Job Title - IT Support Technician

The Work

IT support technicians, sometimes known as IS support staff, help to find and correct software
and hardware problems for IT users. They may work as part of a team within their own
organisation or work for outside commercial clients.
IT support technicians work on site or remotely via phone, email or by using web-based
applications. Their typical day-to-day duties include:

• working with the client to find the exact nature of the fault
• working out the reasons for the breakdown of systems or peripherals (like printers,
scanners and modems)
• visiting clients, or sending out a field technician, to deal with problems that cannot be
resolved over the phone or via the website
• installing and configuring new equipment and upgrading existing systems
• testing, repairing and maintaining equipment
• recording problems and their solutions
• training clients on new systems or software applications.

Some support technicians work on technical support telephone helplines or online support
services for PC manufacturers and retailers, dealing with enquiries from home users. For
more details about this type of IT support job, see the profile for Helpdesk Professional.

Hours and Environment

IT support technicians work 37 to 40 hours a week. On-call duties, including weekends, are
common.

As a support technician in an organisation, your work will normally be office based, with some
of your time spent visiting other departments. There will be some travel involved if you are
dealing with external clients, or of your company operates across multiple sites.

Skills and Interests

As an IT support technician, you need:

• a thorough knowledge of operating systems, networking, hardware and office

software
• excellent problem solving skills
• the ability to explain problems and solutions clearly to non-technical staff
• the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• a patient and methodical approach to work
• the ability to work alone or as part of a team
• the ability to prioritise tasks
• a commitment to keep up-to-date with IT developments
• an awareness of electrical health and safety regulations.

Entry
You can get into this job as a trainee if you have a good working knowledge of computer
systems, but you can enhance your prospects by studying for various IT qualifications. These
include:
 • NCFE Certificate for IT Practitioners (General) Level 2
• BTEC First Certificate (Level 2) and National Certificate IT Practitioners (ICT Systems
Support) Level 3
• City & Guilds (E-Quals) IT Practitioners Certificate at Level 1 and Diploma (7266) at
Level 2
• OCR (iPRO) Certificate for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) Level 2.

The City & Guilds and OCR awards at Level 3 also contain optional units taken from
CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft certifications. See the Training section below for more details.
You may be able to start as a trainee IT support technician through an engineering,
electronics or information technology apprenticeship. Funding for apprenticeships is available
for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk.
For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland.
You can also enter this career with a foundation degree, BTEC HNC/HND or degree.
Relevant subjects include:

• computing
• computer studies / science
• networking
• business information technology.

For information about foundation degrees see Foundation Degree Forward. To search for
colleges and universities offering foundation degrees, HNDs and degrees see Universities
and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Training
Once you are working as a support technician, your employer will give you on-the-job training.
This will normally cover some or all of the following areas:

• ICT hardware and software support

• advanced networking (LAN and WAN)
• diagnosis and troubleshooting
• customer support systems
• repair centre procedures
• telecommunications planning.

You can work towards one of several relevant qualifications in this job role. These include:

• BTEC National Diploma IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) Level 3

• City & Guilds (E-Quals) IT Practitioners Advanced Diploma (7266) Level 3
• City & Guilds Higher Professional Diploma for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support)
Level 4
• OCR (iPRO) Certificate for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) Level 3
• OCR (iPRO) Higher Level award IT Professionals (ICT Systems Support) Level 4
• SVQ for IT Practitioners levels 2 to 4
• NVQ for IT Professionals levels 3 and 4 or Communication Technologies
Professionals levels 3 and 4.

Alternatively, you can consider other industry-recognised certifications outlined below.

• CompTIA A+ Certification
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
• Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST)
 • Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE).

Although not essential, it is recommended that you achieve a level 3 qualification or have
extensive experience in the industry before starting one of these certification courses. Check
with the companies for more details about these and other specialised certifications.

The British Computer Society (BCS) also offers a range of professional qualifications for staff
working in the IT sector.

You can find details about of all these awards from the organisations in the Further
Information section below.

The Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

The framework has been developed by e-skills, industry bodies and employers to help you
identify your current skills and plan future career development pathways. See the SFIA
website below for more details.

Opportunities
You will find job vacancies for IT support technicians across almost all industries. Typical
employers include financial organisations, the health service and IT companies, although any
companies using any kind of IT system for its operation will need technical support.

The highest concentration of jobs for support technicians is in London, the south-east, eastern
England and the north-west. As the IT knowledge of the general workforce improves, some
employers have started to look for technicians with specialised skills who can deal with more
support queries.

As an experienced IT support technician, you can move into supervisory and departmental
management jobs or related areas, such as network administration, IT security or training.

Annual Income
Figures are intended as a guideline only.

IT support technicians salaries' start between £17,000 and £20,000.

Experienced staff can earn between £21,000 and £26,000.
Senior staff with management responsibility may earn up to £30,000 a year.

Further information

e-skills UK
1 Castle Lane
London
SW1E 6DR
http://www.e-skills.com

Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA)

http://www.sfia.org.uk

Microsoft UK
http://www.microsoft.com/uk

British Computer Society

1 Sanford Street
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN1 1HJ
http://www.bcs.org.uk

Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA)

http://www.comptia.org

Cisco Systems (UK and Ireland)

http://www.cisco.com/global/uk

This month's profile has been supplied by Ufi Ltd the organization behind learndirect, one of
the UK’s leading online training specialists. © Ufi Limited 2000. All rights reserved.
learndirect is a registered trade mark of Ufi.

To find out more about learndirect and the services they offer, visit their website
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk