Wage watchers: how much does a school admin assistant earn?

School administrative assistant Anne Van Goethem, 38, from Weerde, talks about what she earns and how she spends it

What do you do for a living?

I am an admin assistant at the Sint-Ursula-Instituut in Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver. My main task is to process the results of our former students and organising the annual school reunion day. There are 1,650 students at our school, which means that there is a lot of former students to keep in touch with. I also do all the insurance paperwork when a student has an accident at school, and I also organise the classroom rota during examination periods. On top of that, I also supervise the playground and the bus stops outside the school gates.

Do you enjoy your work?

Yes. It's a job with lots of variety and as administrative assistant I have the advantage that, in the evening, I have no lessons to prepare or tests to mark. When you teach, your work never ends. When I go home, I leave my work behind.

Are you pleased with your salary?

Certainly. I have a nice salary (€2,150 after tax) as well as job security. These days you can only be happy about that.

Would you look elsewhere if the money was better?

I do not think so; at any rate, definitely not if it was in a non-teaching environment.  The advantage of the long holidays is not to be underestimated, especially as a mother. Any – hypothetical – extra amount I would earn elsewhere I would have to pay in childcare.

Do you save?

Sometimes. I'm not a real saver. What's left at the end of the month goes onto a savings account, but there’s no fixed amount.

What do you gladly pay for?

Dinner parties, both with my daughters and with my friends. And trinkets in Ikea: I just can’t leave the shop without buying new candles and other decorative objects for the house.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would put the money to one side for a year, giving me time to think about what I’m going to do with it. Whatever happens I would carry on working – maybe I would go part-time. But in any case I would need to let it sink in, to stop me from doing anything stupid.

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