Profiles

Working in the NSW Public Sector is both challenging and rewarding. As servants to the NSW community we affect the lives of over 6 million people. By working in the public sector you can make a difference to:

• how health services are delivered
• how our children are taught
• the way our environment is managed
• the safety of our community
• the design of our buildings, roads, railway and transport systems
• achieving social justice and equity by shaping laws and policies
• increasing tourism, business and economic development in NSW.

To give you a better idea of what it's like, why don't you spend a day at work with…

• Sibila - Primary School Teacher
• Mark - Media Relations Manager
• Kim - Senior Customer Service Officer

For more profiles of interesting jobs in the NSW Public Sector, visit the jobs.nsw recruitment website.

A day at work with… Sibila - Primary School Teacher, Clovelly Primary

7am - 9am
I generally have to scrounge around in the fridge to prepare lunch for the day - we don't have the luxury of long lunches or many cafes around the school.

I get to work by 7.30am. I check the whole day is prepared and the activities ready to go - being prepared is half the success of a lesson. Today I've got a music committee meeting which I coordinate. We're developing a music policy and looking to establish music groups across grades to give all children exposure to music, dance and drama.

9am - 11am
At 9 am there's a school assembly, led by the Principal, then the children literally dance off to class in a line (assembly finishes with a relevant piece of music). After marking the roll for my 30 children, we talk about how everyone is feeling. Today's issue is bushfires and Nathan confidently assures us that he can be a fireman because he can do somersaults over fires and save kangaroos. We also have news. The kids really enjoy sharing things of interest with the rest of the class. One boy gives me a date badge to wear when I'm out with my husband, for good luck.

We spend an hour on a variety of reading methods. One group has guided reading with me, another does reading review using revision sheets, and another participates in Readers' Theatre. Reader’s Theatre is lots of fun - the group leader assigns roles in the book, they have time to read it and become familiar with the text then they present it to the class. Another group does an information report then presents its review of a non-fiction book about an animal. This teaches students to understand the text and be aware of their audience as well as reading and writing for enjoyment.

We then move into a model writing session - today we're doing a procedure.

11am - 1pm
After two hours we get our first break - rush to the loo, grab a coffee, make some calls and woof down some food! Then it's back to class for Math groups.

Today we're concentrating on measurement, space and number of groupings. The children are involved in hands on activities to foster learning. After Math we go outside for half an hour of fitness to work on ball handling skills, gross motor skills and cardiovascular activities.

1pm - 2pm
At 1:15pm it's another mad rush to eat lunch in 20 minutes before heading out on playground duty. We do that three times a week for half an hour. Duty involves everything from rescuing hats from trees to sorting out squabbles or providing lunch slips to children who ate their lunch at recess.

2pm - 3pm
It's our last session for the day and we're going to do a science experiment on wind. The kids love the science unit on weather, it allows them to investigate, inquire and share their findings with the class. They loved the session we had on rain and knowing what happens when it hits the ground… all sorts of things!

3pm - 5pm
The kids have packed up and I walk them out. I've got an interview with a parent, some marking and preparation for the next day. I also catch up with a few other colleagues for a quick debrief. Then it’s time to go home.

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A day at work with… Mark - Media Relations Manager, Taronga Zoo

6.30am - 8.30am
At about 6.30 I receive a call from 702 AM Radio - breakfast presenter Angela Catterns' show wants to talk to an entomologist so I refer her to the museum. Now I'm out the door and driving in - still on the phone. I've called our marine mammals keepers to set up a photo shoot then I catch up with the team to see what has happened overnight…so few of us and so much happening…the zoo is a popular place!

I've set up an interview this morning for a journalist to speak with some of our education officers - heading down now to check everything is going smoothly. We have a great bunch of people here and lots of interesting stories to tell. Today the children's television show Totally Wild was supposed to be filming but they've just changed the date. Someone is filming here almost everyday.

8.30am - 11.30am
I've got to make a few phone calls to help coordinate publicity for the arrival of five White Rhinos at Western Plains Zoo. I've also got to catch up with my colleague Michelle to talk about our approach to tourism management, with a focus on interstate travellers.

I'm meeting with our marketing team to discuss the Taronga Foundation's Zoofari action dinner, which is all about sponsoring wild animals. The Foundation needs to raise $56 million. My role here is to help raise awareness through the newspapers, TV and radio. I'm in touch with two social writers and I'm talking with Kerri-Anne Kennerley's show about it. I'm also trying to get patron Collette Dinnigan involved.

I've now got to race off to our weekly team briefing. We're discussing what's been done and things we're going to do. We also provide a daily briefing sheet to the Minister.

11.30am - 5.30pm
I try to go out for a bite at my favourite deli in Mosman for about 30 minutes - they’re like family!

This afternoon I have the State Emergency Service guys in for a shoot. They are photographing the clearing of Cyprus pine needles with the chimp enclosure in the background. Every now and then, we get some unusual requests…Today I’ve been asked for details on how to train a seal!

I've still got some reports to look over and some more phone calls to follow-up. Suddenly it's 5.30pm - my wife has a function and I'm picking up my son from day care.

After 6
I'm on call 24 hours a day. I don't get too many evening calls but sometimes a night-time radio show calls for an interview with keepers. They work early so I often do the interviews.

I've learned so much after seven years at Taronga Zoo!

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A day at work with… Kim - Senior Customer Service Officer, Office of Fair Trading

6am - 10am
After a brisk walk I arrive home to organise my family for the day ahead - ironing, breakfasts, lunches, chasing toddlers around the house trying to get them dressed and everything else one associates with being a mother! I usually start work at 9am so I drop my 2 children (aged 3 ½ and 2) off at day care on the way in.

I work 3 days a week, so there is always plenty to do. After checking in on what’s been happening with the other staff in my office at Wagga Wagga, I read through my emails to catch up on developments in the marketplace. Then I start working on the new complaint files I have been allocated. A major aspect of my position is to deal with complex consumer complaints - these can deal with any issue relating to the sale of goods or services.

10am -12pm
I head out of the office to speak to a local community group about their rights as consumers in the marketplace. I regularly speak to the public on consumer topics - educating the public is an important role of the Office of Fair Trading. After much lively discussion and question time it is back to the office and to my complaints!

12pm-2pm
This is always a very busy part of the day. Nine people staff the office - however, two are Field Inspectors so they are rarely in and two of us are part-time, and so on a good day there might be five of us around. This means helping out with telephone and counter enquires during the lunch period to make sure customers aren't kept waiting long. Fair Trading covers many issues so we have to have a wide knowledge to answer questions about diverse issues… registering business names, tenancy issues, builder licences for residential work, owner builders, associations, product safety…as well as dealing with complaints and being a referral service!

My lunch break is usually spent running around like a madwoman trying to do a million things while I don't have my children in tow!

2pm-4pm
I try to spend my afternoon solely on my complaints - ringing consumers and traders and trying to resolve issues. I use the resources available such as our database, specialist support unit and colleagues to gather as much information as possible to try to resolve problems. If my manager is away I will also check the day’s banking - always great fun!

4pm-6pm

I usually work until around 5pm and then either my husband or I will pick the kids up from day care and head home for the evening round of food, bathing and bedtime stories.

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