IT role, wage question

[Disaster]

TL;DR: just read the second half of the last paragraph.

I have been working for a small (3 people) IT business for coming up 5 months on a trial-perm 6 month contract. I currently get payed minimum wage for my age (£5.03, I'm 20) My boss has put me in charge of repairs, I do phone and tablet repair mostly, occasionally computer repair, some light support stuff for our clients which the other two guys do.

I'm pretty sure he'll give me the perm job, I'm not worried about that. So when the time comes when we actually sit down and chat about it I will be approaching my 21st birthday. I will become part of the support staff, and get someone else in to do what I'm doing now. Business progression.

I've got a figure in mind but don't want to go in and overshoot and have him laugh in my face. Mainly because I don't know what my colleagues earn. Stuff I would be doing, general on and offsite IT support, installs, office moves, networking and cabling, server installs. What am I roughly looking at as a monthly wage? Please take into consideration my age, and my experience as this is my first job.

Much appreciated.

 

[kindai]

Based on your up-coming job roles basically sticks you down as a general IT technician.

Id say anywhere between £8.50-£11 dependent on what levels of complexity you get into.

 

[Caged]

Very vague description. Server installs being racking or are you expected to know the ins and outs of AD?

 

[grimm]

What figure do you have in mind?

 

[arknor]

What am I roughly looking at as a monthly wage?

Truthfully whatever the boss thinks he can get away with paying you without it seeming like the insult it is.

Good job getting clued up before hand most people your age just low ball a salary number because they have no idea.

 

[Disaster]

Very vague description. Server installs being racking or are you expected to know the ins and outs of AD?

Apologies, racking, I currently have no experience of AD but it is something I will learn.

What figure do you have in mind?

At least 8.50

 

[DJ_Bucho]

At least 8.50

I'd think you should get at least that to be perfectly honest. Realistically I don't think it'd be unfair to ask for £8.50 an hour

 

[grimm]

At least 8.50

What are your actual qualifications/experience?

I think for something like you've just described you're probably going to get more like 7.50 or 8 to start off with, especially considering where you live (if you still live in wales that is).

 

[Disaster]

What are your actual qualifications/experience?

I think for something like you've just described you're probably going to get more like 7.50 or 8 to start off with, especially considering where you live (if you still live in wales that is).

Got a level 3 national diploma in computing. First full time job. Work is on the outskirts of Cardiff so we get a good amount of business.

 

[On Holiday]

Minimum £8 sounds reasonable.

 

[Pudney]

TL;DR: just read the second half of the last paragraph.

Much appreciated.

This doesn't help

 

[dowie]

I've got a figure in mind but don't want to go in and overshoot and have him laugh in my face.

wouldn't worry about this - if you've got a figure in mind then ask for it... managers deal with people wanting more money all the time so if you have asked for too much its no big issue, he'll just say no and propose a lower figure...

people try to put some logic, justification behind salaries... there may vaguely be some logic but in general plenty of people are on the rate they're on because that's what they got away with... some people doing the same job as the guy sat next to them could well be on double the salary in some organisations.

 

[Catanonia]

Shot for £10 and settle for £9

He has invested in you, you have proved you are good at the job and a figure (very rough) of £20k a year for a prospering business to hire a full time and trained support member of staff is decent money to pay.

If you don't ask, you will not get.

I made this mistake in my 1st job and spent 3 years being abused for my talent on a meager wage which tore me everyday until I wised up and moved.

 

[thep02]

Do some research on what similar jobs are paying locally, do you have any relevant qualifications that might help your claim? I'm thinking the 8 to 11 mentioned sound about right but I've no idea what it's like in South Wales faik it might be min and be glad you're warm and dry, good luck dude.

