Work - The pros and the cons... - The Bear and Badger

poprock

DO IT. Happy days.

Stopharage

Tempy, I know the admin is an absolute nightmare but (as best you can) roll with it as it won’t get any better. I work with 3 different PGCE providers and I’m still waiting on payment from lecturing last December for them. When I was doing my PGCE I went through exactly the same as you in regards to rooming, admin nightmares and general frustration at the mind-numbing bureaucratic fuckwits that ran the joint.

The Daddy

It’s designed to get you used to the mind-numbing bureaucracy that ruins the job. All part of the training.

regmcfly

Tempy wrote:

Nah, it’s an hour by train. They said at the start of the course that it could be up to 90 minutes via public transport or car depending on what preferences you’d indicated, but I presumed (naively) that it would probably be via local transport so a day ticket would sort me out. Sadly this is a tenner on top of my regular transport. I’ve fired them an email asking if there is any cash coverage or grants available for this because they didn’t mention this. Again, that’s likely down to naivety, but I didn’t expect the cost to be so high! Still, glad to know where i’m going and I’ll figure out the rest.

I was 90 mins on my probation and it was misery. It only gets better!!!!!!

Maybe

Roujin

So you're saying you have an hour to play switch/read about dem nurgly bois at the start/end of each day? Nice one temps!

No but seriously, it sounds shit at first but I have a similar hour and a bit walk plus train to work and even though sometimes it's knackering, it's great to have some time you can just read in or listen to some music, my commute has become really good me time over the last few years.

Didn't apply if driving though, as my many years spent on the m25 proved.

Good luck in your start to a great career though dude, hope you smash it.

tigersgogrrr

The Daddy wrote:

It’s designed to get you used to the mind-numbing bureaucracy that ruins the job. All part of the training.

Heh.

GurtTractor

I'm going to an interview for a Technical Support Advisor position tomorrow, anyone have any useful tips or things I should focus on?

yourfavouriteuncle

Tech support.

yourfavouriteuncle

Nnngggg. Sorry, tried to resist.

Sorry for being that idiot.

Unlikely

The interviewer.

Me too.

WorKid

Keep your answers concise. Know when to shut up. Know what you do know and admit what you don't know. Wear nice shoes. Turn up early.

Diluted Dante

GurtTractor wrote:

I'm going to an interview for a Technical Support Advisor position tomorrow, anyone have any useful tips or things I should focus on?

Supporting what?

GooberTheHat

WorKid wrote:

Keep your answers concise. Know when to shut up. Know what you do know and admit what you don't know. Wear nice shoes. Turn up early.

And don't be afraid of silence. Some interviewers will leave a period of silence to 1. make sure you've finished answering, or 2. see how you handle it and if you start to waffle on.

Tempy

Stopharage wrote:

Tempy, I know the admin is an absolute nightmare but (as best you can) roll with it as it won’t get any better. I work with 3 different PGCE providers and I’m still waiting on payment from lecturing last December for them. When I was doing my PGCE I went through exactly the same as you in regards to rooming, admin nightmares and general frustration at the mind-numbing bureaucratic fuckwits that ran the joint.

Honestly man every day seems to be an endurance test of nonsense to deal with on the admin side that I can confidently say i've learned absolutely fucking nothing since starting it. I never had these issues at Glasgow.

Syph79

Diluted Dante wrote:

GurtTractor wrote:

I'm going to an interview for a Technical Support Advisor position tomorrow, anyone have any useful tips or things I should focus on?

Supporting what?

Technical

Stopharage

@Tempy, whilst Reg, Tigro, Daddy etc may disagree, I placed very little value on what I learned in Uni. Tend to find educational theory utter bollocks for the vast majority of the time. The fulfilling and educating part comes in school.

It will get better.

Tempy

Yeah I'm itching for the placement stuff to get started, even though I think the first one will be largely low impact.

Today's Kafka-esque nonsense is all about that. Gotta fill out a PVG before I do it. Think I did it when registering. No idea how to check. None of the module pages or documents have a copy of it. Email the person about it. Get her Out of Office - she's away til the 25th. Deadline for handing it in? 25th.

Gotta love that fire and forget mentality!

The Daddy

Stopharage wrote:

@Tempy, whilst Reg, Tigro, Daddy etc may disagree, I placed very little value on what I learned in Uni. Tend to find educational theory utter bollocks for the vast majority of the time. The fulfilling and educating part comes in school.

