Australia's Science Forum

Hi all

Not sure if this involves everyone, but what do you tell people what you do when they assume that you have the same holidays as the teachers because you work in schools? and also what do you say when they say "what do you do when the teachers and students are not there?"

I mean I just say that I have whatever number of weeks of holidays a year and that I do stuff that I don't usually get to do during a year such as labelling, updating MSDS's etc

We have the same holidays as they do so we don't get asked! How much say do you get in when you take your holidays? How many weeks per year if you don't mind me asking! Sounds like a very different setup down there in Tassie.

I also would be most interested, in how it works. Our G.A.'s do not get the same holidays as us SAO's in NSW. Perhaps it works a little like that.

G.A. = General Assisants or Handy man.

In the state system in Victoria, it depends on how you are employed. If employed 52/52, you are only entitled to 4 weeks annual leave as anyone else is in 'normal' employment. If you work, as I do, 48/52, then other factors come into play. I get all the term breaks, and as we have 4 terms, that usually equals 6 weeks during the year. At Christmas, this year, we finish on December 21st and have to begin again next year on January 29th. But we can be 'called in' to work up to 6 days so I could be required to start back on January 18th! I hope that doesn't happen this year! I should have heard by now but nothing seems to be happening. Thus, it is possible for me not to even get 4 weeks over Christmas and that includes public holidays. There is no 6 week break any more. I just tell people my return date of work and let them figure it out. Let's face it, if we were in private industry our wage would probably be up to $20 000 more a year. We do it for lifestyle. So who cares what others say.
Maree

Firstly, I tell them what time I do work. I get 4 weeks annual leave and 4 weeks "Stand Down Time" That means that what ever time I am on "holidays" outside of my normal "Annual leave" I DO NOT GET PAID FOR.

Now leave WITHOUT PAY is a privelidge available to any worker. The whingers that complain about the number of holidays we get could ALSO have that number of weeks off if they too were willing to go WITHOUT PAY.

What do we do when there are no teachers? All the stuff that we can not do when the teachers are cluttering the place up. I go through every classroom, cleaning out student cupboards, counting and replacinglost or broken equipment. I stocktake the store room and the Chemical store. I order equipment to replace anything we are running low on, and obviously check, unpack and put away new stuff as it arrives. I fill countless bottles of deionised water from our filter machine. (it connects to a garder style threaded tap, and so is hard to use outside when the school is "crawling" with kids!). I make up and refill all the standard "stock solutions" that are commonly used, eg class sets of acids, bases, indicators, dropper bottles of "everything". I do general tidying up around my prep room and the staff room, empty and clean the fridges, etc,. In the Christmas break, I try to issue class sets of text books. That involves making sure that there is enough texts for every one in the year group (about 100-120 students per year), writing the students name in the book, recording the book number in the computer data base, putting the books into class sets and printing out lists of students/book numbers for each class.

Last Christmas, I found myself installing a ceiling mounted Data Projector in one of the classrooms, including the brackets, wireing, etc. (and I did a better job than the "Professionals" who did two of the other rooms!!)

I have been called upon to "manufacture" equipment for specific demonstrations that teachers want to do.

I guess, when I have finished all that in my ONE week each holidays when I am there without teachers, I guess I just snuggle down with a good book (as if!)

Next year, my time (and money!) is being reduced to 75%, so I guess I get to do the same amount of work in just under 4 days instead of 5!

The job just gets easier and easier! all those holidays AND only working 4 days a week!

Just as well the job is extremely enjoyable! (One of the most fun jobs that I have worked in!!) and that other labbies and MOST of the teachers are such a top bunch, otherwise the tedium of having people putting you down for not doing anything might become quite unbearable.

Today is my last day with kids at school. Tomorrow is "Staff party" day and Thursday I will be at the beach camping with my kids for a week. Happy Christmas to all of you. May you have a safe and relaxing break, as yopu contemplate "The Reason for the Season"

I look forward to many good chats again next year!

regards
Ian

In Tassie, 4 weeks annual leave and I could take up to a year without pay. However I will not take time off without pay as about 40% of my take home pay a fortnight goes on my home loan.

Cleaners get longer time off as they accumulate RDO's. We have a situation where the Teachers Aides, some office and library staff get stood down as from the 21st of December but then magically have a job back at the same school when the school year starts in Febuary. They usually have to go onto Centrelink payments and look for 8 or more jobs a fortnight even though they will be employed next year. This situation maybe coming to an end soon though.

I get "stood down" for about a week or so each holidays. (4 weeks per year) The way they handle it in NSW is they deduct that 4 weeks pay from my total annual salery, and then divide the rest evenly into 52 weeks, so I get a paycheck every fortnight, but it is reduced in value by the amount proportional to the time I am "stood down" Maybe if they did it your way, I might pick up some unemployment benifits in addition to my school pay??? But then, I think you have to be out of work for 6 weeks before you get benifits any way, dont you?

That being the case, why do they bother applying for jobs?

Happy Christmas

Ian

Like Ian, we in Victoria can be paid 2 ways. As I said earlier 52/52 and only 4 weeks annual leave. At 48/52 weeks I am paid for 48 weeks of pay and it is spread over 52 weeks so there is always a wage. I would have thought that 'standing down' people without pay over the Christmas holidays was finished. That is exactly what companies used to do a century and more ago. Sack people before Christmas and then rehire them after the New Year. This was one of the reasons unions became strong; to outlaw this type of practice. And this is still happening in Tassie. Maybe it's not the island paradise I have always thought it to be.
Maree

The Unions only have about 40% of support staff registered with them. However its only in the last 12 months that the AEU have had 2 dedicated support staff officers who people from Victoria may know (Don and Linda Wishart) which is good and I believe today the Minister announced some changes for Teacher Aides to increase their salaries and given them the option of 2 weeks extra work a year.

