Becoming senior

It seems reasonably certain now that when we start the new academic year in September I will be senior technician. I'll still be a TA for around 10 hours a week as well, and our bio tech is wanting to go part time, so at the moment HoD is trying to convince HR to hire at the very least an apprentice although someone with experience would be better.

This then is about the worst possible time for our new chem tech to go directly to HR and complain that she doesn't have enough to do! Any fellow techs reading this will currently be choking on their coffee. There's always something to do, if in doubt ask your HoD for some tasks. HR have of course taken this as a sign that there isn't really any need for extra help and HoD is really angry.

In fairness to her, chem tech has never done this sort of work before and probably doesn't realise quite how the workload ebbs and flows through the year and if she's complaining of boredom then she obviously hasn't fully grasped what a technician's role actually involves. There's so much more to it than just prepping experiments.

HoD asked me to have a word but I pointed out that since I'm not senior tech yet, I don't have any authority to tell her what to do. What I have done though is sent a friendly, chatty email with a list of all the jobs I try to get done during this quieter term as well as some suggestions which are more related to chemistry. Just tidying and reorganising the labs could easily take the next couple of weeks.

Apparently HoD has forwarded this to HR and pointed out that there is in fact plenty of work. I really hope this doesn't mess up our plans for next year.

Recruiting

There's still time to apply for the chem tech job but we've had a few applicants already.


Earlier this week my HoD said that he'd like me to be involved in the selection process. I guess normally the chemistry HoD would be in charge of this, but he's leaving us at Christmas so it's mostly fallen to my HoD, since he's overall head of science as well as physics. It certainly makes sense for both me and bio tech to at least meet the candidates, since although we don't work very closely we do need to coordinate resources etc at times, but I did point out that generally helping to draw up the shortlist and even maybe being in the interviews is really more of a senior technician thing, 'and I'm not senior technician'. 'Ah, but you will be' was the answer to that one, so he obviously hasn't forgotten the carrot HR dangled under my nose last term when I was thinking of leaving.


This morning he passed me a bunch of application forms to look at. One out of the five is already working as a technician, but all of them have strong science backgrounds. I kind of have a favourite, but that's only on paper. Looking forward to meeting them in the flesh once we set an interview date.

HLTA - the next chapter

HoD is still keen to pursue trying to get me trained as a HLTA and last week he got the HR manager to present the proposal at an SMT meeting. We didn't hear anything for a couple of days, but now HR have got back to us with some feedback from SMT including some questions/concerns that they want answered.

Some of their concerns are the same as mine, namely whether the technician side of my job would be adversely affected and how we would organise the workload. I think we can manage if everyone gets properly oragnised and my teachers learn to plan a bit better. Obviously they also have concerns about the costs, but that was to be expected.

Apparently the Headmaster's main concern is that this could become a 'conveyor belt for technicians to train and leave'! To me that seems very short-sighted. Is he honestly saying that he wants untrained, unskilled technicians because then we are less likely to find jobs elsewhere? From my point of view, if this additional training leads to a pay increase I am far more likely to stay.

At the moment I am struggling financially and the fact that my daily commute is a 55 mile round trip does not help. A job closer to home would reduce my costs significantly, but a pay rise here would make all the difference.

The other aspect is career progression. The way our school is set up, we have 3 individual technicians each servicing 1 science and working independently of each other. It's not the kind of system that needs a senior technician so if I wanted to become a senior or team leader, I would have to move. What's currently being proposed would be a chance to progress without leaving. Don't know if we will be able to convince them. Watch this space!

To HLTA or not to HLTA?

When we have our termly technician meeting with the Head of Science, chem tech is always full of ideas about what 'we' or 'they' should do to improve the science department. One such idea, which he has brought up periodically over the past few years, is that all 3 technicians should become Higher level Teaching Assistants (HLTA) The idea is that this should (in theory) get us more money and might also get us recognised as academic staff, rather than support staff.

The previous HoS used to listen politely and then completely ignore 95% of everything said at these meetings, but things are changing. Our new HoS is also my HoD and he listens to technicians! At the last meeting he seemed quite interested in chem tech's suggestion, made a lot of notes, and then went to speak to HR.