It will get better.

Yeah pretty much. Although I did do an M.Ed after Pgce and found there are some very interesting areas of research going on.

But yeah, most of it has very little bearing on front line day to day classroom shiz.

Gamermike

Oh man, I’m having big regrets taking this new job on. Only 4 days in, but it’s been a slow week.

I can just tell that everything is a little rough around the edges and they perhaps over egged the role, I took it mainly because I thought I needed change, the job title and salary is progress and I can definitely help improve things.

They promised me a new MacBook, I turn up to find they haven’t got me anything except a 10 year old laptop (no joke), I later find there’s nowhere near enough budget available to get me what I need... which makes me concerned whether they can afford me. I’ve basically stretched work out this week as there doesn’t seem to be enough to do, I’m sure that will pick up though... fingers crossed!

GurtTractor

Ta very much. It's for a CCTV company, helping people set stuff up and troubleshoot etc. Was just wondering if there was anybody who has done that who might have some handy specific tips I could use.

Tempy

Haha this PGDE shit gets even better. Apparently I am supposed to have submitted a PVG. Today is the first day I have known about this, we've had no emails, no messages, no information about this, the first time I've fucking heard about the damn thing since starting the PGDE is *today*

Now I have to meet up with someone on the course about it on Tuesday morning. Except I am fucking working Tuesday morning. Guess how long it takes for a PVG to be processed? FOURTEEN FUCKING DAYS.

What in the actual fuck is wrong with this course?

Edit it turns out I was emailed about this two weeks before the course started, and I was mailed information about it. To the flat I had to put as my term time address. Which I haven't moved into yet BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND THE FUCKING TIME TO FUCKING MOVE

DESPITE NOT FUCKING RECEIVING THIS, THEY LEFT IT UNTIL TODAY TO FUCKING TELL ME, WHEN IT'S TOO FUCKING LATE TO FUCKING PROCESS

RedDave2

I'm getting a mild sense of anger from you Tempy.

Tempy

Just a little stressed. I don't understand why they'd not send the PVG as high priority, and why after their own internal deadline of the 24th of August they wouldn't flag it up to me until it's too late. this could effectively see me booted off the course so I'm just done with it right now. Gonna see what I can do to fix it, but it seems like it's fucked.

Diluted Dante

GurtTractor wrote:

Ta very much. It's for a CCTV company, helping people set stuff up and troubleshoot etc. Was just wondering if there was anybody who has done that who might have some handy specific tips I could use.

Have you done any tech support before? I've done mobiles, tablets, computers and now TV's and its all pretty much the same.

You need to be able to give clear concise instructions to people who can often have a zero level of knowledge. This ability is way more useful than the technical knowledge. You'll have the manuals and Google at your disposal. Translating jargon is a great skill to have.

GurtTractor

Thanks. Yeah I haven't done it as a job yet, just the usual helping friends/family out with stuff. I think I understand many of the problems with explaining stuff, so I could probably do it reasonably well. We'll see anyway.

Stopharage

PVG is like a criminal check, right? I'd be kicking off with your course leader if that's the case.

RedDave2

Just be like this lovable chappy

https://youtu.be/2Z8pgV74_Hw

Tempy

Stopharage wrote:

PVG is like a criminal check, right? I'd be kicking off with your course leader if that's the case.

It’s basically a document used to screen people before the work with vulnerable groups such as children. I obviously before I can go on any placement. Can’t really blame anyone but myself for missing the initial email on the 14th of August, but I find it incredible there has been no attempt made to check why I hadn’t attended one of the sessions to hand it and have it countersigned that ended on the 24th of August. There were no sessions after, so what did they think was happening? I’m sure something will occur but right now I just don’t understand why these processes that are so important are so incredibly poorly telegraphed and communicated. One email about something that is 100% rewquired for the course with zero
follow up is just not really great.

tigersgogrrr

Surely they can just ensure you are accompanied until the paperwork comes through? Sorry to hear, T. Very stressful.

I'm just delighted that I don't teach on Fridays anymore woooo.

Stopharage

I'm the only fucker that teaches last lesson Friday so all the colleagues who I share my block with spend the lesson walking past, grinning and generally trying to gloat.

Tempy, I'm sure they'll be able to rectify prior to placement. Worst comes to the worst, I'd let a trainee do lesson planning for a week until they could be in classes.

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