Has any one got two labbies?

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Labbie
Posts: 3234
Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Retired
Suburb: At Home
State/Location: NSW

Has any one got two labbies?

Post by Labbie »

Has any one got two labbies in one school? If so when did it happen. I really need help.
We go over 1000 next year, and the head teacher and I thought, it would be semi automatic that we would get help for about 2 hours per day. But seems it up to the SAM & Principal as to if you get help. I can not find any standard rule, staffing said it was up to the Principal & SAM.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
Matt_Coffs
Posts: 38
Joined: 29 Jul 2011, 12:21
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by Matt_Coffs »

There are two of us at my school. I'm here everyday and the other lab tech works 3 days a week.
RosalieM
Posts: 1795
Joined: 20 Mar 2007, 10:00
Job Title: Lab Assistant
Suburb: Tamworth
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by RosalieM »

Throw the formula at them from the recommendations that have been written up. Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but you add up the number of science hours taught at the school. Divide the number of labbie hours by the number of science hours and the answer should be (ideally) 0.85 and (theoretically as a minumum) 0.6. Very few schools (in NSW at least) come even close to this. Sorry I can't give you a reference for this. Someone else may be able to. This may be your only chance to fight for an assistant, so fight as hard as you can!
MariaC
Posts: 174
Joined: 29 Oct 2008, 12:34
School: Central Coast Grammar School
Suburb: Erina Heights
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by MariaC »

I have two labbies, myself fulltime and another 15 hrs week. You need to look at the post "Lab technicians Standard drafts" it has the formula but it is only a recommendation at the moment not law, but may be useful to quote in negotiations! :w00t: MariaC
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fibreweb
Posts: 620
Joined: 20 Jul 2006, 10:00
School: Oxley High School
Suburb: Tamworth
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by fibreweb »

Oxley High has 1062 students (7-!2) and there is only me. My service factor is I think only .18 :w00t:

When I first started back in 1998 we had over 1100 students and there was one full time lab assistant and a second 3 full days and 2 half days. Essentially 1.8staff (still only a service factor of about .38)

Over the years and numbers have dropped, mainly due to the "out of Zone" ruling being more strictly enforced. By 2003 I was the only Science assistant with help one day a week but I lost that in about 2008. It is as you saym up to the SAm and the principal as to where they put the staff. They have a formula for total SASS staff but nothing that says what there need to be in Sceince or Food tech etc. per number of students.

If your left just on your own you just have to work smarter and cut down on some things that you do and make the teachers take responsibility for some things.

I imagine there are a lot of things that other lab assistant do that I don't because I just dont have the time. Each lab has 24 glass beakers, 30 odd large and small test tubes and about 20 evap basins and watchglasses. I go around about twice a term and give this equipment a thorough wash but otherwise it is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure the children clean up after themselves. So I imagine that I do less washing up then some.
The 3 prep rooms are somewhat self sufficient with regards to other equipment like the electrical gear so there is a degree of the teachers helping themselves to this gear and co-operating with the teacher in the adjoining lab if they both want it.

Next year we expect to drop to below 1050 which will mean the loss of probably about .8 of a SASS staff. Despite there being 9 people in Admin, I have been told to expect to loose Science hours!!!!!!!!!!!! and have to work some time elsewhere also.

I have copied the "Status of School Science Laboratory Technicians Report" for my Head teacher to give him the ammunition to keep me full time in Science. What would my sevice factor dropp to if they cut science hours, something below .1 How could I possibly do an adequate job with that little time!
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lurra
Posts: 114
Joined: 23 Mar 2011, 07:54
Job Title: Lab Tech
School: Greystanes High School
Suburb: Greystanes
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by lurra »

I have close to 1000 and only me :-(
Lurra AKA Noona
Rosalie Cassar
Lab Tech
Greystanes H S

ROSALIE.CASSAR@det.nsw.edu.au
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Narelle01
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Joined: 30 Nov 2009, 13:28
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by Narelle01 »

We have approx 1000 students. When I started there was me full time and 'help' 2 days a week.
I found that at that time i didn't really need this 'help' and gave the 'help' back to the office.

As it turns out, a drop of numbers meant that SASS lost hours, and they were able to cut the hours that I 'gave back'.

Every now and then I would love a pair of capable hands, but generally I manage.
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kimmy
Posts: 418
Joined: 01 Jun 2006, 10:00
Job Title: School Lab Assistant
School: Quirindi High School
Suburb: Quirindi
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by kimmy »

I am very very lucky I am fulltime and I have another lady who does normally 2 days per week - i have lost her this term as she has gone to learn the home science part of the school but she is here to help either myself or in home scinece two days per week. WE only have 450 students.

