Australia's Science Forum

Just curious what everyone does over the holidays?!?!?! I only started this job part-way through this term (2nd for Tassie!) and am just starting to come up with a list of things to do for the 1 week of the hols I am required to work.... it's not very long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How bout y'all........................???????????????????????????

Hi Nicole,

Welcome to lab teching. I usually restock the lab cupboards with glassware, equipment etc. There is always lots of cleaning if I feel like it, or repairs to equipment. Tidying storerooms and restocking them fill in the time well, as does cleaning microscopes. You'll find the time flies. It always does when you're enjoying yourself! The best thing about it, of course, is that there are no teachers or students to interrupt. Have fun. Steph

I am in 2 minds about you asking what to do over the holidays:
1) It's great to be able to get in and work without interruption from teachers & kids and clean all the labs and storerooms BUT
2) I certainly wouldn't like to be working in the holidays! I work in NSW public school and we have all the school holidays off. Occasionally I have come in for a day or 2 to do big reorganisation jobs - but I don't have to.

How many weeks holidays do you get?

I usually return to school for part of the holidays, I continue to build my resources and prepare the laboratories like everyone else, (as there is no one present which makes things speedy). I also check suppliers to acquire an ETA on deliveries of chemicals or other equipment to try to meet with the courier.

It is easy for myself to come in frequent as I live approx 10 mins from the school and I usually have my young family come along and play in the courtyard with mum, while the serious things happen in the lab!

It gives an opportunity to make a presence at school to check to make sure that there has been no break-ins or vandalism.

Apart from that I usually collate a lot of resources to ready for the next term and to the transition into the new term more organised.

Robb....

I, too am new to this job this year and am required to work for 1 week in each holidays. These hols, just gone I have restocked all the labs, replentished the stock solutions of acids, etc, had a play with some of the equipment that I am not very familiar with, sorted out a lot of text books for issue at the beginning of term, and have been doing a stock take of all the equipment in the store room,done a bit of a general tidy up, and gererally had a bit of low pressure fun!. After that, there is a stock take of the Chem store to do!
I love the job because it gives me 8 weeks off in a year, and that makes more time to spend with my young family. In my last job, I was lucky to get 4 weeks, and often only 2 or 3! To compensate for the additional time off, though, I only get 48/52ths of the award salary, but I think that situation is covered under the award as "Stand down time"
Purely out of interest what is considered "Normal" in this job as far as working time/holidays is concerned?
regards,
Ian

Here in WA we are required to work a 42 week year, this means that we come back a week before the students and finish approx. a week after them in term 4. It's great, just enough time without them to get stuff done. But still have all the mid term holidays off.

Well I managed to fill the 1 week of term hols fairly easily as I had to work on budget stuff for next year! So I guess I have already done my stock take! And it was nice to have some music on while I flitted about!

This is a year 11/12 school so the kids finish in a couple of weeks! So I have 6 weeks with no kids but still with staff supposed to round somewhere!

For me here at this school I work 1 week each of the term holidays and then until the teachers finish mid Dec and start a week before the staff in 1st term. But I'm not sure if that's the case at all schools here in Tassie.

I'm just recently graduated from BBiotech at UTas so this job is kinda an inbetweener while my son is still too little to catch the bus home after school. I do feel a little as if I am wasting my degree being here when standing at the sink washing more test tubes, or putting up a classroom full of chairs or scrubbing desks to remove graffiti!... (I certainly mean no offence to intended to anyone at all! ) But I love the people and the fact that I get paid even when there is very little to do!!!!

I work in the NT and have 12 weeks off a year. I am what they refer to as a 92% position so i take a pay cut but it is spread out over the year. we get a month off in july and only a week each mid semester and 6 weeks at christmas. The govt is phasing this arrangement out so I am probably the last of the 92%ers. I have a post graduate degree but do not weigh the job or myself against it. I have worked in science positions before which were not as rewarding as this work or as holiday friendly as this job. Lots of repetitive work and report writing and all on contract. When it is quiet here i just set up my own science project of my own interest and involve the students in it at some stage, eg salt water tank, green house, weather station and currently a local native plant catalogue
kathy

I work in the Canberra Goulburn Archdiocese Catholic System. I only work in term time and I get all the holidays teachers get. My pay is "averaged" (ie a bit lower) so that I get paid all year round. My award also allows for school staff who work 48 weeks a year and under that arrangement pay is not averaged.

Here I only work the terms.
It would be benifical to work some of the holidays because pracs are done up untill the end of term and it is sometimes a bit tricky leaving the place in a tidy state.

Holidays???
I work 5 weeks out of term time, term is only 38 week, 37 this year due to EQ being 41 weeks. The week before school is preperation of student folders and timetable stuff, eg sorting out room issues, eg physics in biology room when biology is in physic room. Between terms I clean desks and alternate between stocktake, resource management, ro-organising / hunting down equipment and stuff I either need room to spread out to do (sort and tidy electronic equipement AGAIN) or need to be in the classroom as our laboratories are 100% full. End ofthe year I again clean and shut the labs down for the 8 week holidays.
I only get paid for the weeks I work, no work, no pay and I am treated as casual during 'holiday' weeks but paied my usual rate.
I do get extra work during the Dec/Jan holidays if I ask and Maintance or IT need an extra hand.
The best thing about holiday work is that you can get work done without interruptions and you can play music and not have to rush to finish due to timetable issues.

Hi,
I am working in the Wollongong Diocese (Catholic school system).
I have 4 weeks holidays at Christmas. There is always plenty to do.... repairs, stocktakes, filing, budgets, purchases, sorting reference materials, textbooks, and the never ending cleaning and tidying. The upside is I now have an income every fortnight and four weeks straight with my children whilst they are on holidays.

Hi All,

It look like I will be returning during the holidays, I need to catch up with my paper work I have not seen the surface of my desk since the beginning of the term.

Cheers,

Robb.....

Hi everyone

Gee I cant believe that some people are so busy. I find myself having hours sometimes days of free time so I go and help the ladies in the office.

Maybe our 8 science teachers are not doing enough practical work. My prep rooms are always neat and tidy, stocktake done, repairs done,etc. I dont know what else to do especially the 2 -3 weeks leading up to holidays hardly any pracs at all.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so what do you do to keep busy when everything is done.