(no subject)

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Hi guys,

This is my first post here, though I've been enjoying all yours quite a bit. At my place of work (a major ISP) we are having a debate re: pay levels.
I've spoken to a number of people from Optus and Teletech and have a basic idea of the average level of pay, but I'm not too sure how accurate that is..

I'm a front-level phone-support tech. I support most major Windows OS, Mac 9 and above, ADSL and dial-up. Our company prides itself on providing a higher level of support than other companies.

I get a base wage of 30k. THIS IS AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS

I've been told that is 'quite competitive'. Compared to the wages I've heard from other companies, thats about as competitive as a badger with no legs in a decathlon.

Would you guys help me by providing some info? If you feel comforable providing your base wage then please do so, if not even just a 'higher' or 'lower' than 30k would be helpful. This is only for people in analogous situations also..

Hope someone can smack my management down.

Comments

[c0c0c0.livejournal.com]

At the ISP I work at starting wage not including bennies, shift diff, and free cable/internet base pay is $10.50 per hour.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Is that full time?

[c0c0c0.livejournal.com]

Yes, full time.

I make a bit more myself, I have been with the company for almost 2 years, I am a level 3 tech and I get shift diff for working nights.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

forgot to mention I'm in Australia..

[c0c0c0.livejournal.com]

That would make a bit of a diffrence. $10.50 is almost $15 AUD

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

yeah... Its gonna be kinda hard to work this out but I'll try my hardest. These bastards...
Customers are one thing, but I'm sick of getting shit from management..

[c0c0c0.livejournal.com]

Amen to that. Yearly it is a little more than what my company pays starting - and they can afford to pay more. What I make now should be about what they start people out. Cheep bastards! And they can get away with it too because of the way the job market is now.

[noiresque.livejournal.com]

is that 30k Australian or 30k US?

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Yeah Australian, sorry.. I'm trying to edit the entrry but I can't work it out dammit..

[noiresque.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure what the exchange rate is or what your average salaries are. It really depends on your experience you bring to the company, how long you've been there, how well you do on your reviews, the actual geographical area you work in, and sadly, age and gender.

on monster.com you can compare salaries on all those levels, except maybe age and gender :) those are the transparent ones that we all feel but don't see. i don't know if they have statistics for Australia but a comparison between US and AUS salaries isn't really parallel.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Yeah you're right.. Ok you Americans, stop replying now please.. Damn the international nature of the internet.. Any Australians with info?

[noiresque.livejournal.com]

can't help it - we're up late :P

[invader-kitty.livejournal.com]

www.xe.com to work out exchange rates.

[methedras.livejournal.com]

$2.

Sucky sucky.

[inpotentia.livejournal.com]

I'm first level tech support here in Oz and get a bit less than $30k a year, again working for a major player (we do provide ISP services but it's not our major line).

Just be glad you're not working for a small ISP. A local ISP, where a couple of my friends have worked, pays about $12 per hour on a contract basis (ie: no public holiday rates, no sick pay, no holidays etc). Which really sucks and I think is below minimum wage but since they're contractors it's all legal.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

And first level support involves?

Do you do comms reinstalls?

Do you support a variety of ADSL modems?

Do you support ADSL and Dial-up?

[inpotentia.livejournal.com]

As I said, providing ISP services is not our major focus, but yes first level provides support for dial up and ADSL connections althought probably not to the same level you do. ADSL support is provided for the models we supply only.

First level provides phone support more for email issues, web hosting, FTP etc. We also handle all areas of domain name administration, including providing support via email, phone and our online systems for this.

*shrugs* probably not exactly the same as you. Didn't see the last line in your post where you wanted comparision wages for very similar positions only.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

thanks anyway..

