'll post it in the jobs section here if we do. I can obviously make no promises about duties or salary of any new post though.

[oalcock]

I work for the local government. I used to work in schools, the pay is significantly greater here as a computer technician.

[Soulfish]

I'm actually pretty lucky when it comes to pay. I recently went from being a Network Manager at a school to being the Director of IT at a new Academy. The school I was at paid pretty typical LEA school based salaries (techs in the 15-20k range, network manager 25-30k) but the Academy pays much closer to what I'd consider to be commercial level salaries for support staff. IT Techs are paid in the 25-35k range, with IT Director being in the £50-60k range.

I've noticed a trend that the new build academies (and in particular those that form part of a group) pay levels seem to be much closer to commercial levels in the area that they're based in. I suspect it may have something to do with being able to design your entire support and management structures from the ground up, allowing more thought to go into what responsibilities need to be where in a new school and where to spend.

[oalcock]

I'm actually pretty lucky when it comes to pay. I recently went from being a Network Manager at a school to being the Director of IT at a new Academy. The school I was at paid pretty typical LEA school based salaries (techs in the 15-20k range, network manager 25-30k) but the Academy pays much closer to what I'd consider to be commercial level salaries for support staff. IT Techs are paid in the 25-35k range, with IT Director being in the £50-60k range.

I've noticed a trend that the new build academies (and in particular those that form part of a group) pay levels seem to be much closer to commercial levels in the area that they're based in. I suspect it may have something to do with being able to design your entire support and management structures from the ground up, allowing more thought to go into what responsibilities need to be where in a new school and where to spend.

Is your school down South or in the London area? You never see this pay in the North West.

[nephilim]

He is in Hammersmith, London. However the nearer to a big city you are (Birmingham, Leeds, London, Exeter, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh etc) the better your wage due to cost of living in said cities being higher than outside of the cities.

[oalcock]

Yes, it's more your IT sales jobs in this area that get that Salary or Head's of global companies!

[nephilim]

Not really, I have seen NM for schools in Leeds, Glasgow etc offering £35k+ Only reason I didnt go for them is that my family is not willing to relocate.

[Roberto]

I'm glad that soulfish responded and @norphy and myself aren't the only people on here working in a school or college and on 'near industry' wages, not just because I was feeling lonely but because I think what I'm being paid is simply what I deserve for the job I do, and I strongly believe that being paid a fairer wage for the job is no more than what we all deserve for the jobs we do.

I know that will sound like pie in the sky, and perhaps it is, especially with budgets being in the toilet right now. But it's still no more than what we deserve.

[somabc]

Having read the replies here, I'm almost embarrassed to comment because we're doing very well where I work (all the jobs but my own are estimates, even where I know the salary precisely I don't really want to talk about other peoples wage packets)

Technician - £16k-£20k
Snr Tech - £20k-£24k
Engineer - £27k-£31k
Snr Engineer - £35-£38k
Manager - Somewhere in the 40s I guess.

I work in London and I would say that those salaries are bang on for working in Education.

[nephilim]

It is about accurate for those deemed secondary schools.

I know a few primary school techs who just about scrape £13-£14k, Snr techs who scrape £16-17k, and NMs who scrape £19k.

[detjo]

I got into the game 4 years ago this Nov. working for a company that provided IT support for schools, so I was permanently based at a state High School. I was there for 2.5 years before I moved and spent the next 6 months out of it.
Then i got offered the job I do now in a small independent Primary school (200 kids 30 staff) and have been here a year.
The entire department is .. me! so I look after everything that remotely resembles IT. Salary is £18,250 (and pushing for a raise) and i get 15 weeks holiday.
I love the school tho and the staff/kids are great to work with.

[witch]

I got into the game 4 years ago this Nov. working for a company that provided IT support for schools, so I was permanently based at a state High School. I was there for 2.5 years before I moved and spent the next 6 months out of it.
Then i got offered the job I do now in a small independent Primary school (200 kids 30 staff) and have been here a year.
The entire department is .. me! so I look after everything that remotely resembles IT. Salary is £18,250 (and pushing for a raise) and i get 15 weeks holiday.
I love the school tho and the staff/kids are great to work with.

That's my job too but my school is bigger and I have two of them! I am on the bottom rung - IT Tech - paid about £16k pro rata and I am not supposed to do anything without supervision. Certainly not supposed to do ordering or project managing or run the inventory or investigate software or assess printers or create group policies or even touch the server other than to create users.....and of course I do all this and more. The pay for senior tech and NM isnt that bad but most lone techs in Dorset schools are paid at the bottom level but expected to do all of the above and more.
I am currently in dispute with the management over this and may have to work to rule soon which I would hate as I love my job...but there is a time when you realise you are being taken advantage of, and not in a good way....

[Jiser]

I got into the game 4 years ago this Nov. working for a company that provided IT support for schools, so I was permanently based at a state High School. I was there for 2.5 years before I moved and spent the next 6 months out of it.
Then i got offered the job I do now in a small independent Primary school (200 kids 30 staff) and have been here a year.
The entire department is .. me! so I look after everything that remotely resembles IT. Salary is £18,250 (and pushing for a raise) and i get 15 weeks holiday.
I love the school tho and the staff/kids are great to work with.

Is your salary pro rata? 18.250 with 15 weeks holiday isn't to bad at all.

[Jiser]

I work for the local government. I used to work in schools, the pay is significantly greater here as a computer technician.

Same here. I am leaving education for local government and its better!