Do any of you guys work in the main School office?

[Snookered]

After 6 years in having my own "open space" off a corridor I have been told that I am being moved to the main school office as my area is required for learning.

All of my equipment has been moved into a loft space as there is no room in the new location, so I'll have a desk for a pc and a 3 draw cabinet and that is it.

I'll be sharing the office with 2-3 admin assistants and the office doubles up as a medical room for children.

This office is where parents, visitors and staff all come to for the normal services that a busy school office offers.

There is no discussion and this is final, is this acceptable? Do any of you guys already work in a similar setup and if yes have you become a secretary answering phones and queries from parents?

[RichCowell]

When I started in schools in 1999 I was based in the school office and although there wasn't as much to do then as there is these days, it definitely turned into me being one of the office staff too - I can't imagine that ever being a feasible working solution... I'd imagine the admin staff in there will soon get fed up with other teachers popping into see you about issues too...

 

Where are you meant to strip machines down for repairs etc?

[LeMarchand]

A desk and a cabinet? Think yourself lucky! At one of my sites I don't even get that - I have to wait until someone goes home to get a desk. Admittedly, I'm only there 1 afternoon per week. Don't answer the phone and try to move away from there for the last 1/2 hour when everyone else has gone home.

 

That said, have quite a nice room here and about to go and man the front desk for a little bit.

[hardtailstar]

In my last three primary schools I worked in.

 

School one: Used to work in the IT suite until the finance assistant left then I stole the desk in same office as the Bursar.

School two: Worked in the main office on a free desk.

School three: Worked anywhere with a space.

 

Now in a secondary and share an office with the Network Manager.

[6Foot2]

We were recently moved from our old offices next door to the server room to where we are now: A remote location as far from the main body of the school as it is possible to get. It is an L-shaped room and fairly large. We have made good use of the space but I know we would not have it if someone else had actually wanted it.

 

We get it because nobody else wants to use it.

[Chuckster]

I am in the main school office. The admin ladies love me but hate how I have anything IT taking up so much space. Also, they hate the noise of one of my test development servers - it sounds like an airplane taking off all the time, lol.

[elsiegee40]

In my last school, I started sharing an office, desk and computer with the Registrar. We were both part time and could work to avoid each other so it worked.

 

Then I came in one morning to find office empty. Everything had been moved to the main school office so the Registrar could be based there. But I wasn't allowed to work in the main office. It's fair to say that I blew a gasket .. and a new computer, desk and chair were sourced for me pdq.

 

Then my office was required for something else, so I was relocated to the library which I quite enjoyed and I worked there for many years.

 

My successor ended up back in the office I had originally, but I understand that pressure on space means a move to the main office is likely.

 

The big problem is workbench space to do hardware jobs. You'd need a tolerant head to let you fix hardware in a public place like the main office

[Sagima]

We're too messy to be allowed to be on public display

[karldenton]

Oh yes, I was in the admin office with 15 other admin people (finance, MIS staff etc). Plus an old Gestekner (Spelling) photocopier !! It got way too noisy. Like you just had a desk. Fortuntely moved to our own room now and its great.

[mthomas08]

After 6 years in having my own "open space" off a corridor I have been told that I am being moved to the main school office as my area is required for learning.

All of my equipment has been moved into a loft space as there is no room in the new location, so I'll have a desk for a pc and a 3 draw cabinet and that is it.

I'll be sharing the office with 2-3 admin assistants and the office doubles up as a medical room for children.

This office is where parents, visitors and staff all come to for the normal services that a busy school office offers.

There is no discussion and this is final, is this acceptable? Do any of you guys already work in a similar setup and if yes have you become a secretary answering phones and queries from parents?

 

I'm sure the job would look very attractive if you decided to move on and the School re-applied for a replacement..

 

Sorry but I think in this instance I would walk unless you don't physically need the space to repair anything and all your work is on one PC. Anything else I would assume would get fixed in the classroom?

 

I will also add, you will "Most Likely" be expected to assist in ADMIN Duties or are you able to have a sign on your desk stating "IT Technician not Admin/Office". Although I am sure you will classed as a grump etc etc for not helping............

[bald_pig]

We have two offices here...

[clockend25]

Before the IT department grew and got its own office, I once shared an office with our AV tech and, bizarrely, our work experience coordinator. Very short of work space but otherwise didn't mind it too much.

[Duranis]

I have my own "room" (it isn't big enough for me to lay down in and there is no external light source but it is mine). I wouldn't mind working in the main office as most days about the only personal contact I get is 30 seconds when someone pops their head in the door to tell me something is broke. On the other side of that there is no way I could do a lot of the hardware repairs without my own space.