 

[Guest2]

£16,500 annual works out at £8.46 per hour before tax & ni

Look what the market rate is for an IT technician is with someone with your skills then put it to your boss you are looking for 16.5k and this is the market rate (presuming it is)

Armed with the following and based on your qualification I think you should ask for 17k.
http://www.totaljobs.com/salary-checker/average-it-technician-salary
http://www.jobsite.co.uk/jobs/it/it-technician

Some much higher salaries but you are not qualified yet really or have much experience. Certainly go higher because he will probably come down a G!

When I was 21 on a work placement I was on 9k!! (8 years ago) then 16k for my first proper job a year later (but then I had a BTEC national in computing & a BSc in Business Computing)


edit - I was just having a quick look whilst I was looking for the above average salary sites and it seems most 2nd line jobs are 20-25k. Then there's this on for 45k+

http://www.morrisjones.co.uk/vacancies/service-desk-engineer-leeds-salary-to-pound-50-000.php

I currently do all that stuff - Citrix, Exchange, AD, GP admin plus a whole lot more - SCCM, SCOM, Vmware, BES, Xenmobile etc. Is what I currently do under a '2nd line technical support' title not the same as normal technical support roles? I suppose its more infrastructure support, but its certainly not engineer / TA level

 

[Ulti-Resis]

19K pre-tax and if he knocks you down by a grand you'll do OK out of it for a start and can always talk your way up as you gain experience and become more valuable to him. Then again if it's only a three man show and given that you're new to the job and don't have vast experience he might be expecting you to accept 16/16.5K as it's clearly only a small or new business so he might not be able to afford to pay more. A lot will depend on what he is paying the other staff too.

Wales being as it is, the wages are not the best but Cardiff is the place that will pay the most and cost the most to live in, so you may do well out of it if you get your case across in the right way.

You could put your case that the cost of living has risen dramatically too.

Hell, there are plenty of basic administrators with no qualifications or actual skills required other than pen and paper pushing and they are getting 20K+ so I don't see why you shouldn't aim pretty high.

 

[dowie]

edit - I was just having a quick look whilst I was looking for the above average salary sites and it seems most 2nd line jobs are 20-25k. Then there's this on for 45k+

http://www.morrisjones.co.uk/vacancies/service-desk-engineer-leeds-salary-to-pound-50-000.php

I currently do all that stuff - Citrix, Exchange, AD, GP admin plus a whole lot more - SCCM, SCOM, Vmware, BES, Xenmobile etc. Is what I currently do under a '2nd line technical support' title not the same as normal technical support roles? I suppose its more infrastructure support, but its certainly not engineer / TA level

Its quite low actually...

It probably isn't what you currently do - the generic IT stuff, sure... the understanding of the business, the experience with applications they've mentioned - bloomberg, fidessa etc.. you likely don't have that experience... if you did then you'd likely not be questioning the salary:

contractor rates for example:

http://www.itjobswatch.co.uk/contracts/uk/fidessa.do

 

[Guest2]

Are yes, I thought it may be to do with the specific software app support. I remember a few years ago checking some 'service desk' jobs in the banking sector that were ~60k supporting a very specific piece of banking software though (that I guess must be very complex)

 

[ARION]

Don't normally post on here but some of you are saying 19-20k and he doesn't even know the basic principles of AD? 20K for computer repair and racking servers? Bit much if you ask me. I would say around 15-16K personally.

 

[Guest2]

Don't normally post on here but some of you are saying 19-20k and he doesn't even know the basic principles of AD? 20K for computer repair and racking servers? Bit much if you ask me. I would say around 15-16K personally.

Agreed. I would go in asking for 17k, with the hope of being knocked down a bit to 16k (£8.21 hr)

6 month experience and national diploma wont get to 20K (edit - unless you know people in the industry)

Hell, when I had a BTEC Nat dip, Bsc Business computing & 1.5 years experience I took a job paying 16k! However it was a finance company with only me and my boss in IT. I got to learn a great deal in the year I was there...19k the year after in a different job, then 20k 6 months later in another job (the one I still am in now) That was peak recession time but found work after a few weeks both times.

No idea why people find it so hard getting a job