Job Description

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RosalieM
Posts: 1795
Joined: 20 Mar 2007, 10:00
Job Title: Lab Assistant
Suburb: Tamworth
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by RosalieM »

For real?? Do you get paid for coming in on your 'day off'? Or your work in the holidays? Maybe if you just say to them "I refuse to do unpaid overtime" and the teachers then complain higher up etc then you will be able to get your hours increased. That is insane to have a school that big and only 4 days/week. Or what about if you work shorter days, but go in every day? I am 30 hours which is classed as 4 days/week but I work 6 hours 5 days/week so maybe for your 28 hours you could do 5.5 hours/day? If you find it difficult to escape at the end of the day then make sure you finish after school finishes and start after school starts. I had to do that because in the mornings I would get all the "I forgot to" orders and then instead of leaving at 3pm (school finishes 3:10) I would get caught doing other things so now I start at 9 (classes start about 8:45) so there can be no last minute orders for first thing in the morning and I get 20 min after school is over to do things which only sometimes gets taken up by teachers coming to see me for whatever reasons. You are right, nobody really understands our jobs except other labbies! But then, all of us are in different situations with different expectations so even then we don't REALLY know, but we have a pretty good idea!
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jodye
Posts: 95
Joined: 11 Feb 2008, 10:31
Suburb: central coast
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by jodye »

David, I feel your pain! We have 1100+ students ( year 7-12),7 labs,9 teachers & 3 prep rooms & I have only 26hours a week to do everything in. Like you, i come in during schools holidays( not paid) to get the bigger things done. My HOD is asking for more hours for me but I have been told the funding isn't there for more hours...but funnily enough,Admin seem to be able to get more staff????
dss8386
Posts: 76
Joined: 28 May 2009, 14:15
Job Title: Laboratory Assistant
School: St. Augustines College
Suburb: Cairns
State/Location: QLD

Re: Job Description

Post by dss8386 »

I get time in lieu for coming in for holidays. I have 4 days time in lieu and I plan to take them at the end of the term when my dad visits me. I don't get paid any extra but because I love my job and its my 1st permanent job (after 4 schools) so i dont mind. I have thought about coming in for 5 days but the problem is I have a casual job i work on Sunday to make up full time hours and just gone back to Uni so having a Wednesday off is a blessing. The school about 10 years ago barely made 400+ students but being a regional school and offering boarding to the remote Cape York communities and with the years 7's starting soon, the school is growing very quickly. at the moment I have 35 science classes a week plus I help out for morning tea on Friday (catering) all expected to be done in 28hrs a week.

I have thought about coming in later etc but early mornings is when i get most of the odd jobs jobs as well as last minute pracs. During the term I dont get much time for cleaning so i have basically told the teachers that i will go through all the labs at the end of term to top up and clean up any mess, but any mess during the term is the responisbilites of teachers and students. I dont get the time to run around cleaning up after people. I have had a couple teachers complain about the state of the labs during EEI's and basically said to the teacher sorry I dont have the time at the end of each lesson to clean you will have to discuss it with the teacher responsible...hopefully if they complain enough i might get more hours.

Most mornings I start at 7:30am instead of 8 because that way I miss all the traffic and on days there are not many labs going, I sneak out at 3pm instead of 3:30pm.

The only people that seem to understand my role is my boss who is fantastic and has pushed hard to get me more hours. Most of the science teachers understand my role and are really easy to deal with. At least i know the science teachers appreciate my work...after all we are the backbone of the science department and without us, I would hate to know how the labs would be....
dss8386
Posts: 76
Joined: 28 May 2009, 14:15
Job Title: Laboratory Assistant
School: St. Augustines College
Suburb: Cairns
State/Location: QLD

Re: Job Description

Post by dss8386 »

wow Jodye, How do you cope???

I barely manage with my work load but you situation is ridiculous!!!! I dont understand how they work out hours for lab assistants because It varies between schools and also there budget. I work at a very well off private school so money is not the issue, admin think i hide in the labs doing nothing...i would like them to have a go in the labs for one day...i guarantee they would not have a clue. especially after they enter the chem store!!! Fume heaven.