 

If you have no choice and aren't happy with it I would recommend that it is that time of year when you need to do hardware maintenance and stress testing on the loudest bits of kit that you have. Maybe once the office staff complain a few times about the amount of dust being blown out of old machines, lots of half assembled parts laying around, the sounds of compressed air and roar of a thousand cooling fans they will take another look at what space is available for you.

[Snookered]

I don't have a tolerant head and the head teacher's not that tolerant either...

I've had a great 7 years at my current school,but the last year has been getting awful by the month, I no longer feel that valued by certain parts of management team and this has become the icing on the cake. I think it's time to start some serious thinking about the future.

Thanks for the comments

[localzuk]

I'm in the admin office, but not the reception office. There'd be no way I could agree to being in a public office. I take up the same space as about 4 other people in this room - there's just so much equipment around all the time.

[rad]

order some of this

http://powercdn.s3.amazonaws.com/4_2014/90d37b80-7011-4287-926f-4773d646bad8.jpg

 

and when people ask what it is, demonstrate.... they may find you somewhere else.

[TechMonkey]

If there is no discussion start being obnoxious but in a work related way.

- Strip computers down on your desk, maybe spreading out a bit too much.

- Store toner by your desk until it is used or moved to store.

- Run a noisy server.

- Hot desk. Anytime someone else in another office is away teaching or in a meeting jump on their desk to disassemble something. When they come back apologise profusely but explain that it isn't appropriate to do in the Main Office

- Reset a whole classes passwords so they all have to troop down to get them reset. (joke, obviously!!)

- Invite suppliers in at every opportunity and hold a meeting with them in office, preferably talking about dongles, your back end, hot swapping or other entendre inducing tech.

- Test something noisy

 

Always apologise to the office staff and produce cake so they understand but so that they see that having the IT department in the Main office isn't appropriate.

[elsiegee40]

What will really annoy them is the number of times students and staff come to find you to get password resets done, etc.

 

The upside is that they may finally realise why it takes so long to complete anything and that some members of staff are complete chumps (though I suspect the school office staff get as much trouble from them as you do already)

[Boredguy]

I'm glad I got an office area when I started. I'd hate to have to work in the main office... people might realise that for large chunks of the day I'm not that busy....

[6Foot2]

... people might realise that for large chunks of the day I'm not that busy....

 

Shh! Don't tell everyone!

 

[southhamster]

In the school I do 9 hours a week at I have a desk in the corner of the staffroom. It's bit noisy sometimes but during lessons only a few staff doing prep. The good thing is people can easily find me. The bad thing is the same, but they are a good bunch and we all get along.

[Nixon77]

I would not have this, I would be looking for another job at once.

 

My work space is very important to me. Having worked in very small offices before, with four or five others, hated it. You can't move.

 

I don't mind a cupboard, but I like to have an IT space just for us, I have worked in staff rooms before, but I would not work in the school office. That would be final, find someone else.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Nixon77

[witch]

@Snookered

I'm here for any CV help you might need

 

Other than that - have you actually pointed out the problems? I would send an email in a "more in sorrow than in anger" tone of voice - as in

"I understand that you need the space I was in, however I am concerned about the other occupants, and indeed any children that might come in.." And then go on and state what you can see being an issue - space to disassemble, children and staff disturbing admin staff as they come to you, noise etc.

If you think you will be leaving anyway it is worth a go. And then do what @TechMonkey said

[mthomas08]

order some of this

http://powercdn.s3.amazonaws.com/4_2014/90d37b80-7011-4287-926f-4773d646bad8.jpg

 

and when people ask what it is, demonstrate.... they may find you somewhere else.

 

I prefer the one you can plug in, cuts down long term costs

[Snookered]

I'm pretty miserable at the moment with things that are happening where I work, so seeing your comments this morning has put a smile on my face.

If I could walk into another job I would happily give a months notice today. I love the school and the vast majority of the people here, but the morale here is rock bottom and unless OFSTED come in and have some Teflon remover things aint gonna get any better.

The problem for me is lack of formal qualifications, I came out of retail management 10 years ago, did some IT training which promised a job at the end of it, which I got, and have been learning on the job ever since and on the whole I know what i'm doing (come here when I'm stuck!). The one drawback is there hasn't been the opportunity to develop with MCSE's etc.

I do dream of becoming a Crofter on the Outer Hebrides though...