Wage watchers: how much does a helpdesk assistant earn?

Helpdesk assistant Konstantinos Papageorgiou, 28, from Schoten talks about what he earns and how he spends it

What do you do for a living?

I work for USG People, an international recruitment company active in ten European countries, specialising in temporary employment and secondment work. On my business card says' Applications Helpdesk Assistant. Basically I try to troubleshoot for our recruitment consultants - any problems related to front- and back-office applications. That includes programmes for signing up new temps, managing schedules, writing vacancy descriptions etc. I also sometimes help with Office programmes. Occasionally I also train new recruitment consultants on specific programmes so that they can get started quickly.

Do you enjoy your work?

On the whole I really enjoy it. It has little to do with my training as a social worker on the other hand I have nice colleagues. My biggest challenge is to get my heads round all the programmes as fast as possible. The whole point of being a helpdesk assistant is to be proficient in all the programmes so as best to assist the consultants. I think there are opportunities for promotion within USG People. However, I’ve only been here a year. My experience is limited, so at the moment I have no visibility with regards to promotion.

How many hours a week do you work?

I do 40 hours a week, which means that, on top of my annual 20 days’ holiday, I get an extra twelve days.

What do you think of your salary?

I did not negotiate my salary during my job interview. Previously, as a social worker, my salary was what the pay grid said it was. Besides, I was very happy to start working at USG People after being unemployed for two months. I take home €1,450 a month (+ lunch vouchers, hospital insurance, cycling incentive and a laptop).  I'm pretty satisfied with my salary, although it could always be a little bit higher. It is sometimes very hectic in the helpdesk department. There should be a little bit extra paid into my bank account every month, proportionate to the amount of knowledge that we need to acquire in such a short time and the amount of stress at peak times.

What does the biggest part of your salary go towards?

Our mortgage and all the other household expenses. Not before, not now either. So we didn’t have to put a crisis plan in place.

How do you deal with the economic crisis?

My girlfriend and I have never been big spenders

What do you resent parting with your money for?

I’m not keen on shopping. I find it a sin to buy new clothes or shoes when the ones you already have are perfectly fine. I’d rather buy some cool gadgets!

What would you do if you win the lottery?

Our house would get a full makeover and then I may let it. I would get a bigger place for us. Since we both love Schoten, I think we would continue to live here. My brothers and sister would also get a share of the cake. I don’t think I’d stop working. But maybe I would consider going part-time so as to have more time for hobbies and ‘fun’ stuff.

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