Seems like are first priority and us labbies are forgotten about. I keep getting more and more jobs to do for e.g Risk assessments, OHS, Fire Warden you name it but no extra hours....I think I have finish with my ranting...
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sunray18
Posts: 1488
Joined: 14 Feb 2008, 12:30
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by sunray18 »

We are expected to do more and more every year - Risk Assessments, Fire safety, Registers etc etc - and yet we do not get any more hours. I think that if you keep doing work outside your paid hours, then the school will continue to only employ you for those hours - why would they pay out more to you when they are getting all that work for free?
Come on people - we DESERVE proper wages for our work - we are not a CHARITY.
An experienced labtech hounded me for a few years for doing more hours than I was paid for - up to 60 hours a week when paid for 30. He told me I was not doing myself any favours, and I certainly was not enhancing the status of labtechs in schools. He was so right. weren't you Ocker!
While we act as doormats, we will continue to be treated as a dorrmat.
We need to stand up and demand recognition of the contribution we make to education - we are professionals and deserve to be treated as such.
SO - please please please STOP doing unpaid hours .
Yes everything will fall apart, yes there will be messes everywhere - but it is NOT your responsibility - it is the responsibility of the Principal to properly staff the school - and not employing labtechs for adequate hurs is not efficient staffing.
Hold out until the necessity for your extra hours is recognised.
Otherwise we will all be 'servants' all our working life
Do it for future generations of Labtechs!
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Labbie
Posts: 3234
Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Retired
Suburb: At Home
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by Labbie »

So how stopped work today, to stand up for a rights????????????? Not too many in NSW at least.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
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Whspa
Posts: 345
Joined: 01 Jun 2006, 10:00
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by Whspa »

Most of the SASS staff here walked off and went to the stopwork meeting. One stayed to man the phones - just to redirect calls. It was standing room only at the meeting.
dss8386
Posts: 76
Joined: 28 May 2009, 14:15
Job Title: Laboratory Assistant
School: St. Augustines College
Suburb: Cairns
State/Location: QLD

Re: Job Description

Post by dss8386 »

Your exactly right sunray18.

Basically this year I have been doing extra hours because I am fairly new at the school and was going to permanent. Now I am permanent I have a little more say what happens around the labs. I have already spoken to a couple teachers and I said that as of this year I dont mind doing some extra hours becuase I need the last week of term off, but next year, i am not going to be coming in unless I am paid. If things dont get done...simple...give me more hours..

I think alot of labbies do the extra hours because they love the job, they need to get large projects done which are nearly impossible to do in normal school hours, also we don't like letting teachers down but when it comes down to it....How much do teachers get paid???? Surely they can clean up after them selves....! However staff room after lunch...big mess!!! Us labbies are not slaves, we are scientific assistants....we know what works and what doesn't!!! Some teachers I question how they got through Uni!!
LabMad
Posts: 80
Joined: 22 Aug 2011, 11:11
Suburb: South West Sydney
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by LabMad »

At least when your perminate you are able to speak up about something you do not agree with, others have to bite their tongue or loss their jobs :-(
Lab Madness
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jodye
Posts: 95
Joined: 11 Feb 2008, 10:31
Suburb: central coast
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by jodye »

I have stopped doing a lot of the extra unpaid hours I was doing,just to try to get my point acrossbut then I started waking up during the night thinking of what needs to be done at work...
My HOD is very supportive & has told the teachers to lay off pracs to give me time to catch up & she is campaining for extra hours.
I am on the OHS committee & have to attend the meetings. When I asked for the extra paid time that day to do the things I would have been doing if not at the meeting, I was told " teachers who have free periods during the meeting don't get that time back so why should you? We only replace teachers who are on face to face" I then explained that I never get free periods ALL my time is hands on or face to face,but nothing came of it!
The really stupid thing is finacially I don't need to work but I really like the Science staff & the job ( it stops me from being bored at home) but lately I have been thinking of throwing the job in but my HOD keeps talking me out of it.
So how do I get the point across to the powers that be that I need more hours,without hurting my wonderful ( mostly) science staff??
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carolmay
Posts: 13
Joined: 24 Mar 2011, 14:01
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by carolmay »

