IT techs who work by themselves in a school

[DrBeaker]

All,

 

Just wondering for those IT techs who work by themselves in a school - how do you find it? Do you enjoy it for the most part, or do you miss the camaraderie, banter etc. of working in a team if you've worked as part of a team before?

 

What's everyone's thoughts?

[Katy]

Worked on my own for about 6 years, then as part of a team of 4, then down to a team of 2 currently. Much prefer it now - didn't particularly mind being on my own but it was all the jobs that take 10 times longer than if there was somebody helping you.

[dhicks]

do you miss the camaraderie, banter etc. of working in a team

 

You tend to wind up dealing with any and/or all "technology" related issues around the building - power, lighting (stage and/or classroom), sound, and simply any issues anyone has involving, at some point in the process, a computer, which can get rather tiring and somewhat get in the way of jobs that need a bit of sit-down-and-concentrate time (configuring servers, etc). Rather like some primary teachers who spend too long speaking only to toddlers, it's good to actually have someone a bit nearer your level to actually be able to properly discuss issues with sometimes, otherwise your brain turns to mush.

[6Foot2]

I currently work with one technician. I think we make a good team. In my last school, I was working by myself for five years. I find either model acceptable, although I have been at my current school for around 15 years all that time with the same technician and so I guess I feel 'settled' now, for want of a better word.

 

I am going to sound like a bit of a misery, but I am happiest when I am left to do my job. Being told what to do and how to do it by those who don't know what is involved is...annoying. Leave me alone!

[elsiegee40]

Yes, to some extent, being a department of one was tough... And then I discovered EduGeek and had thousands of others to consult and help me out.

 

However, I wasn’t the only support department of one. In a small school we didn’t have a site team, we had the caretaker; we didn’t have a finance team or an HR team, we had the Bursar; we didn’t have an admin department, we had the secretary.

 

It can be lonesome for all the support staff in a school and we informally became a support team and looked after each other. So occasionally, I would end up answering phones or the caretaker would be helping me manhandle a projector or the Bursar would be out on Lollipop Duty and it made a lot of difference knowing we helped each other.

[Jcx500]

My school is a new school so i have been working by myself for about 8 months, used to work with a team of 4, only just got used to it really but i am enjoying it

[leemunton2018]

I've got the best of both worlds in a way. I'm part of a team of 2 but we support two schools. I spend much of my time, on my own, at one school and my colleague spends most of his time on his own at the other school. However we talk over Email, Messenger and we talk on the phone several times a day helping each other out with various things. We also meet up when needed to work together on projects. I like being on my own, being able to get on with my work etc.. but it's also nice to be able to meet up with someone in the same boat and plan/ chat and have a laugh.

 

It's also good that we get on so well with the premises teams at both schools so there is the banter etc.. with them too.

[Cat_Jam148]

I've been working on my own for the past 4 months, and before that, a team of 2 for roughly 5 years. As of right now it's going fine - think i've adapted do the increase work load quite well. Jobs do take longer now and I get less time to just sit and troubleshoot, have to think a lot more on my feet. Do tend to miss the 'banter'.

 

You tend to wind up dealing with any and/or all "technology" related issues around the building - power, lighting (stage and/or classroom), sound, and simply any issues anyone has involving, at some point in the process, a computer.

I know this all too well - I joke that I should have Assistant Site Manager appended to my title.

Edited December 5, 2018 by Cat_Jam148

[DrBeaker]

My school is a new school so i have been working by myself for about 8 months, used to work with a team of 4, only just got used to it really but i am enjoying it

 

What do you do to alleviate those moments of isolation and loneliness during the workday?

[E_G_R2]

On my own, miss being able to bounce ideas off someone or have them go out to do jobs that disturb me (them) when dealing with a thorny technical issue.

 

On the plus side I get to play the music of my choice

[witch]

Been on my own since I started this game 18 years ago, other than a brief period in a school where I was used as a skivvy by the NM - all I did was collect and deliver computers all day.

