Salary for a pharmacy technician

[cunners89]

I am looking to start a career in pharmacy as a technician, i wondered what the average starting pay is for a technician, and also, what it can increase to once qualified and after years of experience?

[johnep]

Minimum wage seems to be the norm, most technicians tell that they would switch jobs for £8/hr. Hospitals have a career path all the way to top management.
johnep

[Raoul]

over a period of 3-4 years, the pharmacist should enrol you on some courses to complete NVQ1, NVQ2 and NVQ3, then your price will be around 8-10 pounds/ hour
on the otherside if you go for ACT you might be able to get between 12-15/ hour.

[cunners89]

thankyou, that is very helpfull. Salary sounds good to me!

cunners89

[dizzyb23]

Hospital Pharmacy Techs seem to get paid a bit more than Community Techs. I was paid more as a student tech in hospital than the amount i'm earning now working as Pharmacy Tech (slave) for a well known multiple.

[cornish girl]

Would love to know which multiplies are paying £8-10 per hour for registered tech, I have been registered for three years now and still not earning that. I work for a multiple and have done for many years (started as independant and sold twice to large groups). I do think they vary from group to group just not been lucky in getting one of the better payers!!!

[dizzyb23]

It's really annoying. I expected to earn a bit more after all that hard work studying. I've earned more in call centres reading rubbish from a script to some poor customer than I do dispensing scripts and advice.......
The mulitples try to get away with paying qualified folk as little as possible. Yet they pile on the stress/pressure/workload etc. My supervisor is also a Pharmacy Tech and she earns a bit more than me but it does not reflect the responsibility she has. Our pay reviews come up this October. I'm not expecting a realistic pay rise.

[SolomonQ]

I find all the staff (non-pharmacist) in the community sector sell their services short when compared to the amount of work they do, when a worker does walk, all the choas caused is supposed to be cleared up by the pharmacist (Manager), the "owners" couldnt care less about all the years of commitment, hard work and loyalty

also ironically what happens is when an employee leaves, the comapny actually saves all the money that would be otherwise paid as wage, until they hire someone else, they dont lose any income etc... as patients/customers dont stop coming just because one member of staff leaves, especially in a busy high street pharmacy, so in effect they make a small profit when someone leaves, maybe that explains the high staff turnover in the community pharmacy sector.

[Steve G]

Originally Posted by SolomonQ

I find all the staff (non-pharmacist) in the community sector sell their services short when compared to the amount of work they do, when a worker does walk, all the choas caused is supposed to be cleared up by the pharmacist (Manager), the "owners" couldnt care less about all the years of commitment, hard work and loyalty

also ironically what happens is when an employee leaves, the comapny actually saves all the money that would be otherwise paid as wage, until they hire someone else, they dont lose any income etc... as patients/customers dont stop coming just because one member of staff leaves, especially in a busy high street pharmacy, so in effect they make a small profit when someone leaves, maybe that explains the high staff turnover in the community pharmacy sector.

But the cost of recruiting new staff is extortionate - can't remember figures, but the cost was a surprise. Also, the company may lose income if the service in the pharmacy drops so much that patients go elsewhere. I think the reason for the high turnover of staff in the large multiples is because they are not overly nice places to work and staff don't feel valued.

[dizzyb23]

You are right, working in a large multiple is not fun.