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WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A TRAINEE TECHNICIAN We spoke to Alex a trainee technician to find out Hi Alex Tell us what it is that you do in your job I am a trainee animal technician working at the Babraham Institute my role involves checking the animals on a daily basis and cleaning out cages I am also being trained so I can be licensed by the Home Office to carry out procedures If I pass I ll be able to start out with simple biopsies Other roles in my job include general maintenance of the rooms changing holding units and reporting on animal health and welfare I work in a GM transgenic unit in a team of about eight technicians so we all work together to make sure that everything gets done It s brilliant I love it How long have you worked as a trainee tech Just over 8 months My probation ends at about 9 months and then I will become a qualified junior technician Sometimes there is a 3 month extension if you haven t acquired all the required skills yet Did you work with animals before becoming an animal tech I have had some experience with animals before I did work experience at a zoo in Wales the education department of a wildfowl wetlands trust and as a grounds warden too but this is my first full time job working with animals I was also an assistant animal technician when I was studying a BSc in zoology at Bangor University That was more reptiles than mice I then went on to do an MSc in Molecular Biology So what encouraged you to become an animal technician I finished my Masters and was doing the obligatory job search when the Babraham role popped up I love the area of Cambridge and I really wanted to work here and I really love animals as well After doing so much academic research work I really wanted to do a more practical job that was hands on and involved handling animals because I hadn t done that for quite a long time being very lab based where I was

What is your usual day to day routine The first thing we do is check over the animals in the morning to make sure the environment is still optimal for the animals that they re in good health and behaving as expected I also prepare and serve up a mashed diet for the younger animals Did you have any worries about animal research before you began your job I think the only worry I had was about culling mice I wasn t sure how I would feel about that There s a lot of training to do and you want to make sure you get it all right But after that I was fine I was always a supporter of Next I check the welfare of the it beforehand but wasn t sure how I I like to think the animals and then it s usually on would personally feel about doing it scientists do all the I guess I m glad the animals are to doing any cleaning out that needs to be done sorting out research but really being looked after by people like me and replying to any orders that that have been well trained and they couldn t need completing and function without really want the animals to have the communications from our best welfare us scientists I also change any holding units or air handlers all the filters need What do you love most about your job to be done regularly I like interacting with the animals but what I love most is that I learn something new every Lastly I take care of emails and close up at day I work alongside a senior animal the end of the day We have to do the final technician so if there is ever something I husbandry checks before leaving making need I can ask him and there is always sure the animals are settled in for the night something like a new mouse line I ve not and have everything they need checking seen before I m also constantly learning new everything is where it should be cleaning the procedures during my training soon I will be room prepping all the equipment for the next learning to do biopsies injections and day and then it s usually time to go home dissections

Another part of the job that really interests me is working with other people s strains of mice You get to see slightly different phenotypes and how those mice are being used for research I just love learning something new every day How has being a member of the IAT helped you I was at the IAT technician s conference which was really fun A lot of the techs from Babraham came to UCL we got to interact with a lot of the equipment manufacturers and lots of their animal techs too which was really interesting It gave me a better insight into different aspects of the job and getting more information from manufacturers I think the IATs general resources such as the newsletter help me understand what s going on in the animal tech world on a bigger scale across the country It s really good to know how techs help out with the research and all the different conferences you can go to and meet new people helps give you a better understanding of the field as well What advice would you give to someone starting out as a technician I would say It s probably not going to be what you expect and there is a lot involved but you will learn a lot of new things very very fast in this field You will probably gain a deeper respect for techs that provide animals for research on how big of a scale and appreciate the size of the company you work within I just say enjoy it and learn as much as possible that s the best way to get on with it and how you will become a better tech in the end And lastly do you find animal technology rewarding Yes I like the idea that the animals we re rearing and the strains we re providing to the scientists will then go on to develop treatments for some of the biggest diseases in the country such as cancer My researchers are currently investigating the actions of proteins within cells of the immune system and how these proteins could be targeted by drugs to allow our own immune system to fight cancerous cells It is really rewarding to know that you are contributing to such important research Thank you Alex for giving us an insight into the world of a trainee technician we wish you all the best in your career