Gig at a Uni?

[portseven]

Anyone worked at a Uni' before?

I have offer of a gig at a Uni' and would be interested in others experiences

Imagine a number of pluses (cheep beer, lots of totty) with some minuses (dealing with academics, design by committee)

[SimonMac]

Don't forget the Uni email address and all the cheap software that comes with it!

[Sockpuppet]

Just because you work there doesn't mean you get into the student union.

[northernladuk]

Just because you work there doesn't mean you get into the student union.

And as you are working there it won't go down to well getting pissed and firing in to the students either. You work there and have standards and a level of professionalism to keep. You have to be a lot more careful in an education environment than you do a business.

[chef]

Yes, I worked at Manchester Uni once straight after starting contracting.. twas great.

[JoJoGabor]

Ignore NLUK, if I was in my twenties again, I would happily nail the entire ( female ) student population, and if I got fired, so be it!! You won't get that chance again.

On the flip side, how likely is it that walkinginto a student bar declaring ŷourself as working In the uni IT dept, will all those nubile young things start throwing themselves at you??? Slim .... To nothing ... Welcome to IT!!!

[Aman]

I did a gig at the Uni. It was a crappy network installation job as an external contractor but it was handy for using the libary (which is the only reason I took the role) & refectory, networking, speaking to friends that lecture, research and study there, poking my nose into research projects, copying lecture notes, finding talks and careers presentations to attend, sitting in on lectures getting the newspapers and speccy at student price.
Pretty cushdy environment, a bit like the civil service but with more latitude.
Totty didn't even come into it, certainly not with the students. That's strictly a no-no not tht I have much interest in people half my age who haven't worked themselves out yet anyway.

I'd much rather be a studying than working though.

[ChrisPackit]

I went for interview at a Manchester based Uni recently and got offered the role but something better paid and more long term came up. My impressions were it looked like a cool place to work and they didn't mind you turning up in jeans (a la Studentesque rather than suit) - It was only the project that put me off with weekend working and 9 hour days for very average money...

I would go for it...

[manclarky]

Anyone worked at a Uni' before?

I did 4 months at SOAS a few years back - very enjoyable, relaxed working environment.
The day I started they gave me some work they thought would take at least a month, and I'd finished by the Thursday. They spent the next week scrabbling round trying to find something else for me to do for the next month.
I was early 30's and single I could drink in the union bar, but as alluded to in previous post, the totty didn't seem interested in 30+ IT guys!

Ah well eh!

[nomadd]

...the totty didn't seem interested in 30+ IT guys!

Ah well eh!

Strange, I'm in my 40s and have no problems.

I'm thinking it's something more specific in your case...