Instructor / Technician @ Sparsholt College

[Mark T]

so if someone has went to college for 1 year then done 1 year with a tree surgery company, and they had a good attitude then they could get the job?

 

I can't say for sure mate... I don't do the hiring!

[John Hancock]

I know what you mean but previous Instructor / Technicians have gone on to some really good things. Other benefits outweigh the low salary for most guys.

 

 

Other benefits?

 

Is there free accommodation with the post?

 

If you hold a level 3/ AATech Cert you can earn a whole lot more that that. If your after job satisfaction, work for the L/A and take an apprentice on.

 

If you paid a reasonable wage your staff turnover would reduce and your guys wouldn’t have to go on to ‘really good things’.

[Mark T]

Other benefits?

 

Is there free accommodation with the post?

 

If you hold a level 3/ AATech Cert you can earn a whole lot more that that. If your after job satisfaction, work for the L/A and take an apprentice on.

 

If you paid a reasonable wage your staff turnover would reduce and your guys wouldn’t have to go on to ‘really good things’.

 

I'm sure everyone would like more money... tell our HR department... no wait, the Learning Skills Council... no wait, tell Gorden Brown. As you work for a LA you must be aware of how policies / funding levels etc are set at a national level. If we could change things here I'm sure we would! All you've got to do is read the papers these days to see that 'efficiencies' are being looked for across the civil service.

 

I appreciate the sentiment guys and totally see where you're coming from. The fact of the matter is that if we wanted to pay staff more (in the education sector) then courses would have to be charged to the student at a higher rate. It's all relative.

 

The benefits I mentioned include becoming an NPTC assessor / LOLER inspector where you can earn £200 a day. Do a couple of days a month and things start to look a little different.

[Steve Bullman]

so if someone has went to college for 1 year then done 1 year with a tree surgery company, and they had a good attitude then they could get the job?

 

haha stevie.....ive heard cases of people finishing their course and staying on to instruct.....under those circumstances i think the wage is fine.

 

its really quite simple, if you are capable enough to go and earn better money elsewhere they you will...if you're not, then i would say this was a tempting and lets face it, very comfortable position to take.

[gensetsteve]

After my mortgage and rates that would leave me £528 a year. Its not april 1st is it. Do you think instructors would come and cut up logs for me on a saturday. Thinking about it I would not have £528 left as you would have to pay tax. Thinking about it again if you took this position and had kids you would get tax credits as your not supposed to earn less than 24k with family under a labour government.

[treefrog]

With regards to the original post I don t think Gimmer was asking for opinions on the job it was purely an advertisement. Yes he has put it on a forum and people are free to have your opinions but on a forum like this with some highly skilled and experianced people on it I would have thought better of them. Colleges are restricted due to government and do not follow industry trends with regards to the pay. It s an excellent job for the right person who if they fit in well can progress very quickly and up their salary. Colleges could do with support from the industry not criticism like what has been mentioned.

I was in this position for four years(full time and part time) and had 3 years experiance before. It really is a great position and you really access what you do yourself in the work place. You come across lots of great students and alot of bad but when you see them progress and succeed it is a great feeling. Yes I did not have a great amount of experiance to get into the job but I dont think you really need it as you are there to teach the basics and to get results. The criteria was fresh in my mind from being a student so I could then pass on this to the students. I don t know it all who does but I had some amazing results of which I am very proud of.

So arb talkers if you are looking for a new challenge and think teaching is for you all i say is ignore the negitive comments send in a appliction form and give it a go. Like any job it has it s highs and lows(pay is one of the lows) but the rewards can be great. There is a possibilty of living on site in one of the houses and I believe those with family go to the top of that list.

Good luck the those who could be really interested and hopefully not put off by the negitive comments of some.

[Stephen Blair]

my concern isnt the wage or how comfortable this cushy wee job would be, its the fact that someone who has so little experience is allowed to teach. and the fact that colleges are disillusioning folk that this is a glamerous industry and so easy to walk into is a joke, you guys have a responsibility, dont turn around and make out we are so negative and critical, you are only after numbers to keep yourself in a job. its us that have to deal with these kids when they leave your place with their stein hat and first aid kit looking for a tenner an hour and half of then you wouldnt trust with a rake. you guys are used to talking to kids with a dream, is it fair to let someone who will never be able to do our job, build up there hopes and dreams of doing it. i know lads that have chucked good jobs to go to college, get into debt and leave with only bits of paper then join the dole queue, if you want i will start another thread about it, i wouldnt be the first. you have stuck your toe in the water of the real world on here and you dont like it.

[treefrog]

Don t worry mate anyone those who know me knows that I tell them how it is. I been in trouble with powers above for it. I gave up teaching in august to concentrate on my own business. I know what you are saying but the fact of the matter is its not the college staff so dont have ago directly at them but if Industry and education can work together rather than against in the long run surely this is better for both.

[Mark T]

my concern isnt the wage or how comfortable this cushy wee job would be, its the fact that someone who has so little experience is allowed to teach. and the fact that colleges are disillusioning folk that this is a glamerous industry and so easy to walk into is a joke, you guys have a responsibility, dont turn around and make out we are so negative and critical, you are only after numbers to keep yourself in a job. its us that have to deal with these kids when they leave your place with their stein hat and first aid kit looking for a tenner an hour and half of then you wouldnt trust with a rake. you guys are used to talking to kids with a dream, is it fair to let someone who will never be able to do our job, build up there hopes and dreams of doing it. i know lads that have chucked good jobs to go to college, get into debt and leave with only bits of paper then join the dole queue, if you want i will start another thread about it, i wouldnt be the first. you have stuck your toe in the water of the real world on here and you dont like it.

 

So how many students from our college have you had? It's important to realise that not all college's are the same.

 

You have some valid points Steve, I share many of your views but we do as much as we can to meet our responsibility. We involve industry as much as we can, all of our worksites are real work sites, in a dept of 8 full time guys we have over 140 years of experience, the vast majority of students go out into industrial posts and their employers are satisfied and supportive of what we do - infact we frequently get employers of past students banging our door down for more of the same! What better reference from industry can you have?

 

I consider our approach to training as being as industrially relevant as possible - none of my learners leave as you describe them, and if they did I'd feel sure that I could rely on local industry to 'put them straight' immediately! When they leave I always make it clear that they are not going to walk right into a top job and that sweat and hard work are essential... all respect has to be earned and bad attitudes are not tolerated.

[Moley]

I was interested to find out that the college has recruited another instructor/technician that only graduated this summer. Although I don't doubt his ability, surely more experience is needed for this full time position, or is the college getting desperate and taking on more students than it and the industry can cope with or needs. My experiences at the college revealed an unofficial policy of quantity over quality. This isnt a reflection on you or Jonny but rather the upper management who seem to be growing the establishment beyond it limits. Rant over.