What I do

I’m a Science Technician at Stour Valley Community School in Clare, Suffolk. I get equipment and chemicals ready for science lessons for students aged 11 to 16. I work across all sciences – biology, chemistry, and physics, and I also help in lessons as an extra pair of hands to make sure nothing too dangerous is taking place.

How I became a technician

It started back in sixth form, I had to re-sit my GCSEs and I also did a BTEC science course. I managed to get a distinction and distinction star and then I went on to study Applied Science Level 3 at sixth form. Funnily enough, one of the units I studied was about technicians. At the time, our school had three Science Technicians and we were able to speak to each of them about their jobs, which sounded interesting.

I realised that university wasn’t for me, and it was suggested that I should look into doing an apprenticeship as a Science Technician. I got in contact with my local college as they were looking for a technician and I ended up getting an apprenticeship with them. The apprenticeship was full-time in the workplace and took two years to complete and I’m now about to enter my eighth year in my current job!

A typical day in my
working life

I arrive at work around 7:30am and check my emails to see if any teachers are absent, as I arrange cover work for science teachers and sometimes it can be quite a tight turn around. I then check the teachers’ lessons for the day and whether they’re doing a practical or textbook work. Then I get the equipment ready for the first two lessons of the day and clear up anything left from the day before, load the dishwasher, and make sure I have space to set up new practicals. If there are any tests that need to be handed out, I'll go and give them to the teachers for that day. I'll then be there to help, answer questions and prepare the next lessons' practicals, getting all the equipment, chemicals and tools ready.

Don’t worry about exam results because they’re not the answer to everything. You will get there in the end!

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

I love seeing the students' excitement when they see me preparing for a practical or when they realise they're going to do a practical lesson. When I was a student, I loved a practical lesson but hated taking part in dissections! Now, I go into every Year 8 class and help students take part in them. When we are dissecting eyes, it's so fascinating to see them all dive right in end enjoy discovering something like that!

My school days

At school, I studied the usual GCSE subjects like maths, English, and science. For my options, I chose to study geography, history, and food technology. I didn’t do as well as my predicted grades. I’m autistic and was predicted higher grades but in exam conditions, I struggle to get what I’ve learnt down on paper. So, I re-took my GCSEs, added in health and social care, and replaced the sciences for a BTEC as that didn’t have exams, just coursework. Everything went better the second time round apart from my English, I didn’t give up though and kept re-taking it throughout my A-Levels (science, business and IT) in years 12 and 13 and then passed on my 6 th exam, I was so happy I screamed out loud! During school, I was also in the Girl Guides and I did the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and I still volunteer with Girl Guides now.

The best part of working in a team

I’m the only science technician in the school, and I work closely with the science team. Being included in department meetings and group emails makes me feel part of the team. It’s nice when the team checks in with me to see if I’m alright or offers to help with things like sorting out cover or practical clashes, we all work together and help each other out when needed.

The skills I use most

I use maths skills a lot and the job has helped me improve these skills. For the practical classes, I have to be organised and do a lot of planning. We’re quite a small school, so I need to make sure there aren’t equipment clashes and change plans around if needed. I also need to think and act quickly, especially if safety is at risk. Attention to detail is really important when setting up equipment, you need to be very precise and make sure everything is measured out equally and is totally safe before it goes out for a lesson.

My favourite piece of equipment

My weighing scales. I have my own scales which are super quick and always with me, I use them for everything!

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved in my job

Passing my apprenticeship was a big achievement. I graduated at the Royal Society of Chemistry building in London and was asked to give a talk about my experience as a school technician, since I was the only one in my group working in education. It was nerve wracking but I did it!

Since lockdown, I've also built up quite a following on X (Twitter), which I’m proud of. It has raised a lot of awareness about my work as a technician. Now I'm even part of a company's influencer scheme where I get sent equipment to promote and share online.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Don’t worry about exam results because they’re not the answer to everything. You will get there in the end!

A gloved hand dipping a test tube into water

Find out more about this role

Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.

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