Planetarion Forums

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 16:46

As the uni placement assesor person decided that a) my work is **** [it is], and not relevant to my degree [it aint]
b) i am being treated badly, and the company may well be breaking the law [by not allowing us breaks > 15 mins]

So as soon as the uni's cleared it i have to give 2 weeks notice.

So anyway, anyone got a new job for me ?

but also

:/

Dave · 24 Jan 2003, 17:26

So er...your uni tells you where you can and cant work?

Snurx · 24 Jan 2003, 17:28

You could flop burgers at burger king?

MrL_JaKiri · 24 Jan 2003, 17:29

Quote:

Originally posted by Dave
So er...your uni tells you where you can and cant work?

We can't work anywhere.

I extend this to its logical conclusion, and don't go to lectures.

Ap0k · 24 Jan 2003, 17:32

Quote:

Originally posted by Snurx
You could flop burgers at burger king?

i understand that basic martial arts is now part of the training...

menth0l · 24 Jan 2003, 17:33

I have to work to support myself through uni.

:C

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 19:58

more specifically, in my placement year which i must do to get a degree, my uni tells me where i can and cant work :/

Vanilla · 24 Jan 2003, 20:07

Can you clarify the first post please. i'd like to know, but in more detail - what course you're on, what job you got, how they are treating you badly etc,just explain a bit more.

Aryn · 24 Jan 2003, 20:16

aww nb3.. that sucks

but then again.. great that your uni noticed what's going on. hopefully tehy'll find you a better job

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 20:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Vanilla
Can you clarify the first post please. i'd like to know, but in more detail - what course you're on, what job you got, how they are treating you badly etc,just explain a bit more.

certainly Mr Vanilla,

I am doing a BEng Software Engineering (Software design/analysis/planning etc) at Staffordshire university, the 3rd year of which should be a paid year in industry.

After 10 (:s) interviews, i took the one job i got offered, which was Tech/Customer support for an ISP in Sheffield. This job was going great until about 2 weeks ago.

See, our department was/is horribly understaffed. So when there were 5 service problems (FTP broke, dialin numbers broke, fax2email service broke etc) all the in same week, we had 5-6 times the usuall number of calls/enquiries to deal with.

As a result call answered % shot down to 33% or so.
Directors are money grabbing twats whom are getting shares when the company is floated in april, so they want nice statistics to put the share price up with.

Hence, they made the entire department (under threat of dismisall), sign a document stating that on your shift you would

take 90 calls/enquries (easy target)
be logged in for 8hrs (its a 9hrs shift, so duh...)
no calls are to be greater than 180 seconds (This one is just silly, you try a sales call, or an ADSL fault call in 3 mins fs)

Which was bloody annoying, but i wanted to keep my job so i signed it. Since then they've also said

we arent allowed to talk. at all. except to customers/team leaders.
we arent allowed to move from our seats without damn good reason
anyone wanting to talk to us must clear it with our team leader first
no breaks are to be longer than 15 mins, including dinner breaks (this may be illegal, im not too sure)

Anyway, twice a year the uni sends someone to check on your placement, to make sure you arent being abused etc.
The guy turned up, and was dumped in a room and ignored by the managers etc till we could take 15 mins to see him, which hardly created a good impression.

So, i saw him eventually, and basically told him all of the above etc. He also spoke to 2 other guys working here from our uni.

As a result of that, the university does not consider my placement to be either
a) relevant to my degree (which i could get away with was it an ok job)
or
b) be very good working conditions.

As a result, they want me to quit as they dont want me be used as cheap manual labour all year.

Dante Hicks · 24 Jan 2003, 21:14

I know a fair few people who used to be, or are still doing computing at Staffordshire. And none of them could find decent work placements either.

Knight Theamion · 24 Jan 2003, 21:15

isnt kev 'game' wintle doing that there ?

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 21:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Knight Theamion
isnt kev 'game' wintle doing that there ?

he seriously better fking not be :/

poshphil · 24 Jan 2003, 21:28

so which bit of staffordshire uni are you at. the one in stoke or stafford?

Ap0k · 24 Jan 2003, 21:30

...

and there was meh thinkin it was just lil old meh in staffs... :eek:

poshphil · 24 Jan 2003, 21:32

Quote:

Originally posted by Ap0k
...

and there was meh thinkin it was just lil old meh in staffs... :eek:

same question to you then

Ap0k · 24 Jan 2003, 21:34

stoke campus

poshphil · 24 Jan 2003, 21:36

Quote:

Originally posted by Ap0k
stoke campus

he he, you seen the brand new student accomodation on the way into hanley? I shall be living there next year.