I don't mind being on my own, but I would prefer to be in a team of two. The school pays for telephone support from an external company as I am part-time and on my own and this includes a technician visit once a month for 2 hours. I love those hours. The tech and I have known each other from the beginning as he happened to be the tech in all three of the schools I have worked in, and he has taught me a lot. When we are looking at a problem together he very kindly listens to me and makes me feel like I know things! We often sort out problems together than neither of us had a handle on alone. I would love that in my day to day life.

 

I like doing stuff that nobody else does, but the downside is that nobody can really relate to me and my job. I do get lonely.

[teddybear]

I work for a local council with six clusters, so six of us doing the role around multiple primary and high schools. We have the rest of the corporate IT side in head office who deal with the infrastructure, call logging (service desk etc) whereas we deal with issues in schools.

 

Meet my fellow techs one morning each week and sometimes go to the head office to pick up new kit etc, but generally do our own thing most of the time. Have great relations with all school staff, get good banter which keeps us all going. 99.99% of the pupils from nursery up to S6 are brilliant, don't get hassled from them. They all know who I am as they've seen me throughout their whole school lives (been doing this for nearly 12 years)

 

I love it, don't really see it as a job as I enjoy it so much. Enjoy coming in to work, don't get any hassles really (usual moans from teaching staff that are just them venting really because I'm there).

 

The way I see it, and mentioned to a new start a month or so ago. If you deal with the jobs you get added to your queue, you won't get any hassle from our manager.

[Jcx500]

I don't really get them i share my office, but i can't talk about tech to anyone though

[korifugi]

I was a lone tech for quite a while. You certainly learn a hell of a lot as you become the sole point for anything with a plug / anything that looks like it might be a bit technical.

 

I always found you need a good relationship with line management in that case though as I came across quite a few "My other half set up our computer and they say *words*", which isn't going to work - but they don't know that and can sometimes end up being a pain.

 

I'm currently in a team of 8 across three sites (there's three here) and it's quite good to bounce ideas off one another - or if someone has a speciality, you let them take the lead.

[leemunton2018]

I know this all too well - I joke that I should have Assistant Site Manager appended to my title.

 

I spend a good portion of my week helping move chairs, staging, display boards, even delivering milk to classrooms. I don't mind it too much though because I get to call them in when I need help installing or moving anything heavy or when it comes to running cables etc.. We also like to play pranks on each other from time to time which always boosts moral. Although zip tying most of the caretakers tools to the shelves and his chair to his desk may have being going one step too far :-)

[korifugi]

zip tying most of the caretakers tools to the shelves and his chair to his desk may have being going one step too far :-)

 

no - cable tying the Caretaker to his chair would have been going one step too far

[Bertie_Dellend]

I started at my current NM role as a lone IT support bod (only managed myself??) but after 3 months of continuous fire fighting and not having time to actually "manage" anything, I basically said - you either get me a technician so that I can manage and improve this network, or I am off!

It was too soul destroying leaving at the end of each day knowing that I had improved virtually nothing. I had fixed plenty of issues, but the underlying causes were still there.

Thankfully they agreed and I have been in a team of 2 here for 10 years. That too has had its ups and downs, but overall far better.

The 2 biggest benefits for me are time (to plan and work on sometimes complex things) and being able to bounce ideas back and forth about problems that I may not have fixed on my own or would have at best taken longer to fix.

[Debbie99]

Yes, just by myself. I was in a team of 3/4 before and by myself before that. I did prefer working in a team, but this was too good an opportunity to miss.

The office/bursar/site team have included me in their group so we will have a team Christmas dinner as well as the school one, so I think this could be the best of both worlds.

 

Also get an external engineer in for two hours a fortnight so I can always talk "techy" with him

[Sonic007]

If its just one of you there is less chance of things being done in different ways.

I remember working with 3 others a few years back and imaging and renaming computers in rooms.

