I Survived: The MSP That Made Us Work Off the Clock
Unpaid overtime is covered in our Fair Work Rights guide.
I want to talk about the thing that every MSP junior tech knows but nobody says out loud: the hours on your contract aren't the hours you actually work. And if you dare to mention it, you're told you're "not a team player."
I was 22 when I started as a junior systems administrator at an MSP in Parramatta. Sydney. Contract said 38 hours a week. Standard. I was excited — it was my first real IT job after finishing my diploma at TAFE and knocking out a CompTIA A+.
The Reality of 38 Hours
The first week was normal. I figured out the ticketing system, met the team, got my login for the RMM. By the second week, I noticed something.
Everyone was still there at 6pm. Not just a few people. Everyone. The office was full until at least 6:30, often 7. The senior guys would sometimes be there until 8. I asked one of them why.
"Is this a busy week?" I said.
He laughed. Not a happy laugh. "This is every week, mate."
The unwritten rule was clear by the end of month one: 38 hours on paper, 50-55 in reality. No overtime pay. No time in lieu. Just... expectation.
When I asked my manager about it, he said something I'll never forget: "If you can't handle the hours, someone else will."
That was it. No explanation. No justification. Just a threat wrapped in a shrug.
How It Worked
The system was elegant in its cruelty. Nobody explicitly told you to stay late. The work just... kept coming. Tickets would be assigned at 4:30pm with "urgent" priority. Projects had deadlines that assumed you'd work evenings to hit them. Client calls would be scheduled at 5:30 because "that's when they're available."
And the kicker? The contracts — both the MSP's employment contracts and the client-facing MSAs — contained clauses about "reasonable additional hours." That word "reasonable" was doing enough work to qualify for a construction site.
When you're salaried, "reasonable additional hours" can mean anything. Ten extra hours a week? Reasonable. Fifteen? Still reasonable. There's no bright line. And MSPs know this. They structure your pay as an annual salary specifically so they don't have to pay you hourly.
I was earning $52K. On paper, that's about $25/hour for a 38-hour week. In reality, I was working 50-55 hours, which brought my effective hourly rate down to about $20. Less than some retail jobs. For managing enterprise infrastructure.
The Threat
About six months in, I built up the courage to mention Fair Work. Not to my manager — to a colleague. I said something like, "Don't you think the hours are a bit much? I reckon this would fall under the Professional Employees Award overtime provisions."
Word got back to my manager. Not from my colleague — from someone who overheard. The next day, my manager called me in.
"I hear you've been talking about awards and Fair Work," he said. "Your contract was reviewed when you started. You're salaried. If you have a problem with the arrangement, there are people who'd love your position."
My contract was "reviewed." That phrase. I later learned what it meant: they didn't change my contract. They added a clause to my file — an "expectations document" that I'd never seen, that detailed "additional duties as required" and "flexible working arrangements to meet client needs." Basically, a pre-emptive paper trail to justify whatever they wanted.
I felt sick. Not because of the document — because of the message. We know you're talking. Stop.
The Exit
I started looking for a new job. Three weeks later, I had an offer. Internal IT at a logistics company in Lidcombe. $58K, 38-hour week, genuine 38 hours. They meant it.
When I handed in my notice, my manager didn't even seem surprised. "Good luck," he said. No fight. No counter-offer. Just a nod and a handshake. I think he knew. They always know when someone's figured it out.
The exit interview was with the office manager. She asked if I had any feedback. I said, "Pay people for the hours they work." She wrote something down on a form. I doubt anything happened.
What I'd Tell Others
"Salaried" doesn't mean "unlimited free labour." Even if you're on a salary, you have rights under the Fair Work Act and potentially the Professional Employees Award. Overtime provisions exist. They apply to IT workers. Know your Award classification.
If your manager threatens you for asking about your rights, that's a red flag. Document it. Screenshot it. Write it down with dates and times. If it escalates, you'll need evidence for Fair Work.
The "someone else will" line is designed to silence you. It's a fear tactic. It works because you're junior and you don't know your market value yet. You're replaceable in theory. In practice, finding someone willing to work 55 hours for 38 hours' pay isn't as easy as your manager pretends.
Check the Professional Employees Award. Specifically, the IT services stream. It covers overtime, penalty rates, and minimum engagement. Most MSP employees have no idea this exists. It does.
Your first job sets your expectations. If your first MSP teaches you that unpaid overtime is normal, you'll carry that assumption into every job after. Don't let it. Normalise leaving at your contracted hours. Normalise asking for overtime pay. Normalise valuing your time.
What I Learned
- Wage theft is the industry's open secret. It's not just one bad MSP. The business model relies on extracting unpaid labour from junior staff. When someone says "that's just how the industry works," they're telling you the quiet part out loud.
- Fair Work exists and they take complaints seriously. If you're being made to work unreasonable additional hours without compensation, contact Fair Work. They have a complaints line and they investigate. You don't need a lawyer to make a complaint.
- "Reasonable additional hours" has limits. The Fair Work Act defines what's reasonable based on factors like the nature of the work, your role, notice given, and industry norms. Working 15 extra hours a week with no overtime pay is unlikely to be considered reasonable.
- Document everything. Emails, messages, rosters, clock-in/clock-out times. If you ever need to prove you were working unpaid hours, contemporaneous records are your strongest evidence.
- The best revenge is a better job. I left, got paid properly, and slept better. The MSP lost a junior who was willing to learn and work hard. Their loss, not mine.
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