IT consultant

As an IT consultant, you'll work in partnership with professional clients, advising them on how to use information technology to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Your work will improve the structure and efficiency of IT systems in various organisations.

You'll provide strategic guidance about technology and infrastructures, and will facilitate major business processes through effective IT. You may be called upon to provide guidance and technical expertise during other processes as well, such as selection and procurement, as well as user training and feedback.

Responsibilities

As an IT consultant, you'll need to:

• consult with prospective and existing clients to determine technical and business requirements, as well as define the scope and budget of a project
• clarify system specifications, understand the client’s work practices and the nature of their business, and manage their expectations
• plan timescales and resources
• visit client sites and liaise with staff at all levels of the business
• define network, hardware and software requirements
• analyse IT requirements within companies and give independent and objective advice on system usage
• develop agreed solutions and implement new systems
• present solutions via written reports and oral presentations
• help clients with change management activities
• purchase systems where appropriate
• design, test, install and monitor new systems
• prepare documentation and present progress reports to clients, highlighting issues that may impact on delivery
• organise training for users and other consultants
• be involved in sales and support and, where appropriate, maintain contact with client organisations to identify opportunities for additional consulting services
• identify potential new clients and build contacts
• keep up-to-date with current trends and new technologies in IT.

Salary

• As a graduate IT consultant, you can expect to earn between £22,000 and £31,000.
• With experience, you can earn over £38,000.
• At a more senior level, if you've identified a specialist area, salaries range from anywhere between £47,000 and £75,000, with the potential to earn over £80,000 in places like London. The exact salary depends on demand for your specific expertise.

IT consultant salaries across the UK are dependent on location, size, and type of employer, as well as experience, and are usually performance-related. Contract work is possible and daily rates will depend on your experience and area of expertise.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Although you'll generally work 9am to 5pm, the nature of the industry means extra hours are often required to meet deadlines. You'll also spend a lot of time travelling to sites, typically mirroring the client's own working hours.

Career breaks are possible as work is project-based. While many IT consultants are independent contractors, it's best to gain experience and contacts by working for an employer, such as a management firm, before going down this route.

Self-employment is possible once you’ve built up experience and a good reputation.

What to expect

• The job is mostly office-based, where you'll work as a member of a project team. You'll often be based on the client's premises.
• Although more companies are addressing gender imbalance in the IT sector, women are still undervalued, representing just 21% of IT specialists in the UK. See Women in Tech and BCSWomen for information and job vacancies.
• Jobs are available in many large towns and cities, with sites located throughout the UK.
• The work can be fast-paced and challenging at times, particularly when meeting deadlines.
• You'll need to travel during the working day and may be required to stay away from home overnight while visiting clients. Overseas travel may occasionally be necessary, depending on the employer and client.

Qualifications

A degree is necessary for becoming an IT consultant. However, you can enter the industry with qualifications that aren't IT-centric. Such subjects may include:

• business and computing/computing for business
• computer science and software engineering
• data science
• electrical/electronic engineering
• information systems
• mathematics
• other related computing, science or engineering disciplines.

Relevant work experience and a genuine interest in IT and consulting will increase your chances of securing work.

Tech Industry Gold is an employer-led accreditation for tech and digital learning. The aim is to give students the technical, business, and interpersonal skills needed for a career in the IT sector via industry-accredited degrees, apprenticeships or training programmes. There are also a range of IT degree courses that are accredited by BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Alternatively, you can do a degree apprenticeship. The Level 6 Digital & Technology Solutions Professional (IT Consultant) degree apprenticeship, for example, combines study with paid work, allowing you to train on the job whilst gaining a qualification. You can search for an apprenticeship using Find an apprenticeship.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification isn't required, but may be useful, particularly if your first degree isn't in a related subject or if you want to specialise in a particular area of IT.

Search for postgraduate courses in computer science and IT.

You may wish to start your career in an area such as systems administration, network engineering, or software development in order to build up your skills and experience.

Employers will also look for relevant, professional qualifications and certifications, such as those offered by Cisco, CompTIA, and Microsoft. Research qualifications carefully to make sure they align with your career aims, your chosen area of expertise, and the clients you want to work with.

