Teaching laboratory technician

Teaching laboratory technicians provide important technical support within educational establishments to make sure students and academics get the most out of their lab time

As a teaching laboratory technician, you'll support the practical experimental work of science teachers, lecturers and their students within educational institutions including secondary schools, further education colleges and universities.

You will provide technical support, ensuring that equipment is functioning properly and is ready to use, and that the right materials are available for particular lessons. You will also work to make sure teachers and students:

• make the best use of the time they spend in the laboratory
• use equipment safely
• accurately record the results of their work.

You may sometimes work closely with students to explain or demonstrate experiments or how to use equipment and you may also support individual students on research projects.

The work of a scientific laboratory technician is similar to the teaching technician role but they tend to work more in government-funded research institutions, environmental agencies, hospitals and industry.

Responsibilities

Tasks vary depending on the size and type of educational institution, e.g. experiments tend to be less complex in schools than in universities. However, you'll generally need to:

• liaise with academic staff to discuss timetables, equipment requirements and work plans
• run trials of experiments prior to classes and then demonstrate techniques for experiments
• prepare equipment and chemicals before lessons - from test tubes to state-of-the-art microscopes, and turn laboratories and classrooms around in between practical sessions
• maintain and repair equipment and laboratory apparatus
• keep records, e.g. for students' practical sessions, tracking methods and results
• ensure that equipment is properly cleaned, and that chemicals, drugs and other materials are appropriately stored
• catalogue recordings and make them available when requested
• support the work of teachers in classes and laboratory sessions and give technical advice to staff and students
• work with individual students and support them on research projects
• manage the stock control of chemicals and equipment
• contribute to high-level research, if working at university level
• ensure that all health and safety procedures are understood and followed correctly
• coordinate work in the laboratory to ensure efficient use is made of expensive pieces of equipment.

Senior and lead technicians tend to take on more managerial work. This may include budgeting and ordering resources, conducting risk assessments and carrying out staff supervision and training.

Salary

• Salaries for teaching laboratory technicians are around £18,000 to £23,000, depending on your location and experience.
• Senior/lead technicians can earn in the region of £24,000 to £30,000.
• Universities tend to pay more than schools and colleges due to the more complex work required. Very experienced technicians in universities have the potential to earn between £30,000 to £36,000 in this role. Management roles may pay even more.

Many posts are part time or term time only. In these cases, salary is pro rata.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are regular and tend to be around 35 to 40 hours per week depending on the setting. You'll often need to start before 9am to have everything ready for early classes. You may also need to stay behind at the end of the day to ensure equipment is put away, cleaned or recorded.

You may occasionally have to work at weekends or evenings to assist with demonstrations at parents' evenings or open days at independent schools or universities. Out-of-hours work may also be necessary in higher education institutions, for example, supporting a research student who needs to monitor results at unusual times or on field trips.

Career breaks are often possible, though re-entering at a senior level after a long break is more difficult.

What to expect

• You're likely to spend most of your working day in the laboratory or prep rooms with some time also spent in the classroom. With possible occasional travel for training events or field-work trips with staff and students.
• Teamwork is important in this role, as you'll be liaising with academic staff, students and laboratory colleagues.
• You may be exposed to hazardous chemicals, dust, toxic waste, fumes and biological waste. You will therefore need to follow strict health and safety procedures and wear protective clothing.
• Some degree of lifting and heavy work is likely with the daily moving of equipment, machinery, samples and supplies.
• Jobs are available throughout the UK, in many schools, colleges and universities.
• The only requirements to travel away from your work base are either for training events or field-work trips with staff and students. Overnight absence is not typically required.

Qualifications

Although you don't need a degree to work as a teaching laboratory technician, the following degree, HND or foundation degree subjects may improve your chances:

• biology
• biomedical science
• biotechnology
• chemistry
• environmental science
• forensic science
• materials science/technology
• pharmacology
• physics.

Any degree that has a technical, IT or scientific element is useful.

Entry without a degree is common as many posts ask for GCSEs in English and maths, as well as a GCSE, A-level, T-level or equivalent in a related science subject. An interest in science or practical technical experience is also useful.

Relevant vocational qualifications include NVQs in Laboratory Science and/or Laboratory and Associated Technical Activities (Levels 2 to 4).

You can also find work as a laboratory technician through an apprenticeship. Relevant options include the Level 3 laboratory technician advanced apprenticeship and the Level 5 technician scientist higher apprenticeship.

