How much do you earn and in what post?

[alexknight]

Schools and LEA's should also look at the long term benefits and disadvantages of employing staff at a reasonable rate of pay that should be roughly in line with standard industry.

 

OK, we will never get the same as industry, and to be honest there is a diference how we run and industry runs. BUT if we do not pay a reasonable rate three things happen.

 

First schools become an apprentiship for budding technicians and network managers who will leave as soon as they can, once being trained, hence giving the schools a problem of employee retention.

 

Second you only attract the 'less able' technicians or those that are not in it just for the money, (which is most of us), teachers included, and who the schools and LEA's take advantage of.

 

Third you have a lot of demoralised and demotivated techincians.

 

In my opinion it is quite simple really.

 

There should be a standardised pay scale with a structured professional development path encompassing on the job training and certified training.

[GrumbleDook]

Going to take the above to a different thread later on today. There are a number of things afoot via Becta, amongst them accreditation and training.

 

Let me check a few things first and I'll post what I can. This is also linked to talks with SST by Russ and myself.

[Mango_RW]

Schools and LEA's should also look at the long term benefits and disadvantages of employing staff at a reasonable rate of pay that should be roughly in line with standard industry.

 

OK, we will never get the same as industry, and to be honest there is a diference how we run and industry runs. BUT if we do not pay a reasonable rate three things happen.

 

First schools become an apprentiship for budding technicians and network managers who will leave as soon as they can, once being trained, hence giving the schools a problem of employee retention.

 

Second you only attract the 'less able' technicians or those that are not in it just for the money, (which is most of us), teachers included, and who the schools and LEA's take advantage of.

 

Third you have a lot of demoralised and demotivated techincians.

 

In my opinion it is quite simple really.

 

There should be a standardised pay scale with a structured professional development path encompassing on the job training and certified training.

 

here here!

[browolf]

8O Good grief!! In Lancashire a Network manager should (IMHO) earn in a good school around about 20k. Some earn more than this with extra responsability, but 14k per annum? Our technicians are often on more than that!

 

ha. the trouble with technician jobs is that the job spec is so generalised that you can end up doing the network admin job but still being paid as a normal technician and its worse if you already got a "network manager"

[Guest]

the trouble with technician jobs is that the job spec is so generalised that you can end up doing the network admin job but still being paid as a normal technician

 

Surely you would know this before interview? So if the wage for the amount of work is an issue, why apply?

 

Also if you think you are being asked to do tasks that are not part of your job, then just say no.

[MkII]

I started here with 80 PC's and just the Curriculum Network to look after, under a teacher manager. Now I have Admin and technology networks too, I am no longer managed, and I look after upwards of 250 machines.

Why we're discussing this all the time is that changes are afoot to match the increase in demand - we need to know where we are coming from to secure the best positions for ourselves and the schools we work in.

 

That's part of the schools problem, as has been said - good staff/ staff who don't feel charitable towards schools, leave.

[browolf]

its when u've had a job like this for a long time as I have, you wake up one day and realise you've become a network admin instead of a technician and by then its too late. if only that county regrading would hurry up. i cant loose lol.

[pshuttle]

Well I hate to say it guys but with no career structure, no sensible pay increases and with no proper formal training offered it is career suicide to stay.

 

I am fairly ambitious (as I am sure most of you on here are), so it seems the only course of action is to move on. That means we will have lost 3 technicians in just over 14 months.

 

Shocking.

 

Pete

[pshuttle]

Is there anything we can do as a group to bring this to the attention of government etc?

 

Or do you all think it is a lost cause?

 

Pete

[Dos_Box]

If we take after classroom assistants and call ourselves 'Whole school assistants' would that help?

[pshuttle]

If we take after classroom assistants and call ourselves 'Whole school assistants' would that help?

 

LOL - I am serious though? Do we have a representative body? if not is it worth setting one up?

