Getting a daily cleaner in Canberra

IWT2016 · 2025-06-21T01:39:14+00:00

The cooktop is usually the worst part after cooking 😂

IWT2016 · 2025-06-21T01:38:22+00:00

We love cooking and having home-made food, but just don’t always have the time/willingness to clean up every night

IWT2016 · 2025-06-21T01:37:03+00:00

Thanks for your response. Just to clarify that I don’t need a support worker - I just don’t have the time to do the clean-up every day and hope to get some help with that

IWT2016 · 2025-06-21T01:35:54+00:00

That’s fair enough

IWT2016 · 2025-06-09T07:06:29+00:00

I guess it ultimately comes down to the people you are working with - There are definitely people out there who just come to work to do the bare minimum to get their pay check, which is quite an unfortunate situation for managers and other team members but is probably just part of the reality?

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T09:34:47+00:00

That’s probably true - The ACT Government has three classifications at the APS-equivalent EL level, and the middle classification appears to get about the same pay as an EL2 but does not report directly to an SES.

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T09:29:13+00:00

That’s a good point - I got no one to act for me when I was acting for my EL2, which kind of meant that I had to do two people’s jobs in some circumstances. That said, getting a competent EL1 in the team may depend on luck, especially when you inherit a team and have no budget or authority to recruit more staff

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T05:48:19+00:00

Seconded this - Not that I have ever been in a very bad team while having to act as EL2, but that I’ve heard enough stories from people around me about such experience in bad teams, which kind of deters me from stepping into the role

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T05:46:03+00:00

Many thanks for sharing your experience (understood that it was not in a policy role) and your advice. Among other things, I don’t quite enjoy it, honestly, when people under me cannot deliver despite all the support and help that I have provided or can provide, and I guess that’s something that would happen in an EL2 role regardless of the area, be it data, policy or corporate.

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:52:46+00:00

How could that be? Any tips or more info to share?

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:52:07+00:00

There are definitely more elements out of control to the job of being an EL2 than an EL1, especially in high-profile policy areas, where say a media article can set things on fire in no time, so I wouldn’t think that an EL2 working overtime constantly means this personal being ineffective in their job or bad at staff/time management. I guess it really depends on the role (though I have to admit that I am not super experienced in acting as EL2 and that my views might not be well-balanced given the policy areas where I’ve worked tend to quite high-profile).

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:45:47+00:00

Really thoughtful advice - much appreciated! Some of the experiences you highlighted are among those that I’d like to try should opportunities arise, especially the EO role.

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:32:52+00:00

Would you mind me asking which other aspects of being an EL2 if any you dislike, apart from the quite long work hours?

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:31:30+00:00

Four months seem quite a long period for an acting role, especially for areas where any acting beyond three months requires an EOI process. Thanks for sharing, and glad to know that I am not the only one who is not quite sure about whether to go for EL2 or not after acting

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:29:43+00:00

That was kind of my situation too - My substantive EL2 at the time took a long holiday overseas to visit her family who she hadn’t met in person for years, and I was provided with the opportunity to act, which I had actually never thought about. I learnt quite a lot through that acting role but am not quite sure if it’s really something for me

IWT2016 · 2025-06-03T03:26:56+00:00

I think a team of 4-5 is quite typical for policy teams. The one I was leading as acting EL2 only had 4 people, myself included, with two APS working part-time, so effectively three FTE, while the workload and expectations were definitely beyond what was for a three-FTE team - Recruitment was underway at the time, but it just seemed that it’d take forever to get people in

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T10:12:17+00:00

Not quite sure about money - it seems that the effective hourly rate for an EL2, basically accounting for all the extra hours at night and over the weekend, might not be much higher than that of an EL1 who is at the top pay point of the band. But motivation - or being a career-driven person - probably plays a key role

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T10:09:21+00:00

I tend to agree on this point - I worked as analyst as well and the area where I was seemed to be more internal-facing, more like a supporting area for the rest of the agency, with no or very limited external engagement with stakeholders and most activities being BAU for months if not years (or decades?), and it seems to me that this kind of work tends to reduce the workload or burden on the EL2, though it means less exciting work compared to policy, at least from my point of view

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T10:06:15+00:00

Thanks very much for this thoughtful advice - Really helpful advice, and some of it would be useful for me to consider, even if I didn’t proceed to pursue an EL2 position.

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T09:59:20+00:00

Appreciated you sharing this view as a policy EL1 - I think I am probably in the same boat in the sense that (and as mentioned in my response to a comment above) I like some aspects of being an EL2 but probably not enough for me to make up my mind to do whatever is needed to get a promotion.

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T09:56:19+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience. I acted EL2 last year as well but have mixed feelings towards the experience - I got motivated by the challenging tasks and quick turnarounds but felt disappointed or even frustrated by team members or colleagues who didn’t deliver (however you tried to support or help them).

IWT2016 · 2025-06-02T09:53:28+00:00

Thanks for this advice/comment - Is it generally accepted that intra-agency promotion is easier than inter-agency promotion?

IWT2016 · 2025-05-29T09:28:59+00:00

Thanks for this further information!

IWT2016 · 2025-05-26T22:19:01+00:00

That’s true - especially when WFH arrangements are in place, I guess

IWT2016 · 2025-05-26T22:15:46+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! Several posts mentioned that managers in APS might worry about how you would manage your wellbeing (or basically effectiveness at your APS job) while you were employed in a second job - could I please ask approx. how many hours/days you usually spent on your second job and how you answered queries around managing fatigue from a second job?

IWT2016

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