Lab. Tech. status update

[cheltie]

I have just been reading the "Update on the Status of School Science Lab. Techs" that was emailed out this week.
I noticed they suggest that there should be 0.6 hours of Lab. tech help for each hour of science lesson.
Is this a dream or does anyone actually have that sort of ratio? I just worked ours out and it is 0.26 hours per hour of science lesson.
I would be laughing with 0.6 hours.
The way they work it out is number of hours of lab. assistant time over the number of hours of science lessons.
I would be interested to know how other schools work out.

Helen

[dime]

I have very roughly worked ours out to be much the same as yours. Didn't get the email though. Where did it come from?

[linotas]

Here is Tas we are just getting a document together to take to our new EBA (catholic schools) I can't remember what formula they were thinking of using but it had a few extra factors like labs on different levels and different sites. But using a straight my time vs lab hours I come out at 0.61 at one of my schools and 0.58 the other. The more I read about your conditions in NSW the more I am glad I am here in good old Tassie.

[fibreweb]

I work out at 0.18 and that is not including the 68 hours of Agriculture that I do photocopying for and the fact the there is up to 480 metres between my prep room and some of the labs.
From memory these both added to the formula, and still there is talk of me having to work in Food Tech or the front office next year as our numbers have dropped and we may loose up to 4 days a week of SASS staffing.
They can't take any time from the front office ladies they are way toooooo busy as it is!
There are only 9 of them you know.

[linotas]

How the hell can you do prep, clean up, and possible help out in class with 10min/hr? Not to mention admin. Are you employed school holiday? We use the holiday period to catch up on admin, stock matainence and clean ups.

[judyjolly]

The times they are a changing apparently.
Not too soon for those of us who are being treated like "fibreweb".
This formula renewed my faith in the system. The Aus Science Teachers Association and Professor Mark someone (should remember his name) have looked into the situation and come up with all sorts of initiatives.
Don't know when its happening, but I can't wait.
It will be great to have someone to work with again, instead of always having to be self-motivating.
My ratio is about 0.27. I thought 0.6 was the minimum and the ideal is 0.85. I havn't heard anything about the distance factor between labs. That is such a time waster in my case, so inefficient but I do get lots of exercise.
judy

[cheltie]

It seems that we in NSW have way lower ratios than the ideal.
Maybe that's why we weren't allowed to fill out the original survey about lab conditions.
I got the email from the new NSW lab. tech association- ASET.
I joined up a while ago so I guess they sent them to members.
Helen

[amandag]

hello
It is also posted on the www.ltav.org.au. This is the Victorian Lab tech site. It is great to see this being discussed, before I came across to my Lab tech heaven building I worked in a government school, after much negotiating with a great Principal, the formula was 0.1 per 100 students enrolled at the school on census day...(not all did science...more VCAL (TAFE certificates) and VET courses), the total enrollment meant 1.8 LT for 1800 students. the 1.0 was ongoing and the 0.8 was appointed year to year (retired teacher/s) allowing for enrollment change.
Seven lab rooms.....a lot of pracs....

if more discussion takes place in these sort of forums...it must improve condition as it makes individual LT aware of conditions...amazing how when teachers negotiate salary increase..they are compared to other States.. I would not have a clue the rates or classification of LT in other States....

Keep the discussion up...and reply to the survey.....i

[rell]

I hope someone can help me work out the lab tech formula;
Our lessons are 68 minutes long with 4 lessons per day but on average i have 5 classes on in any one session. So this can mean that i can have 20 classes of science in any given day.
My question is how do i equate this into the formula.
Thanks
rell

[cheltie]

I added up the total number of classes per week then multiplied it by 65 which is the number of minutes in our periods. I then divided this by 60 and that gave me the number of hours of science lessons per week. Does that make sense?
Helen

[rell]

Thanks cheltie
Narelle

[fibreweb]

I knew I had read something about distances needing to be taken into concideration. It was from the original document of the survey done in the UK in 2001. Page 9

Hopefully this is a link to the UK document.

http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/R ... lleges.pdf

I have given a copy of the Australian survey to my Head teacher as ammunition when they try to reduce my hours in science next year.

[judygee]

Dear All - Just got my e-mail on the "Status of School Science Lab Techs" - Haven't yet read through completely -however had to laugh at the Recommended Service Factor of 0.85 with a minimum of 0.60!!! Mine, like many other labbies is 0.32!! What irks me is the fact that I have worked on my own in this position for the past 30 years not getting any help from anyone, yet the Admin Staff have 6 and the Learning Support also have 6 - both Departments make use of casuals from time to time!!! We have a student population of 750! Don't get me started!!!!!! Cheers. Judy

[sunray18]

It seems like we are the 'Invisible employees".. Same happens here! The admin ladies get casuals in even if there is a whole-of-staff morning tea so they can attend, and if they are 'frantically' busy I am sent to help them..and then have to work longer [unpaid] to get through MY work that I left to help in the office.... funny though I have never been sent anyone from the office to help me when I am overwhelmed...

[curie]

I'm about 0.27 as well. I often feel invisible.

[General]

I am about 0.54.

[vic]

yep i'm about 0.2 as well....

[mrsmac]

0.24

[ELIZABETH]

I'm 0.6!

[RosalieM]

If I have done my calculations correctly, I am 0.4 and I thought I had it pretty good compared to other labbies around my area... (which I do, but apparently it's still not good enough!) I guess in the grand scheme of things there is still room for improvement in conditions. I know there are times when I feel totally run off my feet, the glassware cupboards are empty because I can't keep up with the washing up and finished pracs aren't put away for a week or more because I just don't have the time, but then again, I have times when I wonder what all the fuss is about and I tend to 'cruise' through the week feeling on top of it all... Having said that, there are things that just don't get done because the blocks of time required are so hard to find. Eg cleaning bunsens, making new wires, and mixing up chemicals mainly happens when I get desperate and then it is a rushed job and I hope I've done it right! If there were more hours, or a second person, it would be so much easier to get these jobs done. One person works on the acids while the other focuses on pracs, or one puts the pracs away while the other gets the new ones out. I would love to re-organise our cupboards so they are more systematical in the way things are stored but I can't see that happening, ever!