Alison Dolling

"I think it is very important to be the ‘Communicator’ type in my role. As a teaching technician you need to be able communicate with many different types of people and in different ways.

I support pharmaceutical students in their classes, including helping students who may be struggling and so I need to be the ‘Campaigner’ type.

Being the ‘Influencer’ type is also important for me. I am methodical, organised and logical, and need to have a good eye for detail when preparing classes and maintaining scientific equipment."

"I am a Teaching Technician in School of Pharmacy at a University.I love to work with the students and find there is nothing better than helping students who are struggling with a concept or practical part of an experiment, explaining it to them and helping them to understand what needs to be done."

"When she was younger, I found school quite difficult as English is not my first language and I also have severe dyslexia.

I originally did a Vocational qualification in Biology and Health Science and trained as a child nurse, but in the end, I made the hard decision that nursing was not the career for me. I always enjoyed working with students and teaching, and my motivation was to get others interested in STEM and to ensure that they get the most out of their education.

I started off working as a Technician in secondary school on a starting salary of around £20,000, and then got a job in my current institute working part-time as a Stores Technician and part-time as a Teaching Technician.

After a year, I was given the opportunity to work as a junior Teaching Technician, before being promoted to a Teaching Technician. I didn’t take the traditional route into this role, as most technicians have a related degree in the subject area. However, having experience can help a lot in getting into a technical role.

I am constantly inspired by the scientists and technicians where I work, in particular a junior technician who works really hard to ensure a good technical service and always pushes herself to learn new techniques.

I love being a technician and am excited to be building a career in this now."

"I am currently doing a part-time degree in combined STEM with the Open University which takes up a lot of my spare time.

Other than that, I love to read - especially murder mystery books. I also enjoy kayaking and swimming.

I am pleased that my job gives me the opportunity to travel as Technicians in universities can to go to conferences and attend courses in different countries. Recently one of the technicians from my institute went to work in Melbourne Australia for six weeks.

In the future, I would love to do a master’s degree in Medical Sciences which I hope will help me in my career. I would also like to be involved in leadership and to have a more active role in advocating technical careers to others."

"During term time I work in practical classes at least three days a week. This involves setting up classes and helping students during the classes.

On the other two days, I prepare for other classes and do maintenance on the equipment.

During non-term time, I help in the different research departments, preparing for the next academic year and being involved with outreach programmes."

"Vocational qualification in Biology and Health Science"