What is level 1 IT support? Tasks, pay and how it differs

Level 1 IT support is the first point of contact when someone at work has a tech problem. It's also called first line support, tier 1 or the service desk. Level 1 staff take calls, emails and chat messages, log each issue as a ticket, fix the common problems themselves, and pass anything more complex to level 2 with clear notes. In the UK it's the most common entry-level job in IT.

If you're wondering whether it's the right starting point for you, here's what the work looks like and what it pays.

What does level 1 IT support do day to day?

The National Careers Service describes the core tasks as responding to requests for help, logging issues on a tracking system, finding and fixing faults or passing them to the right team, setting up user accounts and security, and keeping knowledge bases up to date.

In practice, a typical day on a first line desk might include:

• Resetting passwords and clearing account lockouts
• Setting up new starters: accounts, email, laptop, access to shared drives
• Fixing Outlook and Microsoft Teams problems
• Sorting printer and scanner issues (there are always printer issues)
• Helping someone connect to Wi-Fi or the VPN
• Reporting suspected phishing emails to the security team
• Updating tickets and writing short knowledge base articles

Most of the job is a steady stream of these. Some days are quiet. Monday mornings and the first day after a big update rarely are.

For example, a single ticket might run like this. A user emails to say they can't open a shared folder. You check the ticket isn't a duplicate, confirm which folder, look up their group memberships in Active Directory, and see they were never added to the team's access group. Their manager approves the request, you add them, ask them to log off and on again, confirm it works, and close the ticket with a one-line note. Fifteen minutes, start to finish. Multiply that by thirty and you have a day on first line.

What's the difference between level 1, 2 and 3?

Support teams split work by complexity, so the hardest problems reach the people with the most knowledge and access.

Level 1 (first line) handles first contact and common, well-documented fixes. You follow procedures, use scripts and knowledge base articles, and escalate when something is beyond your access or experience.

Level 2 (second line) takes escalated tickets that need deeper technical work: server problems, network faults, application issues, complex permissions, device builds. Second line staff usually have more admin rights.

Level 3 (third line) is specialist or engineering support. These are often the people who designed or maintain the systems, or who deal directly with vendors such as Microsoft or a software supplier.

Smaller organisations blur the lines. In a school or small business, one IT technician might do all three.

Which tools will you use?

IT Jobs Watch tracks the skills named in UK job ads. For permanent 1st line support jobs in the six months to November 2026, the most common were Microsoft (53.9%), Microsoft 365 (53.3%), Windows (51.5%), customer service (44.6%), problem-solving (36.1%) and Active Directory (29.2%). ITSM (IT service management) tools appeared in 21.7%, Azure in 13.3%, Entra ID in 13.0%, ITIL in 10.5% and ServiceNow in 6.3%.

In plain terms, you'll live in three places: a ticketing system (ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshservice or similar), the Microsoft 365 and Entra admin portals, and Active Directory for on-premises accounts. Add remote support tools so you can see and control a user's screen.

Our IT service desk analyst guide covers the tools in more depth.

How much does level 1 IT support pay in the UK?

Here's the shape of UK pay at first line and the step above it.

For 1st line ads, the 10th percentile was £25,300 and the 90th was £34,835. Pay tends to be higher in London and in sectors like finance, and lower in smaller organisations, but the range is fairly tight compared with other IT roles.

What are the hours like?

The National Careers Service puts typical hours at 35 to 40 a week, variable, and notes that shift work can include evenings and weekends. Many service desks cover early starts and late finishes, and some run 24/7 for global clients.

Ask about the rota at interview. A 9 to 5 desk in a school is a very different life from a 24/7 managed service provider, even if the job titles match.

Is level 1 IT support a good job?

It's a good starting job. It's accessible without a degree, it teaches you how a whole IT estate fits together, and it's the springboard for most IT careers. The National Careers Service lists senior support, IT project management, network engineering, database administration, systems analysis and IT security as routes onward.

The downsides are real, though. The work can be repetitive. Some users are rude. Pay is modest at first. The people who do well treat first line as a training ground: they learn from every escalation, volunteer for projects and push for second line as soon as they're ready.

How do you learn IT support skills?

Here's the order I'd learn in:

1. Windows and Microsoft 365 from the admin side. Settings, user profiles, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive.
2. Networking basics. IP addresses, DNS, DHCP, and commands like ipconfig, ping and nslookup.
3. Active Directory. Build a free home lab with Windows Server in a virtual machine and practise creating users, resetting passwords and managing groups.
4. Ticketing and ITIL basics. Incidents, service requests, priorities, escalation.
5. An entry certification. CompTIA A+ is the one first line managers recognise most.

Free and low-cost resources cover all of this. Microsoft Learn has free modules on Microsoft 365 and Windows administration, and plenty of A+ video courses are free to watch. Spend money on practice exams and the exam vouchers, not on expensive bundles you may not need.

And practise the people side. Fix a relative's laptop and explain what you did without jargon. That's half of level 1 support right there.

For job titles and where to apply, see our first line IT support jobs guide.

How Experiencely can help

If you want to try level 1 work before you apply for it, our IT help desk programme includes training and three CompTIA certifications (ITF+, A+ and Cloud Essentials+), plus a live service desk placement. You're placed within 48 hours and work about an hour a day for three months, fully remote. The programme costs £2,495. If you're not hired within 60 days of finishing, you get your money back (conditions apply). You'll have handled real tickets by the time you interview.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Figures are taken from the sources below. Salary ranges are indicative and individual offers vary. Last checked 9 November 2026.

1. IT Jobs Watch: 1st Line Support jobs, UK
2. IT Jobs Watch: 2nd Line Support jobs, UK
3. IT Jobs Watch: Service Desk Analyst jobs, UK
4. National Careers Service: IT support technician