[k8mnstr.livejournal.com]

Currently I get paid $16.50 USD an hour working for a Web Hosting Company

[k8mnstr.livejournal.com]

Forgot to mention:

We support scripting, custom coding, mercantec, shopsite, FTP, connectivity, FrontPage, E-Mail, and we support it in about 5 different languages. I also speak mandarin and my company is STRONGLY suggesting I learn Japanese (which is gonna be a piece of cake). But ya, we support a lot of shit.

[stevenglassman.livejournal.com]

You forgot to mention that you were hired as a contractor. The starting wage for company-owned employees (shudder) was 28k when I hit the floor two years ago.

But the comments further up the page said "no more Americans," because they're trying to figure out Australian wages. Mr Company may be multi-national, but it's still based largely in America.

what?

[belovedcrown.livejournal.com]

what company, may i ask? i too work for one. ill show you mine if you show me yours ;)

Re: what?

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

Hey kids, put away the packages ok? No pissing contests.

We all work for TCTMNBNEWLOJ (the company that must not be named else we lose our jobs).

No fair asking ;-p

Re: what?

[belovedcrown.livejournal.com]

what? what kind of company do you work for where you lose your job if you say how much you make? i never heard of such a thing.

Re: what?

[dmsalem00.livejournal.com]

Joke, dearie.

Joke, and a concept we have at work here.

"CYA"

Cover yer ass. =D

Just don't want anybody's "big brother" peering in here at some point and seeing something that some top brass might find "inappropriate."

[naggy.livejournal.com]

The problem with comparing wages across company lines, is that for every example you can find where someone makes more, your company can probably find one where someone makes less, especially in IT. IT wages are not even close to uniform.

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

True... But for all the rhetoric that this company sputs, they've got two choices : pay us more or shut their fat executive mouths..

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

Good evening, and welcome to Optus Cable Internet (but our ADSL reps get the same). My annual is $36,100 and that does not include shift allowances and company bonuses. Conditions are pretty good, and compared to what I've heard from other reps, I'm doing Ok.

to everyone overseas

[intruderad.livejournal.com]

Hi, as an Aussy that also has a father in America (which I frequent at often) comparing our pay to an exchanged rate pay with say US dollars unfortunately wont work. Why? Well you see the average price of living is why. Ok... lets say it costs an Australian $1.50 to buy a loaf of bread, that doesnt mean it costs an American $1 to buy it, since infact it costs them just about the same denomination lets say $1.50. so the american way of living in this example would be more expensive, but as such the american employee would make more money than the Australian, but its all relative.


anyway sorry to rant.

To answer your first post, (I have over the last 6 years worked in a major ISP and then for 2 technical departments in Optus as well.

The base wage for a "customer Service Rep" which is what I believe you are describing yourself to be is between the 32-36k mark, not including loadings, bonus's etc. I will say though I have personally found that Optus has always been slightly above the bar when it comes to pay, hence why I'm still there ;)

I just helped a friend get a job in an entry level help desk position in Optus and thier current pay is aprox $32k, with loadings and such that can easily get to 38k over the year without much trouble at all.
Hope this helps your debate

[lordstorm.livejournal.com]

I work for a rather large Australian ISP (but not Bigpong or Optarse), but I'm paid on a casual/contract rate, pretty much AU$16/hr, for supporting dial-up and ADSL, accounts, webhosting (both members and commerical) and such. We have dedicated DSL reps (which I pretty much rank as, unofficially) paid AU$17.50/hr, but their calls are longer and problems are more baffling as a consequence. We're paid super, but no penalty rates (well, 150% public holidays AND THAT'S IT!), overtime, or other perks. This roughly estimates as about AU$31-32k for a 38-hour week. *shrug*

[japester.livejournal.com]

I am a full time Mac Support droid at a research institute. public benevolency and all that means the pay scales are a little less than the commercial norm. or so I'm told, hence the reason for giving us tax breaks. My official income is $28K but my effective income is $34K/year.
When I was doing phone support for a small ISP a few years ago ('98-99) i was on $26K/year and that felt like I was getting screwed.