Reply to: First line support - contracting opportunities

[petergriffin]

You calling BP a liar, eh? Go on, Brillo, you can 'ave 'I'm

I'm not calling him a liar, maybe he thinks he is on 1st line but he isn't.

[TheFaQQer]

No chance you can be on 1st Line and 35k

You calling BP a liar, eh? Go on, Brillo, you can 'ave 'I'm

[petergriffin]

No chance you can be on 1st Line and 35k. Well, at one point I myself was on 25k (permie) and my job specification said 1st line support, but that was because we had root access on all remote servers and no 2nd line support. In other words we were 1st, 2nd and 3rd line at once.

I can't believe the 1st line support jobs advertised in the West Midlands or the North for 40k can be other than a fishing trip. I am not sure about the City but I have my doubts. Then, you know, I am not officially in IT any more so I might well talk b*llocks.

[eek]

check this out https://www.jobserve.com/gb/en/searc...15617FAF6EA1C/

I was surprised when i saw it ... Nice looking rate for 1st line support - (I wonder if its an actual role.)

Investment bank so yes as danger money is required and included in that rate.

[rurffy]

check this out https://www.jobserve.com/gb/en/searc...15617FAF6EA1C/

I was surprised when i saw it ... Nice looking rate for 1st line support - (I wonder if its an actual role.)

[eek]

Yes, you're right - I was coming at it from the point of a dying trade. If it's not dying (as BP said, you still need people to actually replace the things), then just be super good at it. There is always work out there for those good at what they do.

The problem is that first line support is also poorly paid because managers don't care about it.

Career progression in support is tier 1 -> tier 2 -> tier 3. While we could all argue that it shouldn't be because it is my concern would be that the money isn't there..

[gingerjedi]

As someone doing 1st line support I am permie and earn way way more than that.

But as someone said, its putting up with stupid annoying users that is an issue. Stress is suppressing the desire to beat the sh1t out of some c**t who desperately deserves it.

Ok I take your point, but 1st line at an investment bank isn't typical.

[cojak]

First Line support is the IT service. All the super-important techies with the propellers on their hats and the layers of pseudo managers doing the Scrum thing routinely forget what it is they are there to do - deliver the service to the users.

The poor sod on the end of the phone trying to sort out your rubbish implementation is the face of IT. The rest of us would do well to remember that.

Yes, you're right - I was coming at it from the point of a dying trade. If it's not dying (as BP said, you still need people to actually replace the things), then just be super good at it. There is always work out there for those good at what they do.

[malvolio]

First Line support is the IT service. All the super-important techies with the propellers on their hats and the layers of pseudo managers doing the Scrum thing routinely forget what it is they are there to do - deliver the service to the users.

The poor sod on the end of the phone trying to sort out your rubbish implementation is the face of IT. The rest of us would do well to remember that.

[BrilloPad]

I see loads of 1st line gigs advertised, I don't understand the poster who said it isn't worthwhile contracting as some of the rates could net 35k pa with a good run, no perm role will pay anywhere near that.

As someone doing 1st line support I am permie and earn way way more than that.

But as someone said, its putting up with stupid annoying users that is an issue. Stress is suppressing the desire to beat the sh1t out of some c**t who desperately deserves it.

[gingerjedi]

Coming from someone who now does network/security design and implementation but started doing 1st line. 1st line is easily the hardest job in IT.

Totally agree, the service desk staff at my client keep leaving which means we had a stint of 'helping out', I had to bail out of one call because I just couldn't understand what the user was saying, after asking for their name 3 times and asking them to spell it out I still couldn't understand the gog accent. Talking to HP in India is a doddle by comparison.

I see loads of 1st line gigs advertised, I don't understand the poster who said it isn't worthwhile contracting as some of the rates could net 35k pa with a good run, no perm role will pay anywhere near that.

As others have said get into the technical end of roll-outs, refreshes and migrations to up your skills and experience, you really want to get away from 1st line asap.

Saying all that, I find the 'lines' are crossing over depending on where you end up. 3rd line support roles where you are expected to take service desk calls isn't uncommon at a client with a small user base.

[Support Monkey]

Don't listen to this lot, if your good at what you do why change if you don't want to, we all want to be on £500 a day but it's not going to happen for everyone especially if you can't be arsed with upskilling, there always seems to be contracts around for 1st line, yes some pay poor money but if you can afford to pick and choose there is no reason why you could not make a reasonable living, (as long as your not driving a ferrari and living in chelsea), you need to be looking for a technical support desk rather than call center because anyone can answer a phone but not everyone can handle a call, that's the difference

I did 2 years help desk, and i liked it, stick your headset on have a chat with all the totty find out all the gossip, pass the technical stuff up the line, easy life,

[socialworker]

Speaking as someone on the other end of support, good quality support is a key service in enabling people to get on with their jobs. When the council I used to work for outsourced its IT , the service gradually deteriorated and when I went back as a contract worker recently the IT support was rubbish.

[petergriffin]

but everyone started from somewhere .. I guess you also did..

In my case my official career ended there. There's no progression from 1st line tech support.

Not that I'm not doing IT now, just it's not in my job description.

[rurffy]

Coming from someone who now does network/security design and implementation but started doing 1st line. 1st line is easily the hardest job in IT.

Main problem is dealing with stupid, illiterate and annoying users.