Unbelievably HR are really keen on the concept and we have been asked to put together a cost/benefit analysis so they can decide whether it's worth pursuing. I thought they'd lose interest the minute pay was mentioned, but apparently not. They have said that they would only want to go forward with one technician initially but then include the others over time and the one technician they want to trial the idea with is me! Apparently I've been selected because I'm the youngest tech here so I guess they think they'll get more back long term if they invest in me.

The thing is, I'm not sure if I want to be a HLTA.

I'm a technician. It's what I've been doing for the past 12 years. My prep room is my comfort zone and the idea of having to teach even small groups of students terrifies me. Quite apart from the fear factor I'm also concerned about what this could mean for technicians in general. Is being a technician not good enough? We are skilled people with specialist knowledge and I would never want that role to be seen as second rate and for teaching to be viewed as the only viable career option. After all that was surely the point of RSciTech - to get people to view technicians as professionals.

I need the money though. At this school there are no support staff pay scales and no additional money for taking on extra responsibilities so I am stuck on my current salary for ever. The only way I can earn more may be to go down this path, but I am really conflicted about what is the right thing to do.

It may be that HR decide the costs are too great for the potential benefits, in which case I am worrying unnessecarily. Watch this space!

PDR done

I had my suspicions that doing my PDR might bring me to the verge of tears, but I thought that would be due to frustration or anger. I never dreamed it would be as a result of people being nice to me!

I filled in the self review parts of the form, being as honest as I could about what I see as my strengths and weaknesses and then turned it over to my HoD and the Head of Science for their comments. When i got it back for signing I could not believe how much praise they lavished on me.
HoD described me as 'one of the best' and 'incredibly supportive' and Head of Science said I am 'exemplary in all areas of work' and 'proactive in improving the department'.

I knew that my HoD values what I do, but it is so nice to hear it from elsewhere and it is a massive boost to my confidence to find that people think I'm doing a good job. :)

PDR

The last time I had a Performance and Development Review was 8 years ago - not at this school, or even at my last school, but at the first school I worked in - so frankly it's about time for another!

I was informed today that PDR for support staff is going to be happening some time during the next month, and the Head of Science has sent us a copy of the form that we'll have to fill out. I don't exactly find PDR a lot of fun, but I do believe that if done properly it can be a worthwhile exercise. My heart sank then when I looked at the form. The very first 'Area of Work' on which we are to be reviewed is headed 'Customer Focus'.
I do hope someone will tell me who exactly the 'customer' in this scenario is meant to be! Is it the teacher who orders the practical equipment from me? Or is it the students who benefit from carrying out the practical activities? Or is it the parents who pay to send their kids here? And how am I supposed to be focussed on the customer? I do my job to the best of my ability at all times. What more do they want?

Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be another pointless box ticking exercise and that this form was just borrowed from somewhere else without considering whether it's actually relevant to the types of jobs done by the employees concerned?

My hours, part 2

Just had a meeting with the Head of Science and, amazingly, it went the way I'd hoped.

He thinks that slightly longer hours during the week and fewer work days during the holidays is a much more sensible option, and the other 2 technicians are happy to go along with that. *victory dance*

Now he just has to have a meeting with HR (Boo, hiss!) and see if they will go for it.

My hours

I didn't want to get into another fight with HR, I really didn't, but somehow every time I have to interact with them it turns into a fight.

My contract says that my hours of work are 8.30-4.30 during term time and for 15 days during the holidays, but there are a number of reasons why I prefer to start work at 8 instead.

I live a stupid distance from work and the roads are so much quieter if I leave home at 7 than if I left at 7.30. Also it's much easier to find a parking space before 8am. It's also better for the department if I start earlier. 3 days a week lessons carry on until 5.15, so any equipment they've been using won't get cleared away until the morning and it's good to have more time for that and I also get a chance to see my teachers before they head off to assemblies, tutorials etc.

Anyway, I've been working from 8 for well over a year now, and for some ridiculous reason I thought it might be a good idea to formalise the arrangement, so I e-mailed HR and said that I would like to either work 8-4 or  alternatively 8-4.30 but with fewer days during the holidays. The total number of hours would be the same either way as those that are set out in my contract. I foolishly thought that this was a simple request and could be resolved quite quickly. How very wrong I was!

Apparently my hours can only be changed if the Biology and Chemistry technicians also change. Why?? We are doing different jobs in different departments and I can't see how the hours that I work can have any impact on my colleagues. There are technicians in DT and Art as well. Should they be working the same hours too? After all, they are technicians too.

