IT consultants are great communicators and have excellent organisational skills as well as a sound knowledge and understanding of IT systems

Your role as an IT consultant is to work in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. You'll work to improve the structure and efficiency of IT systems in various organisations.

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

Responsibilities

As an IT consultant you'll need to:

• work with clients to determine requirements and define the scope of a project
• plan timescales and the resources needed
• travel to customer sites
• liaise with staff at all levels of a client organisation

Salary

Salary is dependent on location, size and type of employer and is usually performance-related. Contract work is possible and daily rates range from CAD150 to CAD550+ a day, depending on your experience and your area of expertise.

• As a graduate IT consultant you can expect to earn CAD20,000 to CAD30,000.
• With significant experience, you can earn in the region of CAD32,000 to CAD40,000.

Working hours

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

Part-time work is unlikely, but career breaks are possible as work is project-based. While many IT professionals are independent contractors, it's best to gain some experience and contacts in the industry by working for an employer before going down this route.

What to expect

• The job is mostly office-based, working as a member of a project team. You'll often be based on clients' premises.
• Jobs are available in many large towns and cities in the UK, with client sites located throughout the country, but most employers are based in London and the South East.
• The work may be stressful and fast-paced, particularly when client deadlines need to be met.
• Travel within the working day to clients' sites is often needed, and overnight absence from home is frequently required. Overseas travel may occasionally be necessary depending on the employer and client.

Qualifications

You can enter IT consultancy work with any degree, but the following subjects may be useful:

• business studies
• computer science and software engineering
• electrical/electronic engineering
• information systems

If you have an unrelated degree you might need to show your interest in, and knowledge of, information technology. A 2:1 degree, previous work experience and a genuine interest in IT and consulting increases your chances of securing work.

Skills

If you want to enter the world of IT consultancy, you'll need to show:

• leadership ability
• communication and interpersonal skills
• teamwork skills
• a logical approach to problem solving and analysing

Work experience

Finding IT-related holiday work or an industrial placement or internship may lead directly to graduate employment. As a first- or second-year undergraduate, you can apply for internships in the industry. Work experience gained in a commercial environment helps demonstrate your commercial awareness, client management skills and ability to understand and communicate the business benefits of IT.

Competition for vacancies is high, so it's a good idea to start making applications for jobs to larger firms in the autumn term of your final year. Graduate places fill quickly and competition gets stronger as time passes.

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:

• financial services and global investment companies
• health
• manufacturing - including automotive
• the public sector

Some companies and consultancies specialise in one area of IT services, such as web design and internet solutions, or they 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. ia

Services

Consumer Service Technicians are employees whose primary responsibilities are the installation, maintenance, and repair of services provided to residential and small business customers. They may also perform installation, maintenance, repair and coin collection of payphone services. There are cable phone representative available as well.