I work in a school of 1300+ with 13 Science Teachers and 7 labs, I am full time with no assistance thankfully I work for the best staff ever who help me a lot with my job. I am also now called a SAO ( crumbly biscuit) :cheesy: I have worked for 18 years and I would just like to add that at the moment the way the Government is going I am happy to have my job. :-(
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Labbie
Posts: 3234
Joined: 28 Nov 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Retired
Suburb: At Home
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by Labbie »

To true Carolmay, we all understand what you are saying. But but but you have to admit that some days are awful. other days are great. We are human's that need to say things at times. We are all SAO biscuits, does make one laugh, wonder if we will get another name change?? Go SAO's all of you.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
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carolmay
Posts: 13
Joined: 24 Mar 2011, 14:01
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by carolmay »

Whspa wrote:Most of the SASS staff here walked off and went to the stopwork meeting. One stayed to man the phones - just to redirect calls. It was standing room only at the meeting.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
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carolmay
Posts: 13
Joined: 24 Mar 2011, 14:01
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by carolmay »

carolmay wrote:
Whspa wrote:Most of the SASS staff here walked off and went to the stopwork meeting. One stayed to man the phones - just to redirect calls. It was standing room only at the meeting.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
Absolutely understand, thats why we need to stand together. I do not see the reason to work extra hours for nothing, no one appreciates it anyway. I do what I can do, have stopped stressing out about the work that does not get done. I spend wednesday afternoon which is sports day to clean labs I am very lucky as after years of hand washing all equipment. I now have a dishwasher. I have very untidy loveable staff, and have realised that I can chase my tail forever but they will not change. So therefore once a year we all get together on a weekend and clean out our huge Science Storage room. Other than that we live happily as long as they give me at least half a days notice when ordering we get along fine. Obviously there is always one or two who are not organised and have to race around to put together orders. I also sometimes feel when a new teacher arrives as their personal maid, but we soon sort that out.
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J
Posts: 714
Joined: 13 Jun 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Lab Assistant
School: DHS
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by J »

Our SASS staff all stopped work on monday. Principal and Deputy were very supportive and fielded the phone calls until we came back. Work was certainly piled up for us when we returned, but it is important to show support or we'll all lose!! :redcard: :redcard:
J
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Vick
Posts: 82
Joined: 01 Jun 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Lab Assistant
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by Vick »

This is for NSW DEC Science staff who are members of the PSA.

Did you receive the email from the PSA dated 17 August 2015, regarding 'Pay Equity (equal remuneration) campaign for SAS staff?

The PSA has commenced a pay equity (equal remuneration) campaign for SAS staff (School Administrative Officers, School Learning Support Officers, School Administrative Managers and Aboriginal Education Officers).

The PSA has developed a table which breaks down each SASS SoD into tasks and separate columns which allow members to answer. It asks how duties have changed over time.

Interesting enough this what is can find relevant for lab assistants "Teacher and Student Support - Maintaining equipment, learning material and resources at a suitable standard. Maintaining work areas in a clean and tidy state. Implementation of learning and other programs under the supervision of a teacher, in science laboratories." Needless to say, I will be adding to this table.

Regards.

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

Re: Job Description

Post by Labbie »

I am so very sick of sending list's to the PSA with what we do as Labbie. I have sent that many, and yet again no one will listen. Good luck.
Regards Labbie

Lab Manager/Lab Tech, mind reading etc etc
Now retired :wub:
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Lyn
Posts: 706
Joined: 16 May 2006, 10:00
Job Title: Lab Assistant (Technician)
School: St. John's Catholic College
Suburb: Darwin
State/Location: NT

Re: Job Description

Post by Lyn »

I know I'm not in NSW but please put on your list training/supervising teachers in how to do a variety of practicals that they are not familiar with before they get to the classroom.
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sunray18
Posts: 1488
Joined: 14 Feb 2008, 12:30
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by sunray18 »

oh yes Lyn, hand-holding of casuals and interns, trying to work around teachers who hold an informal staff meeting [whinge meeting] in your prep room while you are desperately trying to get a prac exam ready.
Merilyn1
Posts: 1476
Joined: 12 Mar 2013, 08:10
Job Title: Labbie
School: Wollondilly Anglican College
Suburb: Tahmoor
State/Location: NSW

Re: Job Description

Post by Merilyn1 »

Don't forget "mind reading". Seems to be that we should know what the teachers are going to do before they do!
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