How much should I be getting paid?!?!

tk123

Can somebody tell me - what is the difference between 1st and 2nd level Tech Support??! At the moment I'm getting 23k but I'm not sure if I'm 1st/2nd I level...I work on a Helpdesk in a call centre supporting abt 1000 users - i've been here 2 years.. We get the usual helpdesky type calls like password resets, desktop support, printer probs(i service most of them), patching network/phone ports. As well as this i'm in charge of making all the ghost/RIS images and I do all the rollouts and I usually fix the management's laptops/PDAs etc... There are 3 of us at the min but I do the most Helpdesk work and I'm treated like the senior helpdesk person. I want to ask my boss for more money but I'm not sure what I should ask for - can somebody in Helpdesk land give me an idea pls!?

penexpers

23k for 2 years experience helpdesk sounds about right. Most of the helpdesk jobs I went for back in the summer were starting off in or around 20k

garthv

well ive just started a new job doin level one tech support,ive only about 3 months experience and im getting 22k

tk123

Whats the difference between level 1 and level 2 thou....!?

penexpers

Usually level 1 is the front line tech support. Level 2 is when level 1 support can't solve the problem so it gets "escalated" to level 2. Some places mightn't even have level 2.

tk123

Well I reckon I'm level 2 so i'll ask for that kind of wage bracket. At the moment the 3 of us are on 21, 23 and 27. I do most of the work so I reckon I should be on at least 27k too. The two of us who are the lowest paid are running the helpdesk and yer man who's on 27k doesn't know what he's doing most of the time - he has a bad reputation in the company for the being the person who usually breaks more stuff than he fixes!!

WhiteWashMan

it all depends on the company you work for, the level of work you do, what each company classifies as 'level 1' or 'level 2', or if they even have a level 2.

the general levels are
level 1 = helpdesk
level 2 = desktop support
level 3 = desktop specialist

and then you go onto engineering stuff. personally, from your despcription, i would peg you as level 1. maybe its time you sorted yourself out with a promotion?

tk123

See I was kind of unofficially promoted a few months ago - I reckon it's time to make it official and the wage should reflect my hopefully new and improved position!! Now if the boss says no - should I hang on here another year so i'll have more expericance when I apply for another job?!

WhiteWashMan

well, what do you think you should do?

seamus

What's your education background? €23k sounds about right if you have a Cert or something, but if you've a degree, with two year's experience, it may be a *little* low - perhaps €25k is a little more like it.
Even though, it's a relatively generous salary is this climate. There are many people in simlar positions working for around €20k.

Have you gotten any pay raises apart from the standard ones in your two years? Your best bet is to have a proper meeting with your boss. Don't just walk into his office, and start off on your speil. Ask him for a proper meeting to discuss your position on the Helpdesk, so then you can both sit down and properly flesh out the details.
If you walk into his office, you could catch him off guard, and his response could catch you off guard.
At least if you've sat down and set some time aside, you can actually discuss his answer. "No" is not a final answer. A good boss will qualify it to you. I don't think that refusal of a pay raise is a good cause to go look for work elsewhere, at least not immediately. Your boss will be very aware that you may piss off should he refuse the pay rise, and if you do, it can sour things. Assuming that this is your main work experience, you don't want to do that

I'm in a similar position myself. Boss promised me a pay raise "soon enough", but didn't want to give it to me because I was still in my probationary period. Heard nothing since, but I'm happy enough to wait until my first year is up before properly discussing it with him. I'm doing Helpdesk/Webmaster/Trainer, so I don't think he could refuse me!

jhegarty

usually someone in second level won't be taking calls from a customer who hasn't been through 1st level first..

tk123

ok my boss is on site today - i'm trying to pic my moment to approach him and ask if we can have a chat... I hope he agrees that i'm brilliant and gives me a promotion