Thankfully my HoD has my back as usual. He thinks HR are being ridiculous and he's going to make that point very strongly when he meets with them.

Return to Work interview - the fallout

Well it wasn't exactly a simple box-ticking exercise yesterday.

Apparently I have had too many days off sick and now I'm going to start losing pay if I am ill again. Initially HR reckoned that I had taken 27 days sick this year. I looked back through all my e-mails and could only find 20, which of course includes 17 days signed off by the hospital because I broke my arm and couldn't work. HR however are counting an overall 12 month period, so the stomach bug I had last November counts, as does the streaming cold I had in October. I still couldn't get it to 27 days, until I noticed that they'd counted 4 days in January before term started, when I wouldn't have been at work anyway! I got them to discount those days but they aren't prepared to budge on the rest.

What does this mean? Well, basically I can't afford to be ill again until mid January. Or alternatively, I can be ill but I have to come to work and infect everyone else regardless of whether I am suffering with a streaming nose, projectile vomiting or bubonic plague. I'm sure that will make everyone very happy - NOT!!

Told my HoD all this when I got to work this morning and he was not amused. Yesterday he had a meeting with the Head to discuss the past year in Physics, and apparently I came in for a lot of praise for all the stuff that I do for the department above and beyond my job description. So while the Head thinks I'm doing a great job, HR think I'm slacking. Nice!

HoD has told me to start logging all my hours so we can prove the extras that I do, and has also told me that if HR carry on being obnoxious, he'll just go to the Head. It's good to know that someone's got my back. I may grumble about the guy, but I have a really great HoD!

Return to Work interview

Back in January, I had to take a month off work thanks to a broken and dislocated bone in my arm. When I got back something was vaguely mentioned about needing to give me a 'Return to Work' interview to make sure I was ok to do my job and assess whether I needed any extra support. This never actually happened and now, 9 months down the line, I'm pretty much healed although still with reduced mobility and some pain.

11 days ago I took a day off because I woke up with a killer migraine - nausea, visual disturbances, the works! Apparently a day off for a migraine is more important than a month off with a broken arm because I've just been informed that my absence means I have to have a meeting with the Head of Science this afternoon to fill in the return to work form.
Not entirely sure what this is meant to achieve. Sometimes I get migraines. Nothing the school, or I, can do is likely to change this fact. It's been this way for 20 years or more.
Sounds like an HR box-ticking exercise to me!

Is the ship sinking?

So, it's the summer holidays. Been off work almost 2 weeks and I thought I should check my e-mails. After all, the support staff with year-round contracts (rather than term time only, like me) are still working, so there might be stuff going on that I should know about.

It turns out that today the Head of Grounds resigned and the Head Steward accepted redundancy. The support staff team already lost the Head Cleaner, Biology Technician, a matron and the DT Technician this year. That's a lot of key people gone!

So what I'm wondering with these latest changes, is what exactly is going on? Stuck in the science block I don't tend to hear all the news and I don't have a manager from within the support staff team so don't get any feed back on meetings etc. I know the new-ish Bursar has pissed off a lot of people and don't even get me started on the HR people!

Is it time to start looking for a new job before I find myself forced to?

One thing's for sure, the school is turning into a very different place from the one I joined nearly 4 years ago and that saddens me.

Timetable

Just been going through the current draft of the Physics timetable for September and oh boy am I going to be busy! This year I have had a couple of days (notably thursdays) with not much going on which has enabled me to catch up on things like equipment repairs. No such luck next year though. Every day is busy, with anywhere from 11 to 17(!) lessons to prep. Obviously some of that will be theory, but it's still way more than this year.

As mentioned before, we have 3 non-specialists teaching Physics next year, and their lessons are all over the place. I've got stuff happening on all 3 floors of the science block at times! Thankfully they're usually pretty good about room swaps so I shouldn't have to carry too much large/heavy kit up all those stairs. My arm is still not recovered from when I dislocated my elbow, and heavy lifting is no fun! At least all my lessons are going to be in the science block - I haven't seen the Chemistry room allocations, but Biology have a few lessons in far-flung corners of the school.

On the subject of Biology, we interviewed 3 potential new technicians last week. I gave them a bit of a guided tour of science and filled them in on the stuff that HR didn't tell them. Haven't heard yet whether we've appointed or not. It'd be nice to know before the end of term (not long to go now!).