Moving to the Private sector

[Reboot_IT]

Hello!

 

Just before Christmas I accepted a job with an IT MSP who provide IT services to other business and some public sector organisations. Having worked in Education IT for 12 years, starting as an apprentice this is going to be a bit of a change!

I wanted to thank everyone for their support. Although I don't post a lot, I have benefited from keeping up to date with trends, reading ideas/opinions and offers of support from people working with the same challenges as me.

 

If anybody has any tips of how to prepare for the change from public to private it would be appreciated!

[paulkerton]

Hello!

 

Just before Christmas I accepted a job with an IT MSP who provide IT services to other business and some public sector organisations. Having worked in Education IT for 12 years, starting as an apprentice this is going to be a bit of a change!

I wanted to thank everyone for their support. Although I don't post a lot, I have benefited from keeping up to date with trends, reading ideas/opinions and offers of support from people working with the same challenges as me.

 

If anybody has any tips of how to prepare for the change from public to private it would be appreciated!

 

Congratulations on the new job!

You should be able to leave your work at work and live at home peacefully, congratulations on that too!

[hardtailstar]

Congratulations!

 

When I worked in the private sector, there was less room for delays etc.

 

Just remember that they are paying you for a service rather than you being paid to work for them.

[admars]

prepare for some ppl to be condescending. I remember one project manager when I moved to private sector from a couple of different government bodies saying something like "hmmmn, you've worked in public sector a lot haven't you", you could tell her tone of voice was almost disapproving, but they were a project manager, so what do they know

 

some people still think of working in public sector as an "easy option" as it may or may not have been donkey's years ago, before public sector also had deadlines, KPIs etc.

 

I don't think nowadays it's that different, I've worked in both, there is no longer a "type of person" who does one of the other.

 

Pay is probably a factor, and the deadlines are an issue, and you could be expected to do more overtime/weekends, which you may or may not be paid for, but you're possibly used to that anyway. "Hero culture" can be strong in IT in private sector, but on the upside, if you are expected to do overtime/weekends/on call, they may make it worth your while, bonuses etc

 

one company i worked for had a flat rate for working a Saturday or Sunday, which was pretty good, so some ppl jumped at the chance, especially the younger ones with no family.

 

there's pros and cons, good luck, hope you enjoy it and they appreciate you

[RobD]

Congratulation, best move I ever made leaving education. In the last 5 years, I've had incremental pay increases and travelled the world.

 

 

prepare for some ppl to be condescending.

 

On my first day in a School, a Science teacher stood in front of me and waged her finger at me and told me it was a disgrace her smart board was broken (at this stage I didn't know what a smart board was).

 

People are people, you get the good and the bad where ever you work.

[Devontechie]

Congratulations..

 

I move education to an MSP back in 2012. Left the MSP last year and now working for a company supporting schools with teams and sharepoint

[chaplic]

Congrats

 

I earn my crust in private sector and look after school stuff basically as a bit of a hobby

 

I'd brush up on your IT knowledge, not that any company will have a perfect ITIL implementation but the nub of it will be there

 

Also, the personas are vastly different and even between a similar job role (say callcentre worker) there will be much variety in what they have

 

Expect lots of legacy and daft decisions, and senior managers to have at least some IT noodle..