Lab technician

[PrettyCandles]

What does a lab tech do? What sort of hours? What qualifications and experience are necessary? What's the pay like?

And if you're a lab tech, what do you like or dislike about your job?

'lab tech' is a very general term - what exactly did you have in mind?

just realised that you prob mean a "secondary education" lab tech.

sorry for being dim

I was a secondary school lab tech before I had dd3 (now 5). I specialised in biology and had two degrees in plant sciences. Two degress is definately not needed to be a lab tech though! I had had a lot of experience of lab work though, making up solutions and some microbiology work.

Main duties were to prepare equipment needed for practical lessons and to clean up (often washing up) afterwards. This involved making up solutions (bit like cooking!), finding equipment in storage areas, sometimes cutting up bits of food or plants, buying bits of dead animals (hearts, kidneys etc)from supermarket. After lessons the teachers would return the equipment to the prep lab nad I'd have to tidy it all away and wash up as needed.

I liked the fact that it was a varied job, and for me easy, nothing they ever asked me to do was too tricky!

The only thing I really disliked was washing up the things that had been forgotten about and left to go mouldy for weeks before being returned to the prep room!

I stopped as I went on maternity leave with dd3, have since had ds and hope that when he starts school I can go back to the job again (if there's a vacancy).

oh and hours, I can't remember exactly, but it was normally 9.15-3 most days so I could do school runs for dd1 and dd2. It was term time only too

I did it for a couple of years after university, was Physics lab tech, had degree in that subject.

Hours 9-5 with normal 4 or 5 weeks holiday a year. I think with most places you don't get the school hols off though? I didn't.

This was donkeys years ago but pay was terrible with little or no room for advancement unless you went into teaching, so that was why I left.

Duties = getting equipment out for practicals, setting up for exams, putting away. making sure everything is in good working order and ordering new stuff. doing risk assessments and writing them up for different equipment.

i liked being able to organise my own time, and having my own lab with my radio and able to mess around with equipment, soldering stuff and fiddling around.

I didn't like the pay or opportunities.

Our technician puts out all the equipment needed for practicals, and clears up afterwards. She makes up solutions, agars, etc and orders in supplies.

She also does a lot of photocopying.

I sometimes get her to help me in lessons, eg for a complicated demo.

It is not a well-paid job (12 - 15k), but ideal for a mum who wants something to fit around school hours. IME, the school can usually be fairly flexible about working hours.

You've hit the nail on the head, Mme Blueberry!

I've got just under two years until ds2 is at school full-time, need to decide what I'm going to be doing with myself and get any training or preparation under way.

Now, where can I find out what qualifications and experience are needed?

OK, in my school there were 5 lab techs, all part time (between 22 and 30 hours per week I think) term time only.

Of the five of us one came into the job as a temp when other staff member went on long term sick. She had no experience or qualifications, other than having a child at the school!

The other 4 of us all had degrees in science, I had a PhD as well. For the biology technicians we'd both had experience of microbiology / aseptic technique work.

I'm not sure that there are any qualifications as such specifically for lab tech work. I did a one day course by the council once I'd got the job, but it didn't teach me anything I didn't already know.

What experience do you have?

I have a Psychology degree, A-levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and one of my O-levels was in Biology. I've never worked in science. My last job before having children was in publishing. No experience of working in schools, but from about age 14 until I left uni I did a lot of youth work.

You don't have a lot of contact with students. The experience that is useful is lab experience. The higher skill areas are making up standard solutions and doing the microbiology work. Your A-level chemistry should be sufficient experience for making the solutions, and you should be able to find clips on the internet to help you refresh your memory. The micro work is a case of someone showing you what to do and supporting you the first few times.

You should be able to get on the job training, and there are special courses for school technicians.

There are specialised areas, such as handling radioactive sources, but it is really just a case of following procedures to the letter.

The most important attributes are a willingness to work in a team and have attention to detail, and a willingness to learn.

This sounds more and more interesting.

Do you know what or where these courses are?

Any idea which are the best websites advertising these types of posts?

I saw my job advertised in the local paper.

No idea about courses sorry.

Look at the schools' websites, the local press, or any LEA job flyer.

Ok, this is my dream job. I have a Chemistry degree (1984)and worked as a research/synthetic chemist for several years. but I haven't been in a work environment for ages (14yrs). Am I too old, what training could I do, will employers even consider someone like me. I know I could do the job and I know I could enjoy it, but would anyone give me a chance or am I too niave?
Sarah

I got my job 5 years after finishing my PhD, I'd not worked since then just had dd2.

I think it totally depends on who else applies for the job. When they came to employ my maternity cover there were no applicants with any relevant experience, but they had to employ someone, if only to wash up.

It really is the sort of job that you can learn as you go. Lots of it is just organisation and prioritising (working out which class to get ready for first when 3 teachers all put in late requests!). Making up solutions is mostly cooking and washing up is washing up!

If you want to update your skills I'd consider anything IT related (none of the technicians I worked with really got computers!). I think there are some free OU short courses online, some of those in general sciency topics can't hurt for your CV either, just to show you're interested and able to update your skills.

Don't let your age put you off, the others were all old enough to be my Mum and I was early 30s, so not that young!

Good luck

Age isn't a problem.

I'm an art technician at a large comprehensive in LB Richmond. I understand most techys get paid ball-park the same rates and I'm on about 18K full time around 6k for 15.5 hours week, and I pay my dog walker the same as I get paid per hour around £9/10.

I too spend quite a bit of time washing things and tidying generally as was mentioned earlier. I love it when I get student contact time in an arty capacity, but it is very occasional that I get a chance to use my teaching qualification in this way. But if you're science trained you'll use your science brain most days I imagine, it's not all elbow grease, and working around the family is fabulous with holdays off - brilliant. Hope this helps.

I was a part time lab tech in a university geology lab when I was doing my PhD. As everyone has said, the job involved getting the lab set up for practical classes amd tidying away afterwards. Also making sure that there was enough of everything in stock, keeping all lab machines working, serviced etc. Getting the lab set up often involved a lot of photocopying! And because it was geology I organised field trips too, which was great fun. Usually to the most appropriate pub! There is one in Sunderland actually built into the cliffs - very good for close-up examination of the Magnesian Limestone!

PS My boss was inundated with applications for my Art Tech job - all Mums wanting a part-time family-friendly role. When I applied, I was working PT as a PA in unrelated field, but my PGCE, teaching experience helped. As did working as an artist in spare time.

Have you got any science related experience in recent years of any kind - even helping out at children's school especially if it was a science project could all help with your application? My friend's a Lab Tech at a small private school. Her application was plain sailing, she was one of just 2 people who applied - she has a science degree but had been out of work for years when she got the job, so I think it really depends on the school.

If you can, ring the place and ask if you can look around as part of your application, and try to get a minute with the Head of Science if you can and or the current technician - it all helps. Good luck.