Entry requirements are likely to be more demanding in higher education, particularly for universities with prestigious research departments. In these instances, a relevant degree may be useful against competition and some teaching laboratory technicians have postgraduate qualifications in science, although this isn't essential.

For any job that involves working with children, you'll need to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check (or the equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland).

Skills

You'll need to have:

• strong practical and organisational skills with the ability to manage your own workload
• forward planning and the ability to use your initiative
• excellent scientific and technical knowledge and good IT skills
• written and oral communication skills to communicate with teaching staff and students
• teamworking skills to work successfully with a team of technicians
• the ability to cope with competing demands
• a thorough, meticulous approach
• problem solving skills
• knowledge of safe working practices.

Work experience

Pre-entry experience is useful and helps you develop the necessary practical skills, as well as showing your interest and commitment to the field. Some degrees offer a placement year, which can be a good opportunity to see what working life in the sector is like.

You could also try to secure part-time work in a laboratory or scientific setting, or approach employers to see whether shadowing someone in their organisation would be possible.

As well as laboratory skills, it's also useful to have experience of working with children or within further or higher education. To help with this you could carry out voluntary work with children and young people or consider joining groups or committees at university, especially those related to scientific work.

It's also helpful to stay up to date with developments in the sector. You can get membership or access to useful resources and news from relevant organisations such as:

• The Association for Science Education (ASE)
• Institute of Science & Technology (IST)
• STEM Learning

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Teaching laboratory technicians may be employed in:

• schools
• sixth form colleges
• further education colleges
• universities
• other higher education institutions.

Education providers in both the public and independent sectors offer technician posts. Some schools or colleges may specialise in the sciences, and they could be a particularly useful source of employment.

Some of the larger employers, such as universities, have a strong scientific research tradition with excellent resources and laboratories that employ large teams. Work within these institutions tends to be more complex and may offer more career development opportunities.

Look for job vacancies at:

• CLEAPSS - Technician jobs
• Jobs.ac.uk
• New Scientist Jobs
• Times Educational Supplement Jobs
• Times Higher Education Jobs

Local council websites can be a good source of jobs, and universities produce regular online vacancy lists and sometimes have temporary posts attached to particular research grants.

Recruitment agencies occasionally handle vacancies.

Professional development

Training varies according to the type and size of the educational institution you work for. In small laboratories, it's likely to be carried out on the job with support from colleagues. Larger or specialist laboratories, particularly those within universities, may have a more structured training programme.

You'll be trained in health and safety due to the risks that may be present when working with chemical, physical and biological hazards. You'll also get technical training on the use of new equipment, techniques or IT systems. Sometimes this is carried out by the manufacturers or suppliers through specific induction training.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is important and development activities, including events, conferences and training, are offered by organisations such as:

• ASE
• CLEAPSS
• IST
• STEM Learning.

The IST, for example, offers several qualifications that are useful to teaching laboratory technicians. These include a higher diploma in the disciplines of analytical chemical, biochemical and microbiological laboratory techniques.

Membership of a professional body such as the ASE or IST can be particularly useful. In addition to providing resources and CPD opportunities, they are licensed by the Science Council to award Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) status. The IST is also licensed to award Registered Scientist (RSci) and Chartered Scientist (CSci) status, which may be an option for you as your career progresses.

Career prospects

Within schools, further education and sixth form colleges, you're likely to start your career as an assistant technician. With experience you can move into the role of technician, senior technician and then team leader technician.

In higher education institutions, especially those with large science faculties and a strong research base, you're likely to take the following route:

• technician
• lead technician
• senior technician
• laboratory manager.

Some universities employ senior technical staff as part-time lecturers, demonstrators or instructors.

To achieve promotion, you may need to move to a different educational institution or working environment. More senior posts tend to be more readily available in universities.

With plenty of experience in larger teaching laboratories, it's possible to move out of the purely teaching laboratory setting into other laboratory work in industry and technology. How possible this is will depend on whether you've specialised in certain areas in your teaching laboratory background, e.g. pharmaceuticals or biotechnology. You'll only get this type of experience in university laboratories. You may also move into other technical areas of work, such as health and safety, technical training or departmental management.

As you gain experience in a classroom or teaching setting, you may consider a career in teaching. While a laboratory technician background doesn't shorten the route to qualification, it does make you a strong applicant for course places and subsequent employment. Find out more about teacher training and education.