Network engineer Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Network engineer

Hours

37 to 40 per week
Starting salary

£18,000 + per year

If you're good at solving problems and you want to work with computers, this job could be ideal for you.

Network engineers, also known as network administrators, build and support networks that interconnect computers.

In this job you'll need strong IT and organisational skills. You'll also need people skills and the ability to explain complex technical things clearly.

One route into this job is to do one of the wide variety of IT courses offered at colleges. Another route in could be through an Apprenticeship scheme with an IT company, or within the IT department of a commercial or public organisation. You might also get into this job if you've got experience of computer maintenance or installation.

The work

Network engineers, also known as network administrators, build and support Local and Wide Area Networks that interconnect a wide variety of computers. These can span a floor of a building or several countries and employ a multitude of technologies including copper to optical to microwave technologies. As an increasing volume of data is shared with larger groups with more demanding security requirements, Network Engineers will have to find new solutions to those changing requirements.

As a network engineer, your key responsibilities would be to make sure that the network has the capacity to meet the client's needs and that it is secure.

You would work with four main network systems:

local area networks (LANs) – connecting computers within a limited area like an office or building
metropolitan area networks (MANs) – joining LANs together across a city
wide area networks (WANs) – linking systems across national boundaries
global area networks (GANs) – combining networks over an unlimited geographical area, often using wireless and satellite technology.

Your duties might include:

installing new software and hardware
setting up user accounts, permissions and passwords
maintaining adequate security, especially where networks link to the world wide web
finding and fixing network faults
putting in place preventative maintenance schedules
giving technical support to end-users
providing training on new systems
carrying out day-to-day administration and monitoring network use
planning and implementing future developments.

Hours

You would normally work 37 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. You may be expected to work overtime when installing systems to minimise disruption to a client's business. You could also have on-call duties for any problems that occur outside normal working hours.

Your job would be office-based either on one site or, if working on a large network operation, between sites.

Income

Starting salaries can be between £18,000 and £28,000 a year
With experience, this can rise to between £28,000 and £40,000
Senior network engineers can earn up to £60,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You may be able to get into network engineering through an Apprenticeship scheme with an IT company, or within the IT department of a commercial or public organisation. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

Alternatively, you could learn the skills needed to install and maintain networks by taking an IT course at a local college. Relevant courses include:

City & Guilds (E-Quals ICT Systems Support 7262) IT Practitioners Diploma Level 2 and Advanced Diploma Level 3
BTEC National Certificate/Diploma for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support)
OCR (iPRO) Certificate for IT Practitioners (ICT Systems Support) at levels 2 and 3
CompTIA i-Net+ Certification.

The first three awards also contain options taken from CompTIA, Cisco and Microsoft certifications. See the Training and Development section below for more details.

The courses cover the following areas:

LAN, MAN, WAN and GAN networks
how different systems communicate (network protocols) – TCP, IP, FTP and VOIP internet telephony
data transmission technologies – Ethernet, ISDN, ASDL, wireless, and ATM
network security – firewalls, anti-virus software and virtual private networks.

If you already have qualifications and experience in other areas of IT, for example maintenance and installation, you may be able to move into network engineering. See the Computer Service and Repair Technician and IT Support Technician job profiles for more details.

To find out more about IT careers, visit the e-skills, British Computer Society and CompTIA websites.

Training and development

In a fast-moving field like IT, it is important to keep your skills and knowledge up to date throughout your career. You can do this by taking further training, including:

CompTIA Network+ Certification
Certified Novell Engineer (CNE)
City & Guilds Higher Professional Diploma in Information Management Using ICT, or IT Practitioners Level 4
OCR (iPRO) Higher Level award for IT Professionals (ICT Systems Support) Level 4
NVQs for IT Professionals at levels 3 and 4.

Some of these courses cover Linux operating systems as well as Windows.

Cisco and Microsoft certification training could also help develop your career, although it is recommended that you have a level 3 qualification or extensive experience in the IT industry before starting a programme. The key network engineering courses include:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA).

You could also take higher level computing qualifications, such as a BTEC HNC/HND, foundation degree or degree. To search for courses, visit the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website.

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)

You may be able to build up your competence in the early years of your career by taking part in the e-skills Professional Programme. The programme has been developed by employers to help companies offer nationally-recognised development to their new IT recruits. See the e-skills website for details.

e-skills

The National Skills Academy for IT has been created by employers to promote excellence in IT learning and development.

Through the Skills Academy, you can:

get the best access to high quality IT training and resources
define and access new training to meet emerging needs
gain professional recognition and accelerate career progression.