KIMMY
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sunray18
Posts: 1488
Joined: 14 Feb 2008, 12:30
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by sunray18 »

I am here for 38 hrs a week and at the moment I have an assistant for 3 hrs a week. BUT that is not permanent, depends on funding to school and Principal deciding where it goes. We willbe over 1000 next year.
linotas
Posts: 659
Joined: 21 Mar 2011, 22:39
State/Location: TAS

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by linotas »

How many labs do you guys have with 1000 students? We have 1 FTE labbie for 4 labs, 450 7-12 students. We also have about the same number K-6 but they only very occasionally use the labs. There are schools around here with over 1 FTE labbie, but they are the bigger schools but still not 1000 students (that would be a mega school for good old Tassie :lol:
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Narelle01
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State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by Narelle01 »

Our labs are separate to the class rooms, I have 3 labs, with 2 classrooms accessing 1 lab each.

The booking of the labs is a juggle sometimes, but what i love is my prep room is in the missle of the labs, there is no trekking all over the school!
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jodye
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Joined: 11 Feb 2008, 10:31
Suburb: central coast
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by jodye »

We have over 1000 students( years 7-12) ,7 labs,3 prep rooms & it is only me here.
I work 26hours a week. No other help.
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jodye
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Suburb: central coast
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by jodye »

I forgot to add..I am on the OHS comittee as well & meetings or insprections are taken out of my labbie time.
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fibreweb
Posts: 620
Joined: 20 Jul 2006, 10:00
School: Oxley High School
Suburb: Tamworth
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by fibreweb »

Further to my earlier reply,

I have 10 science teachers and 7 labs, there is one main prep room that is between 2 labs with a 3rd across the courtyard. The other 4 labs are 350 and 450 metres away up via a series of ramps and to the furtherest a flight of 17 stairs. There is a prep room between each set of 2 labs. These are the ones that I have set up to be somewhat self sufficient. It takes 7 minutes by the ramps to get from my room to the furtherest lab :crazy: and close to a Km for the round trip.
I can walk up to 10 km just in a days work.
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dime
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Joined: 13 Jun 2007, 09:55
State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by dime »

Jeez Wendy! There is only about 5km in 18 holes of golf! I think I know what I'd rather do! :console: No wonder you're wrecked after a day's work.
linotas
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Joined: 21 Mar 2011, 22:39
State/Location: TAS

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by linotas »

Fibreweb WOW! I thought our old labs were bad that I had to walk up two small flights of stairs and had two separate prep rooms, but that is ridiculous! How the hell do you get your work done? I have a huge backlog of admin to do over the holidays as well as the annual cleaning of all equipment. Granted, we have had a lot of extra work with our big move, but we have a service factor of 0.6 and run ok on that but my new labs are in a square with my prep room inbetween.
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sunray18
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State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by sunray18 »

I have 6 labs. 4 are on the top floor of one building with a Prep room between each pair. I have one lab I call 'The Outer Hebrides' which is in a demountable on the other side of the school - you need to take a packed lunch with you to visit it, especially now when you have to walk through a construction site to get to it [they are building Trade centre kitchens and Technics buildings between the main set of labs and the demountables!].
I then have 'The inner hebrides' which is on ground floor in another building, which is at a lower level again, and is a few hunderd metres away from the main block. I have 12 teachers to look after. A couple of those are more maths than science, but still need pampering!
The staff room and admin building are at the bottom of a hill, and all the science rooms are uphill. Staff room is 110 footsteps from my main labs, and if the photocopiers play up, jam, or whatever part of my job is to 'run' down there and fix them.
I have no idea why I am not fitter!
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lizzieb
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State/Location: NSW

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by lizzieb »

The workplace conditions that Fibreweb and Sunray have to deal with on a daily basis sound incredible, and I often wonder what can be done to raise awareness with a view to improving their situations.

In an ideal world, a workplace would provide a second labbie in these situations, even if only for a few hours weekly, and mainly to fetch & carry between distant labs. I know, I know, don’t laugh!! The cynical side of me says ‘Yeah right, Liz!’ ….

But there’s a positive side of me too, that says ‘how do you know what you can achieve unless you give it a try?’

Now that we have this wonderful resource in chemtalk, giving us the ability to access and compare different workplace situations across the nation, we also have an opportunity to let people know the enormity of the jobs these two women do for their schools, comparative to others.

Thanks to Smeee and her new NSW labbie’s organisiation, there is now another way to start this process. I hope that both of you filled out the recent survey, giving comprehensive details of your daily duties, so that your voices can be heard.
Liz

Life keeps getting better every day!
linotas
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Joined: 21 Mar 2011, 22:39
State/Location: TAS

Re: Has any one got two labbies?

Post by linotas »

Liz, you are spot on. How "management" cannot appreciate, when put on paper in front of them, the incredibly difficult circumstances some labbies work under, is beyond me. It needs a collective voice to get the message heard and I can only hope that the NSW labbies particularly, can get changes happening to rectify soem of these appauling work conditions and recognition for the amazing jobs they do.
pinky
Posts: 8
Joined: 10 Aug 2011, 09:16
State/Location: NSW

scince lab hours

Post by pinky »

I have been through a few of the posts and still cant find if there is a correct formula for the amount of science hours i should get. It is only a small school with two labs.
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