Systems Manager in Potters Bar

[Gavins]

My school is looking for a systems manager for when I move on in July to oversee the school network . Reasonable sized network - 110 workstations and 40 staff laptops running XP/W2K, supported by a full time technician. CMIS used for administration. Details of the job can be found here.

[uk101man]

What is the salary?

[Gavins]

Would be subject to negotiation. I currently do both the teaching and run the network but it is both proving very difficult to find someone who can fill both jobs and also extremely difficult to do both. The theory is therefore to split the job and have someone running the network and someone else doing the teaching.

[wesleyw]

That's how my job came about. The HEad of ICT had been doing both but the demand on his time to run both departments was too much.

 

Wes

[Ravening_Wolf]

Me too. I wish someone would remind the ICT Curriculum Co-ordinator that he doesn't run the network any more though.

[Geoff]

I thought the teachers unions got shouty if a teacher was lumbered with non-teaching related responsibilities...?

[Gavins]

Independent school - different rules.

[john]

Independent school - different rules.

Yeah non-teaching staff do the teaching and teaching sit with feet up drinking tea and letting the kids smash the IT centre up

[Ravening_Wolf]

I thought the teachers unions got shouty if a teacher was lumbered with non-teaching related responsibilities...?

 

The guy I have in mind is the NUT shop steward in our school so he should know better. I think he liked being a techy more than being a teacher but, as discussed to death elsewhere, when faced with the decision of teacher's v. non-teacher's salary, couldn't face the drop.

[tarquel]

teacher's v. non-teacher's salary

 

and there lie-eth the usual story - hopefully one day this will change and people will wake up

 

*stops before he starts to rant heh*

 

110 workstations and 40 staff laptops running XP/W2K, supported by a full time technician

 

Nice - so a NM & a technician then?

 

I'm doing both jobs - only me here *sighs* with same sorta workload [although 2k3 server's]

 

Whoever gets it should first sort out the 2k servers lol

 

Nath.

[seanmh]

Hi

 

I am currently the network manager in a large primary school. I have worked in Educational ICT for over 10 years in various roles from a lowly technician to ICT manager of a large sports college. I have a BSc in Computing and informatics. It is only recently that I have earned a salary on a par with a teacher and got the recognition for my skills and expertise ... I think more and more schools are realising that they must make these positions attractive to obtain the correct calibre of staff rather than some greasy joe with a spanner who can actually just turn a PC on! as these positions are now more and more demanding, with emerging technologies that schools are now required to use.

 

I know that more often or not we are looked down upon by people who work in IT in the "real world" as they would have us believe , but often not only do we have more PCs and systems to look after than them, but our job is more demanding as we are often expencted to hold teachers hands as well in respect of ICT. 8O

[SpecialAgent]

I agree with the comments of Seanmh and speaking to Network Managers and technicians all day long i understand the limitations in schools ICT for people actually doing the business.

 

I would also make the point that I am continually suprised, as a recruitment consultant with over 5 years experience in the eudcation sector and 8 years within IT recruitment, the wide variety of pay scales and job specs across the sector. This doesn't even seem to follow the usual parameters (London weighting etc) but on SMT's views on the importance of proper support and development.

 

I am not sure of the point I am trying to make but I think some candidates who perhaps work locally and have the benefit of local working although maybe not at the pay they expect should look further afield and somewhere there will be a school who has a better attitude to pay. It does happen believe me. In fact I have resourced for several very well paid roles but have been suprisingly unsuccesful due to location or inflexibility of credible candidates to what in the private sector would be a perfectly normal commute. OK thats not a very green attitude but thats for another blog altogether

 

I know having resourced for staff in both the private and public sectors that people are more willing to travel in the private sector, but thats just my opinion of course. The jobs are out there!!

 

Also people working in schools have a mcuh better chance of securing a position because of their niche experience and dealing with teachers at times in stressful to say the least. I mean how many private companies have such a large percentage of IT illiterate staff and swathes of kids who try to break networks and machines as happens in even our best schools.