Primary school job

[googlemad]

I've found a vacancy at a local primary school

 

However even though it is advertised as ICT Technician, it seems they want me to manage the whole school network (Including servers).

 

Being a primary school I really can't see it being that fancy, so would I get through with a few MCPs under my belt? (I'm planning to take MCSE ASAP but it dosen't happen overnight!)

 

Also why do they want me to have good First Aid knowledge?!

[_Bat_]

Is there really going to be no-one above you?

 

I work for two primary schools and work there on my own, but I have a network manager who I only see about once every two weeks. I can call him if anything goes dreadfully wrong and he helps with major work (such as server upgrades), which is why I'm only considered ICT Technician.

 

I got this job with no experience (having only recently come out of college) and the only computing related qualification I have (aside from ICT GCSE) is an AVCE course (worth two A Levels).

 

As for the first aid knowledge, thats not something I had to have but I'd guess its because every school has to have some people working there with this knowledege and they might have lost one of their staff who has this knowledge recently so need to knock up their numbers (thats just my guess anyway).

[sqdge]

I got the job as ICT Network Manager based on my ability to play the piano - which is good considering I have no ICT qualifications whatsoever (I am a psychology graduate that originally trained as a printer).

[webman]

Sure that's not the keyboard, sqdge?

[john]

Sure that's not the keyboard, sqdge? )

Back in your cage Craig

[sqdge]

Sure that's not the keyboard, sqdge?

 

Ha ha (at this point I tried to think of something funny to say that linked Dvorak and Keyboard - but my brain stopped)

[Midget]

I'm named in the jobspec as the ICT Technician, but I am the law [/sheriff John Brunel] .... uhh.... person who deals with all IT on site inc servers, budget etc etc so it's just a title

[Geoff]

I used to work for a 'cluster' of Primary Schools. Basically the head teachers figured out a timetable and I stuck to it. I'd turn up to each school at the allotted time and do anything the schools ICT co-ordinater asked of me (within reason).

 

They mostly started off being peer to peer Win9x networks. But I managed to steer most of them in the direction of WinXP + W2K3 server in the long run.

[Gatt]

(I am a psychology graduate that originally trained as a printer).

 

Didn't know you could get a printer qualification

 

Is there 3 levels? DotMatrix (Basic) Inkjet (Intermediate) and Laser (Advanced)

 

[sqdge]

Is there 3 levels? DotMatrix (Basic) Inkjet (Intermediate) and Laser (Advanced)

 

Yeah, 'cos I've never heard that one before!

[ITWombat]

Sure that's not the keyboard, sqdge?

 

Ha ha (at this point I tried to think of something funny to say that linked Dvorak and Keyboard - but my brain stopped)

 

Do you feel like you have entered a New World?

[elsiegee40]

I am a part-time techie ... and there isn't anyone else, so I could call myself Network Manager ..."

 

Know the feeling. I was trained as a programmer on punch cards at university - another one from the time the of the dinosaurs!

 

At primary schools, I think the best job title is probably: 'The one who understands a bit more about computers than anyone else'

 

Network manager, ICT Technician, Printer-fixer, 'Have you got a minute...?': you choose, you're job is likely to cover all of it and a bit more! First aid may be optional, but I've got my certificate so that I can take my turn if necessary. You're equally likely to get volunteered to do sound for the year 2 play!

 

The major advantage is that the primary kids are still reasonably tame and won't have learnt all the destructive techniques of their elder siblings yet! There's nothing like the admiration of a gang of 5 year olds!

[_Bat_]

There's nothing like the admiration of a gang of 5 year olds!

 

There is also nothing quite like the look on the faces of a year 3 class when a teacher comes a-knocking on your office door in a panick saying their whiteboard is broken. Once arrived at their classroom, they explain in front of their class how they have tried everything in the past half an hour and nothing is getting it working, it must be broken.

 

A quick press of the function key and f5 to switch to external video (taking less then two seconds) and the look on the pupils faces was like "woooooooow..." and some of them started clapping, lol, it was funny.

[chrbb]

I love it at my primary schools, I take my turn on the playground duty and the first aid roster, first aid duty mainly consists of the same kids injured just so they can get the injury letter to take home, in fact the first letter I had to do the injured child instructed me on how to fill it in!

