What to do?! - A job dilemma.

2StepSteve

2StepSteve

2StepSteve

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SE England
I've never posted a thread like this before.

I have been working as an IT technician for 8 years in a school. Pay is poor and I was starting to feel a little stale.

I went for an interview last December for a IT technician job in a college, and was offered the job. Since now and then paper work has been slowly dealt with with, but now it's about to be finalised.

Last week out of the blue the school offered me a new position in order to try and keep me. The new position would be as IT network manager, with more responsibility and pretty much all the school holidays. Pay comes in at around £140 less (per month) than the college.

The college probably has better prospects and a change of scenery would be a good thing. But the title of IT network manager will carry some weight in the future.

I've been making myself ill worrying about what the best choice is. If anything I am swinging to staying at the school.

What would you do?
 
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This worries me slightly, kind of in the same position as you, except there is an evaluation on the job title being carried out. Quite honestly if I was to be made sessional, then I do not see how some larger jobs could be carried out without affecting teaching staff.
 
If it was me i would go.

I'd not really be willing to turn down an extra 140 a month, gotta get all you can these days!
 
IMO you need to consider a few things.

If you stay at the school can you do without the raise?

Where do you want your career to head?

Do you want to do more work for less pay?
 
You mention your current position as stale. If you ask me the question here is not so much one of prospects and/or wages. Its one of enjoyment. The question you have to ask yourself is are you happy where you are, are you enjoying it and the environment its in. If the answer to those are no, then staying I think will simply be a short term band-aid and you'll find that in a few months time you are once more not happy and enjoying things and wishing that you had moved on, only now the opportunity has passed.
 
TommyV said:
College for me, personally. Unless you can get them to raise the wage to meet.
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It's 22.5k (after pro-rata) vs 25k at the end of the day. It's just so hard. Normally I am a very logical thinker and will break things down, but this has me stumped. Friends and family also keep swinging from advising me to take the college job then next thing the school job. The pay is lower than the college due to pro-rata, basically I will be getting a lot more holiday time and my pay is spread over that time.

Tombstone said:
You mention your current position as stale. If you ask me the question here is not so much one of prospects and/or wages. Its one of enjoyment. The question you have to ask yourself is are you happy where you are, are you enjoying it and the environment its in. If the answer to those are no, then staying I think will simply be a short term band-aid and you'll find that in a few months time you are once more not happy and enjoying things and wishing that you had moved on, only now the opportunity has passed.
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I know what you mean. When I went to the interview and looked around it was exciting! But now this offer has been laid on the table, it's muddled everything and it's no where near as clear cut anymore. When I say stale what I probably meant was I felt under valued, due to being under paid.

The title of network manager, to me at least carries quite a bit of weight for the future. It's making it very difficult to decide what to do.

The holiday time is a big bonus and the fact is here at the school I am the big fish in the pond, I have a lot of influence at the school. Moving to the college would take away all of that and I feel it could run the risk of feeling mundane and robotic.

Career wise I want to stay in IT (technical) in education, the title of network manager was my aim for the future. Secondary schools pay much better for IT managers, so that would be the aim for the future. To use this as a spring board for having the title and moving up in a couple of years time.

I just don't know....
 
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With the School job, you mention you get to take the school holidays off.

Would this not be partially taken up with upgrades and other projects that are helpful not to have the evil children around for?
 
2StepSteve said:
It's 22.5k (after pro-rata) vs 25k at the end of the day. It's just so hard. Normally I am a very logical thinker and will break things down, but this has me stumped. Friends and family also keep swinging from advising me to take the college job then next thing the school job. The pay is lower than the college due to pro-rata, basically I will be getting a lot more holiday time and my pay is spread over that time.



I know what you mean. When I went to the interview and looked around it was exciting! But now this offer has been laid on the table, it's muddled everything and it's no where near as clear cut anymore. When I say stale what I probably meant was I felt under valued, due to being under paid.

The title of network manager, to be at least carries quite a bit of weight for the future. It's making it very difficult to decide what to do.

The holiday time is a big bonus and the fact is here at the school I am the big fish in the pond, I have a lot of influence at the school. Moving to the college would take away all of that and I feel it could run the risk of feeling mundane.

Career wise I want to stay in IT and technical in education, the title of network manager was my aim for the future. Secondary schools pay much better for IT managers, so that would be the aim for the future.
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School job 100% for me, would love that amount of holidays.
 
It doesn't matter which one you choose. A few months into the job when you're having a bad day, you will wish you'd chosen the other place.
 
Are you not annoyed it took you threatening to leave before the school decided you're worth more?
Anyway I would probably choose the school, due to the holidays.
 
After reading your original post again i would say the college is a better option as it will undoubtedy give you a larger infrastructure to deal with and potentially could expand your range of skills. I dont think the title is that relevant compared to the experience and range of technologies that you are familiar with and on the scale to which they are applied. Being a "Network manager" to a network of 50 machines doent compare to being an IT Technician on a network of 500. And the college pay slightly better than the school that which is a bonus. :)
 
Really needs more info to answer properly:

  • What exactly does the "more responsibility" part entail? E.g. will you actually be a manager (managing other technicians? working on projects rather than day to day stuff etc.?), or is it simply a more glamorous title for your current job?
  • Will the school match the pay from the college?
  • Where do you feature on the pay scales for each? (e.g. if you are at the top band of your pay scale for the school then you aren't going to be earning more in a year's time, whereas if you start at the bottom in the college then it will most likely go up every year).
  • If you stay at the school, what are your advancement prospects in 1, 2, 5, 10 years?
  • If you move to the college, what are your advancement prospects in 1, 2, 5, 10 years?
  • What experience are you going to gain from each position, and how does this fit in with your plans for the future? (yes the title IT Network manager does sound a little more impressive, but if you haven't been doing the work/gaining the experience to match the title, it's not worth anything.)
 
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