It may also be possible to start in an entry-level role, such as IT support for a consulting company. From there, you can work your way up by taking further training.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills
• a logical approach to problem solving and analysing
• the ability to learn quickly
• excellent customer service skills
• the confidence to make big decisions that impact businesses
• teamworking abilities
• organisational know-how to prioritise heavy workloads
• project management skills
• the ability to communicate technical information to non-IT clients and colleagues
• leadership qualities
• flexibility and adaptability
• time management skills.

You'll also need a driving licence to visit client sites.

Work experience

It's vital that you get some IT-related work experience, such as an internship or industrial placement. Some degree courses include a year in industry where you can develop your skills through real-life projects, as well as build a network of contacts.

Work experience gained in a client-facing role helps demonstrate your commercial awareness, client management skills, and your ability to understand and communicate the business benefits of IT.

Competition for vacancies is high, so it's a good idea to start sending applications to larger firms in the autumn term of your final year.

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

Employers

You can find work within management consultancies, software and systems houses, and some large manufacturers of computing equipment and software. You may focus on a particular industry, or work across a range of sectors for your clients, including:

• construction
• education
• financial services and global investment companies
• healthcare
• manufacturing, including automotive
• the public sector
• transport
• utilities.

Some companies and consultancies specialise in one area of IT services, such as web design or internet solutions. Some may produce software tailored to a particular market. You'll need specialist knowledge and experience in that area to apply, or they may offer the necessary training.

Big recruiters take on recent graduates. Companies range in size, from small firms employing fewer than five people to industry giants, including Ernst & Young (EY).

Globalisation, outsourcing, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and social computing currently drive opportunities in the IT sector. A rising interest in environmental innovation, especially in products and services, is also creating new demand for consultants.

Look for job vacancies at:

• CWJobs
• IT Job Board
• Harvey Nash

Recruitment agencies such as Michael Page and VIQU commonly handle vacancies. For companies who employ IT consultants, see the Management Consultancies Association (MCA).

Once you've gained experience, contracting is an option and most job sites deal with contract roles. You can also search specialist sites like Contractor UK for leads.

Professional development

You'll develop technical and business skills through a combination of on-the-job training and in-house courses. You may be given training in a variety of programming languages and be taught the principles of systems analysis, as well as how to use specific project management and business software.

Other topics may include client interaction, communication, leadership, conflict resolution, sales, and presentation skills.

Formal training is more likely in larger companies, where you'll gain experience in a variety of working environments and systems. In some cases, mentoring schemes are available. You'll need to keep learning throughout your career and keep up to date with advances in new technologies and trends.

Professional qualifications and certifications, such as those offered by the BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT), Cisco, CompTIA, and Microsoft provide evidence that you've reached a certain professional standard and level of skill.

As a member of the BCS, you'll gain access to a range of information and guidance. The BCS also awards chartership as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) for those with a high level of experience and skills, as well as a commitment to continuing their professional development.

Other useful certifications include:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Certified Solutions Architect - for IT consultants working with cloud computing
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) - for IT consultants specialising in information security
• Project Management Professional (PMP) - to demonstrate your expertise in project management.

Career prospects

The IT industry is so diverse that you can develop your career in a number of ways, across a range of industries and sectors. As an IT consultant, your immediate prospects depend on the size and type of organisation you work for. Movement between employers is common.

Most large consultancies have an established career structure for their staff, with frequent appraisals and an emphasis on individuals managing their own career. You might move from handling daily responsibility for a project to a more strategic role within team leadership. You'll typically start as a junior consultant, developing your knowledge early on, before moving into mid-level roles and then on to senior consultant.

There are opportunities to specialise in a specific area of IT, such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, or software development. Alternatively, you could specialise in a particular sector, such as health or education.

You may also choose to take on greater responsibilities in another part of the organisation, including training and recruitment, research and development, project management, or sales.

Other ways to progress include moving into a more strategic business direction, either for a company or a management consultancy firm. You could also opt to work as a self-employed contractor.