I find teachers can be a bit dramatic so when you do a simple but effective repair or fix they can go totally over the top, except one male teacher who 'knows' quite a bit about computers (his words) so can't quite deal with a female techie.

[alonebfg]

i love primay work its great and one of the best things to ever happen is a teacher comes in telling me how a computer is broke and not got no sound comming out and its all my fault. Then when i walk over one of the children say to me. Sir its ok we fixed it it was only muted then the teacher looks at me walks away and I walk to my office. Close the door and laugh.

[sqdge]

...except one male teacher who 'knows' quite a bit about computers (his words) so can't quite deal with a female techie.

 

We have a teacher who claims to know "quite a bit" about computers, so he will only 'disturb' me when he has a "serious problem". The other day he came to me saying that his computer was irrepairably broken, he couldn't get it to do anything, and so could he have a new one. I solved the problem by switching the computer on at the wall!

[ChrisH]

...except one male teacher who 'knows' quite a bit about computers (his words) so can't quite deal with a female techie.

 

We have a teacher who claims to know "quite a bit" about computers, so he will only 'disturb' me when he has a "serious problem". The other day he came to me saying that his computer was irrepairably broken, he couldn't get it to do anything, and so could he have a new one. I solved the problem by switching the computer on at the wall!

 

Its funny how alot of people trip up on that one . Lets be honest how many problems do we solve by.

 

1. Switching the thing on.

2. Rebooting the thing.

3. Pushing the power socket in properly.

4. Pressing ALT F5/F8 or similar.

5. Changing the projector to the right input mode.

6. Taking the space of the end of the username when they claim their password isnt working.

 

the above makes our job sound easy.... If only

[_Bat_]

Hehehehe. Talking of usernames... this is an extremely regular problem for me (several support calls a day). The space (ranging from one space to about ten spaces) after the username is a very common one, but so are spaces in the middle of a username such as "02 j bauer" or the common o/0 problem, such as 'o2jbauer' or even extremely obvious typos such as '02jbuaer' get a support request occasionally.

 

The strange thing is though, each teacher was given a list of usernames and passwords for each of their pupils. All the usernames follow the same layout and all the users passwords are the same (as we are a primary school). I'm not sure why it's difficult to spot errors.

 

I wish I could emphasis enough to them that user accounts don't suddenly disappear or passwords/usernames changed automatically so therefore it's best to triple check your username and password before calling support.

[sqdge]

I've been called out because a kid couldn't access their personal files. The problem was that they had signed in as a different pupil! (A problem that would be simply solved through biometrics...but will the school listen?!)

[webman]

What I want to know is how they end up putting a space after the username... I have never in all my 9 years of computing put a space after my username. 8O :?

[localzuk]

I find that we have kids who don't even know how to spell their name (which is their username). I find it extremely odd asking a 9 or 10 year old 'is that how you spell your name?'. However, that isn't the worst part. That is when they respond 'no'!!!

 

I agree with ChrisH about that list of 'fixes'. I would say about 80% of my callouts to class rooms are due to one of those issues, and no matter of telling them what the problem was and how to solve it themselves will ever reduce that amount.

 

webman - Ah, but you understand the concept of a username. That is a unique identifier and not just a weird thing containing your name. Young kids don't understand that

[_Bat_]

What I want to know is how they end up putting a space after the username... I have never in all my 9 years of computing put a space after my username. 8O :?

 

Haha, good question. I'd take a guess and say it's just habit. You don't finish a username with a full stop, so what would be the most common thing you'd use after typing a word. A space. Unfortunately many people still unconciously live under the delusion that if you cannot see something, it's not there. As you can't generally see the space, -obviously- it's not there.

[sqdge]

Unfortunately many people still unconciously live under the delusion that if you cannot see something, it's not there.

 

That explains why, when I close my eyes, the computers still have problems!

[_Bat_]

That explains why, when I close my eyes, the computers still have problems!

 

Damn! Now that could have made our job easy

[googlemad]

Woohoo! Sent the application form off today (It was one of those annoying ones where it asks for Skills, Knowledge and Experience on one page followed by the Additional Information page where I end up providing the exact same information in a different way!)

 

Hopefully this job is the one destined for me