LEA Jobs

[CAM]

How stable would you say working for the LEA is at the moment? I work in the Sutton area who have a very extensive support team, but what is the general picture like across the country? And is it a step higher on the ladder then working in a school? (and no pesky supervision!)

 

And most importantly, are the prospects for the LEA support teams looking after schools stable for the future? I see plenty of school jobs on here but not many LEA based ones.

[rh91uk]

What are the sort of jobs they are offering? SIMS/Tech Support?

[glennda]

Our Leas team has just been outsourced to capita although they don't support us

But some schools in the area are supported by them.

[jcollings]

How stable would you say working for the LEA is at the moment? I work in the Sutton area who have a very extensive support team, but what is the general picture like across the country? And is it a step higher on the ladder then working in a school? (and no pesky supervision!)

 

And most importantly, are the prospects for the LEA support teams looking after schools stable for the future? I see plenty of school jobs on here but not many LEA based ones.

 

Perhaps depends on the LEA but I would say it's very shakey ground at the moment. Schools becoming academies and thus moving away from LEA services, the comprehensive spending review, public sector cuts etc, etc. Certainly in our area there seems to be a feeling that the LEA will shrink rapidly as the academy model takes off more and more. A difficult one to predict and of course it depends on how much you want to move on from your current job at the moment. Personally I think I'd take a fair bit of persuading to join the LEA at the moment.

[Brpilot99]

Judging by the amount of reduncancies that our LEA has announced (ICT staff and others) I would steer well clear for now !!

[rad]

The government cuts have affected the grants given to the local grid and hence they are scraping the barrel at the moment keeping their heads above water. The issue is, if a handful of schools pull out, either the remaining schools end up paying more or the grid are wiped out as they can no longer run as a business.

 

If it is the main Council building you are working in, atm, I am steering clear and watching from the side lines.

[localzuk]

LEA jobs are at risk country-wide at the moment. Most LEAs are announcing job cuts, or similar due to reductions in funding. Add in the fact that schools everywhere are becoming academies, and are withdrawing from using LEA services, IT jobs in particular are going to be hit hard.

 

Personally? I'd steer clear of LEA jobs at the moment, at least until the dust settles from the cuts and the academy changes.

[superfletch]

Agree with everyone who says to steer clear, not a good place to be right now. However the scale of the problems faced by LA staff will vary massively from one authority to the next, yours might not be too bad - speak to someone who is already there.

 

LA staff are facing redundancies accross the board and Academies will have a massive impact on those in the LA supporting the education sector.

 

As for "No pesky supervision" that is going to depend on the job you're applying for - in my experience there is plenty of "pesky supervision".

[CAM]

Thanks for the replies all. Looks like I need a re-plan, I was considering LEA work in the near future as in schools it feels like you can't get anywhere up the ladder without becoming a teacher. As Data Manager, I am starting to feel there isn't much room left before I hit such a ceiling without moving away from schools and towards LEA's using my SIMS support knowledge.