ICT_GUY Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 Not sure where to put this. Ok I hope you guys will throw in some decent advice. I am currently paid as a technician. (Grade6) I work 27,5 hrs per week. Term time only. I am responsible for the entire school network which I have built and maintained for the last ten years. It has recently grown rapidly to include Areohive wireless and layer 3 switches (which I also have to maintain and upgrade). The network has 152 devices made up of PC's, Laptops, Servers and Ipads. On top of this are the other network devices including switches, printers and AP's. I am also responsible for the school website and email system. And the design and planning of the network upgrades. Plus I have the usual technician stuff to do, like downloading videos making photo stories, dvds ect. I do not have any other support to rely on. In the future the network is going to grow by at least another 30 Laptops plus ipads. However on top of this, SMT want me to take over a second network and integrate it into ours. This is on a separate site with a suite of 34 PC's and at least another 20 PC's. Also they have a separate server and wireless system. I am due to have a meeting very soon about this. I feel that I am already working beyond by pay grade and that the job I am doing is that of systems manager (Grade 11). What I am asking is What hours do you think are needed to look after this size of network and what pay grade should I be looking at? All Help thanked and appreciated.
tmcd35 Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 It's difficult. The pay schemes I've seen don't tend to differentiate the roles by network size/number of computers, but by number of staff managed, strategic responsibilities, and possibly budgetary responsibility. For what you've described, based on the documentation I have in front of me, I'd put on on Grade F (I guess that's Grade 6) with Job title 'ICT Support Engineer'. If you're supporting external schools - a cluster - then under the reward guide for our LEA, that's grounds for Grade G (ICT Technical Manager), as would line management of staff. Higher grades tend to ask for more strategic independence, budgetary control and line management responsibilities. Personally, I'd go in asking for full time at Grade 7 and a term time junior tech at grade 4 or 5.
Steve21 Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 I'd say a lot depends on what you're actually putting into practice on the networks on a day to day level compared to what you have. I mean Wireless etc is all good but if you're just hitting go and leaving it, that's not the same as configuring radius/vpn/byod etc etc As an example at my old school our "primary/junior" Tech ran 7 schools including all servers/networks/wireless/printing etc etc for £18k~ Steve
ICT_GUY Posted June 25, 2015 Author Posted June 25, 2015 Good point well put. I am currently on 13k which is works out at around 17k full time.
witch Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 Have you got the Dorset job descriptions for IT Systems Tech, Senior Tech and NM? I have and I showed them to the boss to illustrate that I was doing 90% of the NM job, but paid as a basic tech. The basic tech job is "supervised" - Oh yes, by whom? Only the NM does quotes and such but I couldn't be an NM because you HAVE to have someone to manage (like, a network isn't enough) and a budget. So I got put up to senior tech and I am mulling over "working to rule" to make my point. If I did though I think they would just buy in stuff I haven't seen and then I would be expected to deal with it - so maybe not! The size of your current network is not far off one of mine and I do 15 hours a week but I don't do the website - I do the newsletter though But I think you are more involved with the upgrading and infrastructure than I am so I can see why you need more hours. The level of responsibility is more the point though. You certainly don't accept any more physical kit without pointing out that you would need more hours for a start- if they think 25 is OK at present then they have to see that more kit will take more time. So there are two strands to this - money (position) and time. Why didn't you discuss this with me before
ICT_GUY Posted June 25, 2015 Author Posted June 25, 2015 I'd say a lot depends on what you're actually putting into practice on the networks on a day to day level compared to what you have. I mean Wireless etc is all good but if you're just hitting go and leaving it, that's not the same as configuring radius/vpn/byod etc etc As an example at my old school our "primary/junior" Tech ran 7 schools including all servers/networks/wireless/printing etc etc for £18k~ Steve Designed and built the whole system. Responsible for creating and maintaining the wireless, SSIDs, security and Vlans. There is no external support.