We'd all got the naming convention mixed up so it screwed everything up.

 

If one person does it then its all the same, no muddling up anything, and you get to choose how things are done.

 

I have an apprentice techie working with me at the moment and its great as I can get on with server things whilst he does jobs round the school. We have a good laugh.

Its nice to share jokes and talk to someone else who can understand the whole IT way of life.

We get on well in the office.

[hardtailstar]

I was a lone tech for 5 years, I hated it. Mind you I think that was the toxic environment of a failing primary school of many ofsteds and a 'ICT Coordinator' that knew more about eating food than IT.

 

I was glad to get out of there.

 

Now work as a team of two and enjoying it a lot.

[LeMarchand]

Rather like some primary teachers who spend too long speaking only to toddlers, it's good to actually have someone a bit nearer your level to actually be able to properly discuss issues with sometimes, otherwise your brain turns to mush.

 

What do you do to alleviate those moments of isolation and loneliness during the workday?

 

Surely, as @elsiegee40 points out...

 

Yes, to some extent, being a department of one was tough... And then I discovered EduGeek and had thousands of others to consult and help me out.

 

...that's what Edugeek is for?

 

I've only ever been the sole Tech person, so in this sort of role I've got nothing to compare it to. The only time I (allegedly) "worked with" someone was for a few months before I left a post where someone was hired on a hell of a lot more than me, seemingly to do nothing but decide to spend as much money as they wanted on improvements that I could have had done if I'd ever been given a budget.

 

I enjoy it and, as I generally get on with the Admin staff, can always go for a natter as needed.

[dapaulio]

I’m a only IT tech and some days bother me more than others. Depends on the attitude of other staff.

When I had a junior tech I was at my happiest. Loved my job, loved going in and having someone to talk too. Unfortunately he was made redundant and since then I felt alone. Some days I would have to get out of the office and away from my pc to chat to other humans but in the last year or two with increasing pressures other staff attitudes towards each other have become fractured. Just seems everyone I talk to have nothing positive to say about or to anyone anymore.

Our maintenance team are great and I regularly seek company in them but they too were cut from 8 members in their team to 4 and are always busy and not always around. Always seems when you need the company the most people are not there through no fault of there own I want to add.

[TwistedHelixis]

I look after a bunch of schools all on my own (violin). I have been part of a team and also worked for a 'real' company in London in the past, but prefer to work alone as it means I can just get what needs to be done without needing to undo someone else's mistakes :0P

[localtech]

Hi all

New to edugeek & wondered how many one man bands there are out there. I have looked after a number of schools on my own for 15 years now. It does get lonely sometimes but I carry a good Bluetooth speaker & find that if I am alone the legend who is Ken Bruce can always cheer me up in the morning then at lunch a wonder around the classes to ask the teachers if all is OK, you normally find a conversation. Remember everyone has there own problems and we are all just a number to the bean counters so a cheerful word goes a long way.

 

Is it to early to say Merry Christmas to all

[mikeprice]

For a while I worked as the sole IT tech in a smallish secondary school - and then I worked as sole IT tech (and part time teacher) in a primary.

In the secondary I had phone support from an external company on an contract basis. I regarded this as the ideal situation - I needed then twice in the 2 terms I was there and their ability to have server specialists available that were totally up-to-date (i.e. they had been on the courses and had internal backup from others was priceless. The contract could have been wound down a lot and then I could have managed (by which I mean as a manager - not that I could have just about managed) the situation properly.

 

I see the main problem with being a sole IT tech is the lack of training - and hence knowledge. Google and EduGeek are no substitute for proper training - and in some ways getting help from EduGeek and hence fixing the problem only masks the real problem or lack of training - which is expensive.

 

My first primary school Head loved me being around and repeatedly told the governors that I was essential. However when she left her replacements saw me as an unnecessary expense. I often wonder what percentage of primaries have an IT tech - even part time.