QA/Test Engineer
Also advertised as: Automation Tester, electronic equipment QA inspector, electronic QC inspector, electronic testing and inspection engineer, electronic testing engineer, electronics inspector
Finds defects and verifies that software works before it reaches users.
What the job involves
QA and test engineers design test plans, run manual and automated tests, and report defects back to developers. You work closely with the development team throughout the release cycle to catch problems early. It is a well-trodden entry route into software teams.
Typical responsibilities
- Write and execute test plans
- Build and maintain automated test suites
- Log and track defects
- Perform regression and exploratory testing
- Report on quality and release readiness
Common employers
- Software companies
- Banks
- Government digital services
- Retailers
- Consultancies
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£24,000 – £30,000 a year
With experience
£35,000 – £50,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours
Working environment
Office or remote, working within development teams
Remote working
hybrid
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
- Test design
- Test automation tools
- Bug tracking
- Basic scripting
- Attention to detail
- Agile working
Transferable skills you may already have
- Methodical checking
- Written communication
- Curiosity about how things break
Requirements employers ask for
- Test design
- Test automation tools
- Bug tracking
- Basic scripting
- Attention to detail
- Agile working
- No formal qualification required
- quality assurance procedures
- electronic test procedures
- use testing equipment
- electronic components
- measure electrical characteristics
- test electronic units
- electrical testing methods
- read standard blueprints
- analyse test data
- use measurement instruments
- inspect quality of products
- communicate test results to other departments
Useful but not essential
- Methodical checking
- Written communication
- Curiosity about how things break
- ISTQB Foundation
- ISTQB Advanced Level
- Level 4 Software Tester apprenticeship
- power electronics
- remove defective products
- waste removal regulations
- resolve equipment malfunctions
- write inspection reports
- microelectronics
- maintain test equipment
- check system parameters against reference values
Helpful qualifications
- ISTQB Foundation
- ISTQB Advanced Level
- Level 4 Software Tester 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
- Software Tester (Level 4)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Computing
- Related subject: IT
- Related subject: Maths
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Test Engineer
next
Test Automation Engineer
next
QA Lead
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Accessible entry point into software teams
- Clear certification path
- Good route into automation or development
What people find hard
- Can be treated as a lower-status role by some teams
- Release deadlines create testing crunches
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a qa/test 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 qa/test engineer earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £24,000 to £30,000 a year, rising towards £50,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Methodical checking, Written communication, Curiosity about how things break.
Related careers
Scrum Master
Helps agile teams work smoothly and remove obstacles to delivery.
CRM Administrator
Configures and maintains the software a business uses to manage customer relationships.
IT Support Technician
Fixes technology problems for staff or customers, from logins to hardware faults.
Software Developer
Writes, tests and maintains the code behind applications and systems.
Systems Administrator
Keeps servers, networks and business systems running day to day.
Site Reliability Engineer
Applies software engineering to keep large systems reliable at scale.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 15 September 2026.
Read how our career data is built and reviewed, or tell us if something here is wrong.