A guide to IT consultant jobs

An IT consultant is a professional who provides advice generally in a particular area of expertise such as SAP, Oracle etc. In addition to providing advice, IT consultants often implement, deploy and administer IT systems on businesses’ behalf. 

IT consultants are not likely to be a direct employee of a company and are bought into an organisation due to a lack of in-house skills or available resource.

IT consultant can be a loose term and often confusing as it is used differently within many companies. It is usually referred to as an external person advising businesses. This is the context generally referred to in this guide. However there are many companies that advertise permanent internal roles such as IT consultant jobs or often SAP consultant jobs, Oracle consultant jobs etc.

Unlike being a contractor a consultant may have multiple customers at one time and maybe more about a long-term relationship rather than a specific project. An IT consultant is rarely employed by the client, but instead is in business for himself or for a consultancy firm.

Being an IT consultant sounds good. What do I need to do to become an IT consultant? 

• A relevant degree is expected e.g. computer science, engineering. Higher levels of qualifications are also common.
• Relevant experience.  Often, but not always, a minimum of five years specialist experience
• Highly skilled in your specialist subject area e.g. SAP, Oracle
• Geographically located.  40% of UK roles are based in London and South East  
• Ability to work to deadlines. Hugely important in a client facing environment.
• Personal skills. This is perhaps the most ignored yet as a consultant you have to be able to reassure clients, generate trust and confidence and communicate to many levels within an organisation. 

What money can I earn as an IT consultant?

• According to itjobswatch the average salary for an IT consultant is £52,272.  However this can be substantially higher based on your experience, client base and specialist skills. Many specialist consultants can earn up to £90,000 p.a.
• Salary as with any sector is often linked to supply and demand.  This is good news for specialist IT consultants - due to the current large number of significant private and public sector IT projects and the comparative lack of available skills and experience in the market

The benefits of being an IT consultant

• Status and prospects – Successful and experienced IT consultants are highly employable
• More money – basic rates (excluding benefits) are usually higher than that of permanent staff
• Freedom – Consultants can have greater flexibility and can take longer time off
• Variety and experience – Consulting often gives a greater variety of experience in different sectors and areas that otherwise would not have been possible
• International workers  – IT consulting jobs are often suitable for international workers, looking for jobs in the UK, who have the right skills but do not want to commit long-term.
• Tax benefits – Consultants with there own businesses who take professional advice can also greatly reduce the amount of tax they pay.

Do you want to look for IT consultant jobs?

Technojobs.co.uk advertises many types of IT consultant jobs including working for an IT consultancy company, consulting project roles and permanent in-house consultant roles.  Additionally candidates can set up an email alert, which highlights when a highly relevant role comes on to the market.

If you have the right experience and skills and personal attributes – then there are many exciting and worthwhile job opportunities currently available.