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Office equipment service technician
Hours
30-40 per week
Starting salary
£12,000 + per year
Office equipment service technicians are responsible for installing, maintaining and repairing office equipment such as printers, scanners, photocopiers and fax machines. They may also deal with computer equipment. If you enjoy fitting and repairing things, and want to work in an office, this job could be just what you are looking for.
This job requires good problem-solving skills. You’ll need excellent technical skills. You’ll also need to be able to work quickly and under pressure.
You could gain some of skills you will need by completing qualifications, such as those offered by BTEC and City & Guilds.
WorkDesc
The work
As an office equipment service technician, your job would include:
- installing new or refurbished equipment
- carrying out scheduled maintenance checks
- diagnosing and fixing faults on site
- fitting replacement equipment
- returning faulty equipment to a repair centre
- logging repairs and writing up maintenance reports.
You may also be responsible for training office staff to use new equipment.
You can often combine this job with technical sales, which involves talking to clients about their business requirements, and advising them on upgrades or replacement systems and equipment.
Office equipment service technicians can also be known as field support technicians.
HoursDesc
Hours
You would normally work 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, although you may be on call to deal with out-of-hours problems.
You would be based at an office or repair centre, but as a field support technician you would travel from job to job.
IncomeDesc
Income
Starting salaries can be between £12,000 and £18,000 a year.
Experienced technicians can earn between £18,000 and £35,000 a year.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
You could gain some of skills you will need by completing qualifications such as:
- BTEC Certificate / Diploma in Operations and Maintenance Engineering (Electronics) Level 3
- BTEC National Award in Communications Technology Level 3
- City & Guilds Electrical / Electronics Servicing: Commercial (6958) at levels 2 and 3.
You may also be able to start in this career through an electronic/electrical engineering or information technology Apprenticeship. You will need to check which schemes are available in your area. For more information, see the Apprenticeships website.
You will need to have normal colour vision, and as a field support technician you will need a driving licence.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Once you are working, you would normally receive in-house training on specific equipment. You would also do training courses offered by equipment manufacturers, covering the machines they sell or lease.
You could take one of several work-based qualifications to develop your skills, which include:
- NVQ levels 2 and 3 in Electrical and Electronics Servicing
- BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Electronic Engineering.
If you carry out IT technical support duties alongside servicing, you can find details of relevant work-based qualifications for this role.
Please see the computer service and repair technician job profile for more information.
You could also study part-time for higher level qualifications like BTEC HNC/HND in Electronic or Electrical Engineering.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become an office equipment service technician, you will need to have:
- good problem-solving skills
- excellent technical skills and equipment knowledge
- the ability to work quickly and under pressure
- good customer service skills
- good spoken and written communication skills
- the ability to read technical diagrams and manuals
- an awareness of health and safety issues.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
Institution of Engineering and Technology 
Michael Faraday House
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 2AY
Tel: 01438 313 311
www.theiet.org
e-skills UK
1 Castle Lane
London
SW1E 6DR
0207 963 8920
www.e-skills.com
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You could find work with:
- equipment manufacturers
- companies which carry out sub-contract work
- large organisations with their own in-house support team.
Vacancies are advertised in the local press, in Jobcentre Plus offices and through recruitment agencies.
With experience, you could progress to service team leader or local or regional field support manager. You could specialise in areas such as IT services, contract management, helpdesk support or training. Alternatively, you could become self-employed.
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.
LMIData
Related industry information
Industry summary
The IT industry includes people in IT companies, such as those offering IT services, technology‐orientated consulting, technology development, systems analysis, programming, systems testing and technology sales. It also includes IT professionals working in other sectors, such as people whose primary job role is IT orientated, which includes IT departments and IT support staff in companies. The IT industry together with Telecoms is represented by e‐skills UK Sector Skills Council.
A sector trend is the convergence of telecommunications, computing and networking and the move from hardware intensive to software intensive platforms. Embedded voice communications capability is already part of the internet, which also has to manage voice, data and video and location information.
The social, economic and market forces shaping UK IT skills are evolving as technology continues to progress from the back office to the board room. This is changing the market for IT skills, creating demand for both technology‐oriented business people and business‐oriented technologists – and blurring the lines between traditional business and IT disciplines.
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.
- 58% of the workforce has a degree or higher education qualification.
- The IT industry is predicted to grow at a rate of 2.5% per year for the next ten years.
- There are 100,930 IT manufacturing and services establishments in the UK employing 600,000 people.
- The IT workforce accounts for 4% of the UK workforce.
Jobs in the IT industry include: Business analyst; Games developer; CAD/CAM Programmer/Trainer; IT trainer; Service technician; Software engineer/architect; Technology consultant; Web designer; Systems architect; Technical author.
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 IT manufacturing and IT services. The largest number of companies is located in:
- IT manufacturing
- South East
- London
- East of England
- IT services
- South East
- London
- East of England
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
- 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.]
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