Information Technology Support Analyst Student

An IT support analyst student is a trainee or placement-year position fixing the technology problems that staff across an organisation run into - laptops that won't boot, passwords that won't reset, software that won't install, printers, phones and network access. You work on a helpdesk (often called a service desk) logging and resolving tickets, usually supervised by more experienced analysts. The "student" part normally means the post is aimed at someone on an industrial placement, a degree apprenticeship, or a structured trainee scheme rather than a fully qualified hire.

Starting salary: £18k–£24k
Live graduate jobs: Search all jobs
Main way in: Industrial placement or sandwich year
They usually ask for: A degree (or current study) in computer science, IT…

Approximate graduate salary

For a placement or student year, typically around £18,000–£24,000 pro rata, and for a first permanent graduate-level support role roughly £22,000–£30,000 to start - but this varies a lot by sector and location, with London, finance and specialist consultancies paying noticeably more than charities, education or smaller regional employers.

What you'd actually do

Working through a ticket queue - the list of logged problems staff have reported - picking up jobs, recording what you did and closing them once resolved
Taking calls, instant messages or walk-ups from colleagues who can't log in, can't print, or have a laptop behaving oddly, and diagnosing the cause by asking questions and checking logs
Resetting passwords, unlocking accounts, creating new user accounts and setting permissions, usually in Microsoft Active Directory or Entra ID (the systems that control who can log into what)
Building and configuring laptops and desktops for new starters: installing the standard software image, setting up email, encrypting the drive, labelling and asset-tagging the kit

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Remote-controlling someone's machine with support software to fix an issue while they watch, or going to their desk if it needs hands-on work
Escalating anything you can't fix to second-line or specialist teams (networks, applications, security) with a clear write-up of what you've already tried
Smaller side projects your supervisor hands you - updating the knowledge base articles, auditing hardware stock, helping with a software rollout or an office move

How graduates get in

Industrial placement or sandwich year - the most common route for a post advertised as 'student'. Typically a 12-month paid placement between the second and third year of a computing, IT or business information systems degree.
Summer internship, usually shorter and more project-flavoured, sometimes converting into a placement or graduate offer.
Degree apprenticeship in digital and technology solutions, where you work in IT support while studying part-time for a degree - increasingly common in large employers, the NHS, local government and banks.
Direct application as a recent graduate to a first-line or service desk analyst job. Many employers hire straight in without a formal scheme, and this is a very normal way into IT.

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Level 3 IT apprenticeship or college route followed by moving up - common in the sector and worth knowing about, though it isn't a graduate route.
Internal moves - people who have done admin, retail or call-centre work and shown aptitude with systems are sometimes moved onto the service desk, particularly in smaller organisations.

What employers ask for

A degree (or current study) in computer science, IT, information systems, networking or similar is usual for the placement version. For direct-entry service desk jobs, the subject often doesn't matter at all - demonstrable interest and aptitude counts for more.
Grades are usually not a barrier. Many employers ask for a 2:2 or simply 'on track to pass'; some large graduate schemes ask for a 2:1. This varies widely.
Evidence you've actually handled technology - a home lab, building PCs, running a Raspberry Pi, helping at a school or society with their IT, a part-time job doing anything customer-facing. Employers weight this heavily because the role is practical.
Entry-level certifications help but are rarely mandatory: CompTIA A+, ITIL Foundation (ITIL is a widely used framework for how IT services are organised and tickets are handled), or the Microsoft fundamentals certificates such as AZ-900.

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Right to work in the UK, and for some employers security clearance - government, defence, policing and parts of finance will need BPSS or higher checks, which take time and sometimes residency history.
Willingness to work shifts or be on a rota. Many service desks cover extended hours; some run 24/7.

Skills that matter

Structured troubleshooting

You need to narrow down a vague complaint like 'it's slow' by eliminating causes methodically, rather than guessing and hoping.

Explaining technical things without jargon

Most of the people you help are not technical, are often stressed, and need to understand what to do next in plain words.

Clear written ticket notes

Whoever picks the ticket up after you - including second-line teams - works entirely from what you wrote, so vague notes create repeat work.

Working Windows and Microsoft 365 knowledge

The overwhelming majority of UK corporate support work is Windows, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive, so comfort with how they break saves hours.

Basic networking concepts

Understanding IP addresses, DNS, VPNs and wi-fi authentication lets you tell the difference between a user problem and an infrastructure problem.

Patience and composure under repetition

You will reset the same password and explain the same fix many times, sometimes to people who are annoyed, and your tone shapes how IT is perceived.

Scripting curiosity (PowerShell in particular)

Automating a repetitive task is the single clearest way to stand out and the usual stepping stone off the first line.

Putting these on a CV? We counted which skills 12,914 live graduate adverts ask for, and what to do with the answer — part of our application advice.

Where it leads

First-line or service desk analyst - answering and resolving the bulk of incoming issues, learning the organisation's systems. Placement students usually sit here for their whole year.
Second-line or desktop support - harder faults, more hands-on work, often owning a site or a set of applications. Typically after a year or two, but this depends entirely on vacancies and how much you've taught yourself.
Specialisation. This is where the paths split: infrastructure and cloud (Azure, AWS), networking, cyber security, application support, or database administration. Which one you take usually depends on what the employer needs and what certifications you pursue.
Senior or third-line engineer, or a move sideways into service delivery, IT project work, business analysis or product support. Some people find the people-and-process side suits them better than the technical depth.
Longer term: team leader, service desk manager, infrastructure manager or consultant. Timelines vary enormously - some move up in three or four years, others stay on the technical track for a long time by choice.

What people get wrong

“It's a dead end for people who couldn't get a 'proper' tech job.”

The service desk is one of the most reliable entry points into UK tech, including cyber security and cloud engineering. It gives you something developers often lack: a working map of how the whole organisation's systems fit together and what actually breaks.

“You need to be a brilliant coder.”

Most of the job is diagnosis, configuration and communication. Scripting helps you progress, but plenty of strong support analysts write very little code - and plenty of strong coders are poor at support work.

“It's mostly working alone with machines.”

It's a customer service job that happens to involve computers. A large part of your performance is judged on how you handle people, meet response targets and write things up, not just whether the fix worked.

“'Student' means it's unpaid or trivial work experience.”

These are normally paid placement or apprenticeship posts with a real ticket queue and real accountability. You'll be fixing problems that stop people doing their jobs, not shadowing.

Where this varies

The experience differs sharply depending on where you land. In a large bank, university or NHS trust, the service desk is tightly structured around ITIL processes, you handle a high volume of similar tickets and escalate anything unusual. In a small business or a managed service provider (an outsourced IT company serving many clients), you may be the whole IT function - touching servers, networks, phones and purchasing in your first month, with far less supervision but a much broader skill set. MSP work in particular is known for being fast, varied and demanding. Public sector and defence roles often come with longer security vetting and slower change but better job security and pension. Remote versus on-site also varies: some desks are fully remote, others need you physically present because of hardware and building access.

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General guidance about the role across the UK market, not about any specific employer. Entry routes and requirements vary — always check the individual job advert.