The National Skills Academy for IT has over 1,000 online courses, including courses relating to network engineer roles.

National Skills Academy for IT

You could also take the British Computer Society (BCS) professional awards to enhance your career prospects. See the BCS website for details.

British Computer Society (BCS)

Skills and knowledge

To be a network engineer you will need to have:

strong IT skills
excellent problem-solving skills
organisational skills to prioritise tasks
the ability to explain technical issues clearly
good people skills
the ability to work within a team
a commitment to keeping up to date with the latest developments.

More information

e-skills UK (Opens new window)
1 Castle Lane
London
SW1E 6DR
0207 963 8920
www.e-skills.com

Microsoft UK (Opens new window)
www.microsoft.com/uk

Novell (Opens new window)
www.novell.com

British Computer Society (Opens new window)
Block D
North Star House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN2 1FA
www.bcs.org.uk

Cisco Systems (UK and Ireland) (Opens new window)
www.cisco.com/cisco/web/UK

Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) (Opens new window)
www.comptia.org

National Skills Academy for IT (Opens new window)
http://www.itskillsacademy.ac.uk

Tomorrow's Engineers (Opens new window)
EngineeringUK
Weston House
246 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EX
Email: careers@engineeringuk.com
Tel: 020 3206 0400
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk

Opportunities

You can find jobs in sectors like finance, retail, local and national government or the NHS. You could also work for IT companies who deal with their own systems, or carry out contract work.

With experience, you could progress to network management jobs, or you could move into other areas of IT like project management, information security or consultancy. See the profiles for IT Project Manager and IT Security Coordinator for more information.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in a new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

Telecoms include people working in this industry, as well as people working with specialist telecoms qualifications in other sectors. The IT industry together with Telecoms is represented by e‐skills UK Sector Skills Council. The Telecoms industry is difficult to separate from the IT sector, since many of the new technologies use broadband data networks carrying high volumes of multimedia traffic. Telecoms is defined here as ‘telecoms manufacturing’ and ‘telecoms services’.

The Telecoms sector is one of the fastest changing in the UK as new technologies are being explored and developed. Migration from voice telephony to broadband data networks carry high volumes of multimedia traffic, which means that boundaries between Telecoms and IT are blurring.

Job roles are diverse, ranging from sales and customer‐facing roles to those that are highly technical. Good communication and problem‐solving skills are required as well as specialised knowledge.

Key facts:

There is a total IT and Telecoms workforce of 1.5 million of which:
- 890,000 people are in IT and Telecoms products and services
- 600,000 IT and Telecoms professionals are working in organisations outside of the IT and Telecoms industries
There are around 105,000 businesses in the UK offering IT and Telecoms products and services.
IT‐intensive sectors represent 55% of the UK's total Gross Value Added.
Less than 1% of those employed in IT and Telecoms occupations are under 18.
22% of companies who are trying to recruit IT and Telecoms professionals report difficulties in attracting applicants with the right skills.
51% of Telecoms professionals work outside of the industry.
The Telecoms workforce accounts for 1% of the UK workforce.
The workforce is predominately male working on a full‐time basis.
58% of the IT and Telecoms workforce has a degree or higher education qualification.
The Telecoms industry is likely to grow at a rate of 0.3% per year, which is lower than the UK average growth rate of 0.5%.
There are 8,530 telecoms manufacturing and services establishments in the UK employing 301,000 people, including 235,000 who are not Telecoms professionals.

Jobs in the Telecoms industry include: aerial rigging; equipment wirer and assembler; internal network construction; mobile switching engineer; network management; satellite communications; fibre optic installation and configuration; core access network technician; customer support; radio base station engineer; network planning.

National and regional data

Across the UK, there is an estimated IT and Telecoms workforce of 1.5 million who are predominately located in London and the South East. The IT workforce can be classified in Telecoms manufacturing and Telecoms services. The largest number of companies is located in:

Telecoms manufacturing
- South East
- London
- South West
- East of England
Telecoms services
- London
- South East
- East of England
- North West

Key regional facts:

39% of IT and Telecoms professionals are located in London and the South East
the East of England has the third highest number of IT and Telecoms employees
Northern Ireland, Wales and the North East combined comprise just 6% of the IT and Telecoms professionals
44% of all types of IT and Telecoms companies are located in London and the South East
38% of Telecoms manufacturing takes place in either London or the South East
the South West and East account for just 11% each of Telecoms manufacturing
the highest median gross weekly earnings for IT and Telecoms staff are in London, the South East and the East of England, which are all above the UK median

[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey (April‐June), 2009.]