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Not sure how much longer I can take this job! My network manager is so incapable, she hasn’t got a clue how to run a server, setup a computer, fix anything and the list goes on. She is not even able to budget properly and buy suitable IT resources for the school.

Previous years budgets have been wasted on things like a Dell XPS, 2 MacBooks and ipads that she uses for personal use but tells management she needs them for work.

She landed the job as she was a receptionist and knew how to use WordPress, so they wanted her to stay, increased her wage massively and call he Network Manager, this was obviously before i got here as a Technician.

Now i know what some of you will say and that’s “Why don’t you just change jobs?” Well unfortunatly its not that easy for me as I have managed to get it work around my daughter and nursery including getting school holidays off to look after her, so not quite as easy as you may think.

The only way this IT dept is running is due to Technicians and engineers (before myself they paid an outside company to help her do the technical things like image a desktop, configure/setup servers etc).

Now I would love to take the position she has as I would not need another tech as we are such a small school that two persons are not required, I could make use of the budget and use it the way these kids/staff need it.

All i need to do is wait it out as she is nearing retirement age but does not necessarily mean she will retire on time as this job for her is more a social thing than work.

I would not even say I am ready to be a Network Manager due to only 8 years experience in IT support but alongside her I look like I am a God!

I have managed to get a pay rise and title of Level 2 Tech because I said I am not doing most of her work for my rubbish pay which is something but nothing compared to someone who sits around looking for expensive things to buy all day.

Has anyone else experienced an incapable technical manager you wanted out of the way?

Phew… Rant over!

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Thanks haha will be visiting that thread a lot!

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“She landed the job as she was a receptionist and knew how to use WordPress…”

Dear God! You have my deepest sympathies.

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Yep, obviously it is the schools fault for not making an informed choice and not doing any interviews etc. Seeing as there was no other IT people onsite they took her but carried on paying a outside company to do technical things.

Technically this school should be able to run with one person and no outside help, I mean we only have ONE server for crying out loud lol.

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Can relate - I left but didnt have the restrictions you name so…

But unless her abilities are noticed not sure what can be done. :frowning:

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Our of curiosity, what’s the structure of the school? LEA run, academy trust, private?

I presume the head teacher has ultimate responsibility; would they be responsive to an approach? Can you demonstrate that you’re doing the vast majority of the network management role and therefore deserve the corresponding salary?

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I’ve seen more than one school district do this stuff.

Bump someone up for the last 2 or 3 years before they retire and their retirement is raised as well.

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Hiya, It is LEA ran and employment is ran via governors included but head teacher can sway them her way quite easily.

Unfortunatly the head teacher is very good friends with my manager in which have struggled to say much, my manager has taken paid leave afternoon to take head teacher grocery shopping and opticians before! And I have been denied unpaid leave to look after my daughter.

I can easily prove I perform the vast majority, just do not see who I can turn to.

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Not that you want to be “that” person but is there someone that you can talk to about her? Maybe the person she reports to isn’t aware that she doesn’t have the necessary skills required to accurately do the job or that she is costing the school more than they should be paying for equipment and labor costs. I’ve been in situations before where my supervisor or manager didn’t know how to do their job and it makes life hard for the people under them. I certainly understand how you feel.

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Ah yes, the 'ol promote to incompetence gambit … works great if you’re on the right end. Not so great on the wrong end.

I feel for you, but don’t really have any words of wisdom beyond possibly documenting what you do versus what she does and getting it to the proper level of management.

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Thanks for all the comments, my list would probably shock you more and more when I say the deputy head is in fact also good friends with her as all three of them have been known to go on holiday together.

Hard one unfortunatly and generally the answer would be get out of there asap lol.

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sorry, but that’s just it… only think to do is to get out or stay and swallow it.

and don’t even wait for her to retire to take her place, as they’ll probably put someone else in her position as well…

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Sounds like mates rates
Suck it up or walk away

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Well from what I understand, a manager doesn’t need to be hands on. He/she should be able to delegate tasks to the techies that will do the job. Think of undercover boss or whatever that show is called. Now i’m A techie and have been for 15 years so I understand your frustration. My company was taking care of the IT for a large client. The board of director decided that they wanted better governance over IT and hired an IT manager who just basically lied and sucked up his way to this position. None of the previous companies including my customer ever verified the manager CV. He would also changes jobs every 2 years because of his incompetencies would become apparent however he would apply for a higher paying job and boast his accomplishments and taking credit to successfully accomplishing all the tasks himself. HR were saying no one would be stupid enough to apply for a technical job and not have the skills for it. We would ask him about things and his answer was let me consult with my buddies which were a couple of guys that were loyal to him. He was good at going to all the business lunch meetings though!

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I’m still in school, and she’s worse than me…

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Dont even get me started on incapable people. Our MSP is very incapable.

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School districts are terrible. Staff is often highly tenured, incompetent, and they run things into a ground until the board is forced to outsource everybody.

I did gig for a local district that was highly affluent and their head admin was promoted from a bus driver position. She was arrogant, loud, and totally incompetent. The district would pass bonds spending hundreds of thousands on IT infrastructure only to have it sit idle because the staff didn’t understand it.

Sounds like par for the course.

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LoneTuber, I feel your pain. I would suggest you look for another job. Look on the bright side. You have a job and you are needed since you do most of the work. There are many good jobs out there and you have the time to find the right one. It does not hurt to interview and you might be surprised as to what you might be able to get. Many companies will work with you about your child if it is a good place to work.

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That feeling when the IT Crowd becomes reality.