Field Service Engineer (IT)
Also advertised as: Field Service Engineer (IT), Field Support Engineer, Field Technician, Hardware Engineer, main line station engineer, main line station technician
Travels to customer sites to install, repair and maintain IT equipment.
What the job involves
Field service engineers visit customer premises to install, repair and maintain computers, printers, tills and other IT hardware. You diagnose faults on site, replace parts and keep customers informed throughout. The role suits people who prefer hands-on, varied work over a desk-based routine.
Typical responsibilities
- Travel to customer sites to install and repair equipment
- Diagnose hardware faults on site
- Replace parts and carry spare stock
- Complete service reports after each visit
- Provide customer updates and basic training
Common employers
- IT equipment manufacturers
- Managed service providers
- Retail chains
- Banks
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£22,000 – £28,000 a year
With experience
£30,000 – £38,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours, with a company vehicle and daily travel
Working environment
Customer sites across a region, varied locations
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Hardware diagnostics
- Time management
- Customer service
- Basic networking
- Health and safety awareness
- Driving
Transferable skills you may already have
- Trade or engineering background
- Customer-facing communication
- Working independently
Requirements employers ask for
- Hardware diagnostics
- Time management
- Customer service
- Basic networking
- Health and safety awareness
- Driving
- No formal qualification required
- Full UK driving licence usually required
- Full UK driving licence
- carry out measurements of parts
- geometry
- ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures
- perform pipeline routing studies
- consider the impact of material characteristics on pipeline flows
- create designs for pipeline engineering
- integrate measures in architectural designs
- analyse various types of water
- engineering principles
- apply health and safety standards
- types of pipelines
- metal bending techniques
Useful but not essential
- Trade or engineering background
- Customer-facing communication
- Working independently
- CompTIA A+
- Level 3 IT Support apprenticeship
- Manufacturer-specific hardware certifications
- maritime transportation technology
- survey sites for pipeline installation
- mitigate environmental impact of pipeline projects
- CAD software
- physics
- detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure
- advise on construction materials
- combine multiple fields of knowledge
Helpful qualifications
- CompTIA A+
- Level 3 IT Support apprenticeship
- Manufacturer-specific hardware certifications
Licences and checks
- Full UK driving licence
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Information Communications Technician (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: IT
- Related subject: Electronics
- Related subject: Engineering
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Field Engineer
next
Systems Administrator
next
Service Desk Manager
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Variety of locations rather than one fixed office
- Good entry point into wider IT careers
- Company vehicle often provided
What people find hard
- Significant time spent driving between appointments
- Can involve lifting and carrying equipment
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a field service engineer (it)?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a field service engineer (it) earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £22,000 to £28,000 a year, rising towards £38,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Trade or engineering background, Customer-facing communication, Working independently.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 16 September 2026.
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