Network Engineer
Also advertised as: Field Network Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer, Network Engineer, Network Support Engineer, Network Technician, Systems and Network Engineer
Designs, builds and maintains the networks that connect an organisation.
What the job involves
Network engineers keep connectivity working. You configure switches, routers, firewalls and wifi, diagnose performance problems and plan capacity and resilience. Cisco and equivalent certifications matter far more than a degree.
Typical responsibilities
- Configure and maintain network hardware
- Diagnose connectivity and performance faults
- Plan capacity, resilience and upgrades
- Maintain network documentation and diagrams
- Support security controls such as firewalls
Common employers
- Managed service providers
- Internet service providers
- NHS
- Universities
- Large corporates
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£27,000 – £33,000 a year
With experience
£42,000 – £60,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours plus out-of-hours change windows
Working environment
Office, data centres and site visits
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
high
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
- Routing and switching
- Firewalls
- Troubleshooting
- Network monitoring
- Documentation
Transferable skills you may already have
- IT support experience
- Structured fault finding
- Cabling and hardware work
Requirements employers ask for
- Routing and switching
- Firewalls
- Troubleshooting
- Network monitoring
- Documentation
- No formal qualification required
Useful but not essential
- IT support experience
- Structured fault finding
- Cabling and hardware work
- Cisco CCNA
- Level 4 Network Engineer apprenticeship
Helpful qualifications
- Cisco CCNA
- Level 4 Network Engineer apprenticeship
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
- Network Engineer (Level 4)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Networking
- Related subject: Computing
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Network Engineer
next
Network Architect
next
Infrastructure Manager
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Certifications are respected globally
- Strong step up from IT support
- Consistent demand
What people find hard
- Evening and weekend change windows
- Blamed for anything slow
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a network engineer?
- 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 network engineer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £27,000 to £33,000 a year, rising towards £60,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include IT support experience, Structured fault finding, Cabling and hardware work.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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