ICT_GUY Posted June 25, 2015 Author Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Have you got the Dorset job descriptions for IT Systems Tech, Senior Tech and NM? I have and I showed them to the boss to illustrate that I was doing 90% of the NM job, but paid as a basic tech. The basic tech job is "supervised" - Oh yes, by whom? Only the NM does quotes and such but I couldn't be an NM because you HAVE to have someone to manage (like, a network isn't enough) and a budget. So I got put up to senior tech and I am mulling over "working to rule" to make my point. If I did though I think they would just buy in stuff I haven't seen and then I would be expected to deal with it - so maybe not! The size of your current network is not far off one of mine and I do 15 hours a week but I don't do the website - I do the newsletter though But I think you are more involved with the upgrading and infrastructure than I am so I can see why you need more hours. The level of responsibility is more the point though. You certainly don't accept any more physical kit without pointing out that you would need more hours for a start- if they think 25 is OK at present then they have to see that more kit will take more time. So there are two strands to this - money (position) and time. Why didn't you discuss this with me before The feeling I get is that they think that the hours that I have are more than the school needs. There is nobody in the school who has the expertise to supervise what I do. There is no additional support, and the work load is increasing and the pay has been frozen for years :-/ My biggest worry at the moment is the imminent doubling of my responsibilities and being stretched over two sites. Edited June 25, 2015 by ICT_GUY
LeMarchand Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Good point well put. I am currently on 13k which is works out at around 17k full time. Can't help with how to get more pay, but I'd definitely say that you're underpaid. I've managed to wangle more than that for what feels to me a lower skill set and responsibility. This post that @elsiegee40 posted http://www.edugeek.net/forums/educational-jobs/155584-senior-ict-technician-hook-hants-24102-27126-closes-6-7-15-a.html offers better pay (though fulltime/52 weeks) for what seems a similar post to yours (possibly a bigger school). I was tempted as it's a lovely area, but it's not cheap (full of Londoners) and not quite worth the upheaval in terms of selling/buying property and Mme LeMarchand needing to find a new job. Edited June 25, 2015 by LeMarchand Typo 1
X-13 Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 I think your first port of call should be your Union. Also try to get your JD redone to cover any additional responsibilities you have had to take on since it was written... Then get it sent off to be regraded. I managed to get a scale increase [+1 money get!] because the JD was graded higher by HR. 1
Ephelyon Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 @ICT_GUY, I have stacks of resources on getting successfully regraded if you'd like them. @witch, as far as NM requiring line management responsibilities is concerned, see if you can get hold of your scoreline. 1
ICT_GUY Posted June 25, 2015 Author Posted June 25, 2015 @ICT_GUY, I have stacks of resources on getting successfully regraded if you'd like them. @witch, as far as NM requiring line management responsibilities is concerned, see if you can get hold of your scoreline. Yes please :-D
witch Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 @Ephelyon What is a score line? I only have the job descs sent by HR @ICT_GUY Have you got the job descs? Even if you aren't in a LA school they make a good benchnmark Pm me a home email - can't attach them here
speckytecky Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 That's mad isn't it! I was employed as a Tech then they upgraded my post to NM - I don't have any staff. In another thread I asked for a reality check and the flavour that was coming back was my hours to do what I do are perhaps generous and that it seems a lot of schools are now going down the road of automating a lot of tasks. I'm left wondering what I could automate as most of the time I'm fire fighting and helping staff out with the IT / Software problems their teaching degrees haven't prepared them to face. Have you got the Dorset job descriptions for IT Systems Tech, Senior Tech and NM? I have and I showed them to the boss to illustrate that I was doing 90% of the NM job, but paid as a basic tech. The basic tech job is "supervised" - Oh yes, by whom? Only the NM does quotes and such but I couldn't be an NM because you HAVE to have someone to manage (like, a network isn't enough) and a budget. So I got put up to senior tech and I am mulling over "working to rule" to make my point. If I did though I think they would just buy in stuff I haven't seen and then I would be expected to deal with it - so maybe not! The size of your current network is not far off one of mine and I do 15 hours a week but I don't do the website - I do the newsletter though But I think you are more involved with the upgrading and infrastructure than I am so I can see why you need more hours. The level of responsibility is more the point though. You certainly don't accept any more physical kit without pointing out that you would need more hours for a start- if they think 25 is OK at present then they have to see that more kit will take more time. So there are two strands to this - money (position) and time. Why didn't you discuss this with me before
Ephelyon Posted June 25, 2015 Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) A scoreline is the total score of all combined factor levels, which is then matched against the number of points required for a particular pay grade within that LA. A lot of IT jobs are actually on a grade boundary, so only one factor needs to go up by one level (i.e. NOT necessarily the Responsibility for Supervision factor) to send the job up a grade. Toolkit: 1 x Job Evaluation Scheme with scoring matrix at the back 1 x National Pay Spine with local LA score/grade assignments 1 x LA Part-Year Calculator 1 x Technical Note 6 on the Scheme (for added flavour, just reminds people their own "local conventions" mustn't try to override the wording set out in the National Agreement) National NJC agreement plus local (Cheshire East) examples of other documents and scorelines attached for reference.6 Queries of Interpretation.docNJC JE Scheme.pdfPart Year Calculator.xlsSupport Staff Pay Scales.xlsScorelines.xlsx Edited June 25, 2015 by Ephelyon 1
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