A sense of accomplishment. :D On Aug 16, 2006, at 12:32 PM, David Ilvedson wrote: > I would be interested in what some benefit packages really > are...? For instance, what generally does retirement give? 1/2 > your salary + health insurance? If you have to work on the cheap, > what do you get when your done? > > David Ilvedson, RPT > Pacifica, CA 94044 > > > ----- Original message ---------------------------------------- > From: "Horace Greeley" <hgreeley at stanford.edu> > To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org> > Received: 8/16/2006 7:34:59 AM > Subject: Re: [CAUT] FW: Univ. of Tenn. Job Opening for Piano > Technician > > > >> Hi, Wim, > >> At 06:36 AM 8/16/2006, you wrote: > > >>> Unfortunately, once UT hires someone at $16 ph, giving that person >>> raises comensurate with his or her growth will be not happen. >>> After 5 >>> years, I finally got a "real" raise this year, but not until I >>> made a >>> very strong plea. > >> Yup. > >> Most of the "strong plea"s I have made over the years have happened >> along the lines of: "Well...gee, too bad this doesn't seem to be >> working...guess it's time for me to move on." That is a real roll of >> the dice. Sometimes you win, sometimes not. You have to be prepared >> to move on. > >> Also, I think it is important to know for whom you are working. It >> really is unreasonable to expect that institutions (however >> well-meaning they might be) will pay anywhere close to "market" rate >> in any given market. That's a pretty broad statement; and much will >> depend on in which part of the country you are working. In the SF >> Bay Area, the official poverty level for a family of four is ~ $52K >> per year. Most of the schools in the area use contract tuners at >> varying rates. The one exception of which I know is SF State, which >> historically has split the bulk of the work between two positions. > >> The trade-off is, of course, primarily whatever benefit packages are >> available. None of these are as good as they once were; but they are >> often better than nothing. I have only late in life learned to pay >> myself first, so, for me, whatever benefits there might be are more >> important than they might be to someone who has the business side of >> the act better together. I know technicians who have come into the >> profession having either retired from something else and/or having >> made reasonably good investments, can afford to make the change. > >> Underlying all of this, though, is a point which I think Ed Foote has >> noted to the effect that, if you really have your technical chops >> together and functioning, your work and reputation will speak for >> themselves, and you will, over time, have plenty to do...with or >> without an institution behind you. > >> Best. > >> Horace
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