How to become an iT user support technician
Official title: IT user support technicians
Also called: It officer, It associate, It supervisor, It team leader, Support analyst, Support officer, Support engineer, Support executive, It support analyst, Pc support analyst, Support consultant, It support officer
IT user support technicians are responsible for providing technical support, advice and guidance for internal/external users of IT systems and applications, either directly or by telephone, e-mail or other network interaction.
Main tasks
- Provides technical support to IT users
- Advises users on how to resolve hardware and software problems
- Installs and upgrades hardware, cables, operating systems and/or appropriate software
- Facilitates user access to systems
- Refers more complex or intractable problems to appropriate IT professionals
- Researches possible solutions in user guides, technical manuals and other documents
- Maintains a log of work in progress, calls received, actions taken and problems detected
- Reports on commonly occurring queries to detect underlying problems
How to become one
Entry is possible with a variety of academic qualifications and/or relevant experience. Entrants typically possess a degree or GCSEs/S grades and A levels/H grades together with an appropriate vocational qualification. Some employers may demand a relevant degree. Training is provided off and on-the-job supplemented by specialised courses. Postgraduate and professional qualifications and apprenticeships in some areas are available.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Digital support technician (level 3). England. Typically 15 months. Skills England standard ST0120.
- Apprenticeship (England): Information communications technician (level 3). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0973.
- University: Science degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
- University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £35,128 a year The middle half earn £29,206 to £44,720.
- About 101,000 people work in this job now, and about 108,300 are projected by 2035. (+7.3%)
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Questions people ask
How do I become an iT user support technician?
Entry is possible with a variety of academic qualifications and/or relevant experience. Entrants typically possess a degree or GCSEs/S grades and A levels/H grades together with an appropriate vocational qualification. Some employers may demand a relevant degree. Training is provided off and on-the-job supplemented by specialised courses. Postgraduate and professional qualifications and apprenticeships in some areas are available.
How much does an iT user support technician earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £35,128 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £29,206 to £44,720.
Is an iT user support technician a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 7% by 2035, from about 101,000 to about 108,300 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an iT user support technician?
Not always. 47% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Science degrees; Computing & IT degrees; Digital support technician (level 3).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.