In our system, we get paid for 40 weeks a year, but it is spread over the 52 weeks.. we don't 'work' full time so we only get a proportion of the full-time pay... If we are asked to work in holiday time we get over-time pay....
It would be nice to be paid for what the job is really worth - we would all be much richer wouldnt we!

I'm on that system too, with my pay averaged out over the whole year. I'm not going to complain about my pay though. Working 30hrs/week 40 weeks/year in this job, I am getting more than I was in my previous job working 40+hrs/week, 4 weeks off/year, and far higher stress level and no overtime. I often get asked why I'm not looking for a higher paying job, but I like the lifestyle I have with this one!

A teacher once commented that I must be at a loose end because the science teacher was away for the day. Some people really dont know what we do, and have the idea that we sit at the teachers feet waiting for intelligent instructions and direction.

I would love to to be given the opportunity to work full time, like the support staff do in the office, admin, and grounds. Yes our pay IS averaged, but its still only 40 weeks money (plus 4 weeks annual leave) spread over the whole year.
Rosalie, you must have had an awful job previously?

Yes, I worked in a radio station. I was responsible for making sure it didn't go off air... among other things... It was a fun job (mostly!) and a great experience, but not one I wish to repeat! Too much responsibility for next to no pay... Even though I had a science degree and was almost finished a masters (by correspondence - my 'holidays' were taken so I could go to residential schools!), I was only on the lowest pay rate because I didn't have any administration qualifications...

rainbow-sky wrote:A teacher once commented that I must be at a loose end because the science teacher was away for the day. Some people really dont know what we do, and have the idea that we sit at the teachers feet waiting for intelligent instructions and direction.

For 7 1/2 years I was the Maintenance Supervisor at this school, working under the Property Manager, who was also the chief accountant, Pay Master, and New Buildings Project co-ordinator. As most of my Maintenance requests came directly to me via e-mail, I worked pretty well autonomously (with the help of my off-sider!) and would often go several weeks between work related discussions with my boss. People "Higher up" obviously took me as a mindless dummy as when my boss took a few weeks annual leave and left me "in charge" the Registra would often come around just to make sure that I had found "something to do" in my bosses absence (as if I needed the boss to hold my hand and direct me for each and every little job!!)

In this job, I get paid more, valued and appreciated more, and get more holidays for probably less responsibility and less stress and less hours per week (and NO 24/7 ON CALL!!!!). (...and my wife thinks I should go back to the other job. Fat chance!)

regards
Ian

Ian, yes. Thats another of my pet peeves....checking up to make sure I have enough to do. Fortunately that doesnt happen to me at all here. But if anyone DOES happen to venture into the science dept, I give them a job to do while they chat to me!

I love your style Barbara!

There is always plenty to do here although there are times when you just want to get off your feet. That's when I have a sit and look at chemtalk, follow any links hints or tips given and generally have a breather (all 15 -20 mins of it!)

Oh well, must get back to the grindstone...

Lou.

I am left to my own devices, and as long as I get the work done that is needed then I don't have a problem. No-one comes into the science prep. room unless they coming to tell me they need something for an experiment and even then they may not actually get to do that experiment, because they may have forgotten they were not going to be here on the day they wanted it.

In the holidays after term 2 I had a teacher ask me what do I do when there is no-one around. I answered WORK!
I have a list of tasks that I start preparing through the term (as they come up and I have a fair idea of how long those tasks will take). These tasks are the same as those in other posts. Some I can do through the term and I cross them off as I go. During the holidays NO teachers = more uninterrupted work and more achieved (with music in background). There is always the big clean up of last day pracs. Then, the HOD gives me a list she wants done and comes in through the holidays to see how I am progressing. Her list takes priority and my list almost goes out the window!
Frustrating!!

I work 24 hours a week and get paid for 40 weeks a year. I am a single mum and when the kids were little, ie I was getting a benefit, I had to go into Centrelink and Housing a couple of times at least around the holidays because of my pay changing. My paymaster said they could spread my pay over 52 weeks. Made life so much easier.

When anyone has a go about all the holidays I have they quickly change their tune when they find out I don't get paid for them.

And when anyone asks what I do when there are no classes I can recite quite a list for them. I have been not going to the assemblies or openings of new buildings unless specificly asked so I can get some things done without teachers coming in. I have tried to get out of sporting carnivals but they need the numbers there. It's not as if I don't want to be involved. In my own time I have supervised basketball, soccer and debating teams for games and trainings, as well as taking athletic trainings and tutoring. There just seems to be more things to do then time to do them in. It has made me very good at prioritising and updating pracs to make them more energy and time efficient.

Pretty much being a lab tech is like living in a Sudoku. But for some reason I seem to love it.

I get that too, when I say I work in a school, they automatically say "oh you get lots of holidays" and I reply, I wish I worked more because everytime the holidays come around, I can't do anything or go anywhere because I dont get paid. Sometimes I have to go a month without money, its not easy when you have bills and rent.

As of next year I am going on a scheme called annualisation where you get paid for the entire year but you get less during the term and they keep your annual leave. Also when I tell people how much I earn and that its less then an average wage, about 2.5 less then what a teacher earns, people don't believe me.

But the truth is I pursued this career not for the money but because I fell in love with the job. I started working in schools at the age of 21 and now permanent. When I think of it, I would rather have a job that I love and people appreciate what I do than have a job (which I have had) that nothing you do is ever good enough and having to drag yourself to work each day is not fun.