nursery worker

social worker

early years educator

teacher

teaching assistant

Islington-Council

A typical day at work consists of a lot of tasks and problems to work through and solve. 

I log on to my emails to see if any urgent tasks have arrived enabling me to plan my day. We have deadlines with certain tasks so I need to prioritise my workload in order of importance ie Bank Reconciliation and assisting senior finance officers. Other tasks such as scanning and filing are just as important but can wait till my main tasks are completed.
I have been on an a 2 year apprenticeship with Islington Council and have learnt a lot. I can conduct myself in a professional way in the  work place and how to challenge and interact with colleagues e.g if having problems with a piece of work, to raise with my line manager to discuss and address the issue. Another is reconciling accounts, more in-depth of certain benefits and people's entitlement. 

Management have always been good and approachable to me which has given me confidence. I have regular supervision sessions with my manager so we can discuss my workload, training and other issues I may have, which I find rewarding.

The work place is very diverse in people and  culture which I really enjoy. I find this beneficial as you get more insight on people's day to day lives, backgrounds and ideas.

The hardest part of the job is to get the right balance of prioritising workloads but I have learnt to organise myself to increase my efficiency. It can become stressful if you let the work build-up, hence why I have ensured to stay on top and up to date with it all.

The most enjoyable part of my job is the satisfaction I get when helping clients and hearing their kind remarks when doing so. I find this very rewarding in itself to know I have helped someone. Also my colleagues I work with are very friendly and approachable. I enjoy speaking to them about all different topics when appropriate.

A typical evening (as I work nights) consists of me responding to residents reporting noise and Anti-Social Behaviour. Liaising with housing teams, police, mental health teams and neighbourhood safety teams to collate evidence for enforcement action against consistent perpetrators of ASB. 
I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in multi-agency working and how collaboratively working between teams can produce excellent results.
My co-workers are very supportive personally and professionally. We work well as a team and encourage each other to excel when and where possible. 
Hardest part of my job consists of the hours as I sometimes finish work at 2am!  Many of the complains I receive over the phone are from extremely distressed and angry residents who are very much affected by Anti-social Behaviour, they express how this behaviour is impacting their lives. This is why I am passionate about quality customer service as I feel I have a duty of care to the residents.
Most enjoyable part of my job are the success stories! Knowing that my work and assistance has helped to reduce or eliminate ASB, and as a result has enhanced the lives and well-being of residents makes the hardest parts worthwhile!

Some managers hear are on a power hype. Almost a dictatorship, unless you are in their inner circle you better be careful. A lot of staff scared to speak up though a mix of fear of rocking the boat and also knowing nothings ever going to change.

This isn't in all departments/managers. I've worked in a few different services across  the Council myself but have heard from other staff as well. A few bad managers are damaging the Council and create a toxic environment.

Happy I'm out of this now. I'd still say it's an OK place to work, but if you are happy with your line manager, get out before they get you out (remember who write your reference...).

Typical day starts around 8am - 10am.... morning meeting to discuss the outcomes expected that week. Everyday is different, some day starts with off site working and other would start with finishing of reports of currently events. 

Providing support your team is a daily occurrence, this is a short part of the culture within Islington council. working as part of team is essential to moving forward and progressing in your post. 

The hardest part of the day can sometimes be trying to meet deadlines, if your work load is spread over several projects. Time management is key with projects. 

Winning awards and receiving recognition for your, and the team work is a very enjoyable part of doing a role lie this.

I started at 6am & would then work till 10.30am and STOP for tea until 11am & work up untill I finished my beat at 12.30pm start making my way back to the depot.
I enjoy starting early & finishing off early, I like feeling I've made a difference and keeping the public & residents in good humour & pleased with the council's performance.
There's a good work ethic on the council & team players who get things done when push comes to shove. A lot of the time I was working alone & left to do my job without any pressure or problems.

Hard work and commitment is no guarantee of reward, with this Local Authority. As with many public sector employers,  it is "jobs for the boys/girls". If your face doesn't fit, you have no chance of progression. The inequality is strong and the Senior Management seem too busy/preoccupied, to  realise what is happening a step down.

Promotion is given at whim, as are roles. Good employees, who work with integrity and commitment, are often overlooked, for those who know how to "play the game". Voices of dissent will be silenced by any means necessary.

This is a Labour Council, yet its "values" are more akin to  what one would consider to be Conservative - uncaring, ruthless, and lacking in decency. It needs to do much, much better.





Good training on the job. Management open to change and flexible to requirement of a people environment job.ie my clients ranged from children to teenagers.
Critical was, health and safety, child safety, safe environment for them to develop, external trips and activities etc.
Vehicle management and care, preparing van for safe journey, seat belts, check oil, tyre pressures etc.
Excellent co-workers
Hardest part of job was external trips due to child safety, headcount etc. Most enjoyable part of job was seeing kids develop, a smile on their faces and excellent feedback from parents and co-workers.

I enjoyed myself working within the youth work sector. I learnt how to interact with young people and learnt a lot about aspects of how to run, observe and supervise how a youth hub/club is run. The management were very supportive and supplied the necessary training so I could carry out my role. My colleagues were very professional and we had a good respectful working relationship with all of them. The hardest part of the job was writing the reports to be submitted to my boss. The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting new people and hearing about other young people's experiences.

I never understood why they need a skilled gardener here. You don't garden. You don't maintain. You do clearances. If you do plant anything it dies, because they have unskilled people watering them and no one maintaining them. So the planting scheme gets over run with weeds. Or the planters die from lack of water. It's frustrating. My gardening skills went backwards here. If you are not a gardener and don't care about gardens this is the job for you. 

Presenteeism required by some managers because they don’t trust staff to coordinate their own outputs. Some directorates have a bullying culture. Training takes the form of throwing you in to tasks and expecting you to ask how to perform (not all colleagues know how). That said many staff are lovely well meaning people and the pay and benefits are really good. Shame it has a snails pace and cliquey culture that stops real progress.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Nursery worker 13 salaries reported	£31,688 per year
Social worker 25 salaries reported	£47,222 per year
Early years educator 19 salaries reported	£36,876 per year
Teacher 29 salaries reported	£43,058 per year
Teaching assistant 8 salaries reported	£30,058 per year

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