Although i go to the proper uni in stoke

Ap0k · 24 Jan 2003, 21:38

not yet.

i dont get out much.

and whats the difference between 'the proper uni' and the one im at? (i didnt even know there 'were' 2....)(which there probably isnt, and i have just grossly misinterpreted ur post...)

poshphil · 24 Jan 2003, 21:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Ap0k
not yet.

i dont get out much.

and whats the difference between 'the proper uni' and the one im at? (i didnt even know there 'were' 2....)(which there probably isnt, and i have just grossly misinterpreted ur post...)

keele would be the proper uni.

Youve been there 3 months and you dont know anything about anything????

Ap0k · 24 Jan 2003, 21:43

why on gods earth would i would to 'know something' ?

(im rarely in stoke, any of the times ive gone walkies ive ended up in hanley. and even at that, im not that interested in looking around :\ theres nothing much here that i havent seen/done at home)

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 21:47

heh.
im actually in stafford when im at uni, and its ****.
stoke campus is sposedly good though..

Vanilla · 24 Jan 2003, 22:41

Gotta say I agree with the uni's decision.

That place did not sound like fun and it's a good thing the uni guy saw that, otherwise you'd have probably stayed there under fear of not fufilling your whole year in order to get a sandwich degree.

Now the uni will let you go off and find another job and this time-out period wont go against you statutiory 48 weeks in employment to complete the year.

At least you walked away with a lot of netowrk and dial up experience!

got any stories about irate, crazy or stupid customers for us?

NEWSBOT3 · 24 Jan 2003, 23:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Vanilla
Gotta say I agree with the uni's decision.

That place did not sound like fun and it's a good thing the uni guy saw that, otherwise you'd have probably stayed there under fear of not fufilling your whole year in order to get a sandwich degree.

Now the uni will let you go off and find another job and this time-out period wont go against you statutiory 48 weeks in employment to complete the year.

At least you walked away with a lot of netowrk and dial up experience!

got any stories about irate, crazy or stupid customers for us?

yeah, in some ways im glad to leave as the conditions are ****, its just finding a new job seems to be a bit tricky...

heh, theres millions of customer ones every day.. i spent 30 mins with a guy trying to work out why he couldnt talk to his ADSL router... he didnt have it plugged in...

the funniest thing is the management really.
like they issued us all with mugs. c'ept we arent allowed to use the kitchen as its only for the drinks machine, so you have to take it to the toilet to clean it or wait 5hrs for the dishwasher to run...

Helveticus · 24 Jan 2003, 23:51

Quote:

Originally posted by Ap0k
why on gods earth would i would to 'know something' ?

(im rarely in stoke, any of the times ive gone walkies ive ended up in hanley. and even at that, im not that interested in looking around :\

You're not missing anything. at all.

Woof · 24 Jan 2003, 23:52

I cant see how you can put a time limit on support calls.
I bet 95% of calls are from fcuk wits who know nothing about PCs except what the guy at PC World told them when he sold it.

Besides tech support calls tend to be £1 a minute numbers, so i thought they'd try and string the calls out a bit.

NEWSBOT3 · 25 Jan 2003, 13:16

Quote:

Originally posted by Woof
I cant see how you can put a time limit on support calls.
I bet 95% of calls are from fcuk wits who know nothing about PCs except what the guy at PC World told them when he sold it.

Besides tech support calls tend to be £1 a minute numbers, so i thought they'd try and string the calls out a bit.

me either, i have yet to have an average under 3 mins

and its a local rate too, so they're making bugger all from the calls. :\ :/

Not_RIT · 25 Jan 2003, 13:38

The stafford PA players should meet up some time

Im doing a computing course at Stafford College atm

Then Im thinking of doing a software engineering course at stafford uni or durham uni.

NEWSBOT3 · 25 Jan 2003, 13:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Not_RIT
The stafford PA players should meet up some time

Im doing a computing course at Stafford College atm

Then Im thinking of doing a software engineering course at stafford uni or durham uni.

you should know durham is the better place
(soft eng at stafford aint great at all. unless you wanna learn it all yourself)

How many others we got in stafford ?

Not_RIT · 25 Jan 2003, 13:49

Quote:

Originally posted by NEWSBOT3
you should know durham is the better place
(soft eng at stafford aint great at all. unless you wanna learn it all yourself)

How many others we got in stafford ?

Yeh I know Durham is the place to go, need a Distinction in my BTEC course (thats equiv to 3A's at A lvl) and then take some tests when I go for my interview. Luckily for me I interview well and going for the BTEC instead of the prefered A lvl route means I can pretty much take the first year of Soft Engineering easy.

Glass/Cheery up in Stoke way, CrimsonBurn/MrDevils/me in stafford.

Most of us hang out in #mistress