 

Pete

[Guest]

If we take after TAs we'll be teaching IT next. lol

[Alex]

Just under 45k (Yorkshire)

 

~50 Computers, 12 (servers on site) 22 Servers (Datacentre)

 

I left the education / public sector :-P

 

Best bit is the people though, alot less whining / politics / toys out of pram throwing / retards / being treated like shit.

[pshuttle]

Grrr Alex! Your not helping!

 

Can I have your job please?

 

Pete

[CHR1S]

£19k after pro rata-ing. Term time only

 

Network Manager of 2 primary schools.

[CHR1S]

£19k after pro rata-ing. Term time only

 

Network Manager of 2 primary schools.

[limbo]

Currently well above the £30k threshold and pushing to break the £40k one.

 

IT Manager - pretty big secondary school.

[bossman]

kind of leaves the rest of us out in LIMBO he!he!

 

forgive the pun just had too.

[webman]

Term-time ICT Technician working with bossman, North East (Durham County Council). 11-16 school with ~720 sutdents. Was on £8,894 when I started at age 16 in 2003; now £11,887.

 

A trainee technician post was recently open at the LEA for more than what I'm getting now, so I reckon the loswest they can get away with is probably right...

[witch]

Reading all this makes me want to cry, scream or bite someone

 

Down here in Dorset, in the first/primary/middle school world, I earn about 13.5k (pro-rata'd). I am alone, granted neither school is that big (one has 70pcs, 32 wireless laptops, 16 whiteboards and teacher's laptops, the other has 35 pcs, 15 whiteboards, 16 teachers laptops) but I am completely responsiible for the whole thing and have recently spec'd up a whole IT suite for each school with no input at all from anyone. I do everything around here in a very few hours a week (8 at one - the bigger one - and 10 at the other).

The salaries for tech staff at this level are appalling - a friend of mine works in an admin capacity for Bournemouth Borough Council - a job that requires no qualifications and only a modicum of common sense - and she earns much more than I do.

There is no money in the budget of the first and middle schools for any sort of IT equipment, never mind support, so the salaries are as low as possible. Techs in the senior schools earn more, but nothing like some of you do.

I have been thinking about doing some more study, but to be honest you think 'what's the point' when you know that your salary will not change much whatever you do.

[Lee_K_81]

Term-time ICT Technician working with bossman, North East (Durham County Council). 11-16 school with ~720 sutdents. Was on £8,894 when I started at age 16 in 2003; now £11,887.

 

A trainee technician post was recently open at the LEA for more than what I'm getting now, so I reckon the loswest they can get away with is probably right...

 

Jeeze webman. You ever think of moving to brum, let me know!!

[_Bat_]

Term-time ICT Technician working with bossman, North East (Durham County Council). 11-16 school with ~720 sutdents. Was on £8,894 when I started at age 16 in 2003; now £11,887.

 

A trainee technician post was recently open at the LEA for more than what I'm getting now, so I reckon the loswest they can get away with is probably right...

 

Seriously, Craig, do they not realise how flipping difficult it would be to replace you with someone with your expertise on your wage? Why do you put up with it? Someone only needs to take a look at your school website to know what kind of money you should REALLY be on. I'm being deadly serious... I'm on more money then you are, with both less experience and knowledge.

[webman]

Well, yes... :? It's pay review time soon and have a letter prepared, so fingers crossed with that one.. and looking into the possibility of full-time. But then there's the county Job Evaluation - deadline of April 2007 - have we heard anything yet? No.

 

What's keeping me here is the working partnership with Adrian; and that another job would have to be in the town where I live (currenty a 10min walk), or a significant enough increase so I could afford a car and its associated costs at my age.

[Sylv3r]

Well, yes... :? It's pay review time soon and have a letter prepared, so fingers crossed with that one.. and looking into the possibility of full-time. But then there's the county Job Evaluation - deadline of April 2007 - have we heard anything yet? No.

 

The last I heard was that Unison was to take the LA to court due to them not meeting "their" deadline of April 2007. To be honest I dont think they are anywhere near to completition. :?

[webman]

Ah, that sounds about right for here Andrew... knowing them they will keep trying to wriggle out of it for as long as possible. :?