Explore & Discover

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but it may help if you have some GCSEs or equivalent including English and maths.

Experience of dealing with the public and giving presentations could be useful, and additional languages may also help.

You may need a Blue Badge in Tourist Guiding to work in places like Westminster Abbey and York Minster.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent communication skills
• the ability to present information in an interesting way
• a good memory for facts, figures and events
• organisational skills for planning tours

3. What you'll do

You'll work in one place or accompany groups on driving or walking tours.

You'll escort groups around sites, giving information about history, purpose, architecture or other points of interest.

Role Training

You will more than likely recieve on the job training to ensure each tour includes importnat facts and features.

Role Description

You'll need

• excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations
• good customer service and clear communication skills
• an assertive but polite approach to difficult passengers
• good geographical knowledge
• If you travel abroad, you'll also need an understanding of overseas traffic laws and some basic foreign language skills.

What you'll do

• You could work for local bus companies, long distance operators, or holiday tour companies in the UK or overseas.
• You could also work in community transport, driving schoolchildren, hospital patients and older people to their destinations.

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• taking fares
• checking tickets and passes
• giving timetable or route information
• helping passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle
• driving safely and keeping to timetables
• If you're a coach driver, your duties may also include:
• greeting passengers and checking documents
• loading and unloading luggage
• making announcements during the journey
• making sure passengers are back on board for return journeys, and after scheduled stops
• keeping the coach clean and doing basic vehicle checks
• recording driving hours and reporting any incidents
• If you drive to overseas destinations, you’ll need to keep passengers up to date with travel information and deal with border control authorities.

Role Training

You'll need a:

• Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) licence
• Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), also known as a Driver Qualification Card (DQC)
• For some jobs you’ll also need a digital tachograph card
  

You'll usually apply to bus or coach companies and train on the job. Before you start training, most employers will expect you to:

• be at least 18 (21 if you want to drive a bus or coach abroad)
• have held a full driving licence for at least 12 months

Role Description

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

• measuring the work area and setting out the first rows of bricks (courses) and the damp course
• mixing mortar by hand or with a mechanical mixer
• laying the bricks on top of each other and applying the mortar with a trowel
• shaping and trimming bricks using hammers, chisels and power tools
• checking that courses are straight using spirit levels and plumb lines
• You'll work on a particular section of a building alongside other bricklayers on larger jobs.

Role Training

Some employers may expect you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in maths and English. 

You'll also need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.

Labouring or experience on a building site would be helpful.

You could complete a college course, but this isn't essential.

You could get a bursary, if you want to work in heritage conservation.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Go Construct has more information on becoming a bricklayer.

Role Description

You'll make metal products from flat sheets like ducting, pipes, panels and storage tanks. You could be working with anything from aluminium sheets for street signs to steel panels for car bodies.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• marking out sections following engineering drawings and instructions
• shaping and cutting out sections using hand tools and Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines, like laser cutters, presses and rollers
• finishing items with grinders and polishers
• assembling sections using riveting, welding and bolting methods

In heavy industry, where you might be known as a plater, you could build structures like ship hulls or drilling platforms using thicker metal plate.

Role Training

There are no set entry requirements.

Experience or a college qualification in engineering will be helpful.

You'll also need a Client Contractor National Safety Group (CCNSG) Safety Passport to work on most engineering construction sites.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board has more information about careers in metal working.

With experience, you could be promoted to site supervisor or foreperson, then into middle management. 

You could also become an engineering technician with further training or move into welding.

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• supervising a team of care assistants 
• writing care plans 
• monitoring patients’ vital signs, like blood pressure and heart rate 
• completing patient medication records 
• developing and leading activities for service users 
• keeping families up to date about their relative's progress 
• training and mentoring new staff 
• attending team meetings with service managers 
• providing emergency cover

Role Training

You’ll need: 

• experience in care work 
• a level 3 college qualification in health and social care
• clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
• You can also start in senior roles with a nursing qualification.
• You may need a driving licence.

Think Care Careers has more information about becoming a senior care worker.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no entry set requirements, but a good general secondary education would be useful. 

Experience of working in a kitchen, in hospitality or a catering service may also be helpful.

You could complete a college qualification in catering, but this isn't essential.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

the ability to carry out tasks quickly and competently

the ability to pick up detailed instructions quickly and follow them closely

good spoken communication skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

supporting chefs in a specific work section

washing, peeling and preparing food items

using a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters.

unloading deliveries

organising the storeroom

washing kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls

4. Salary

Starter: £11,500 to £12,500

Experienced: up to £16,500

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays. If you're based at a factory or catering business, your hours are likely to be more regular than in a restaurant. Part-time, casual or seasonal work may be available.

Your working environment will often be hot, busy and noisy. You may find this work unsuitable if you suffer from certain skin conditions.

You'll usually be provided with a uniform.

6. Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could become a trainee or junior chef. You could also progress into management or move into bar work or food service.

Role Description

You may work for high street retailers, mail order companies or online sellers. You'll be responsible for one area like fashion, cosmetics, DIY or electronics. 

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• analysing and forecasting trends from consumer data
• attending trade fairs to find new products
• managing product quality and getting customer feedback
• negotiating prices, orders and delivery dates
• presenting collections to senior managers
• tracking sales figures, managing stock levels and keeping to budgets
• checking and reacting to competitor activities 
• adapting quickly to changing consumer behaviour

Role Training

You'll usually need a degree or college qualification in retail or business. Some retail experience will also help.

Some companies offer buyer training schemes or management training schemes where you can specialise in buying.

You may also be able to work your way up from the shop floor to the role of buyer's administration assistant, then assistant or junior buyer.

You could start retail training through an apprenticeship.

Role Description

Skills required

You’ll need:

• an outgoing personality 
• excellent customer service skills 
• to work well under pressure 
• attention to detail

What you'll do

You’ll be responsible for serving customers and making up their orders. Your role is to make sure that customers enjoy their food and drink in a pleasant environment.

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• preparing the coffee shop ready for opening 
• taking customer orders and payments 
• grinding fresh coffee beans 
• preparing and serving sandwiches and cakes 
• cleaning and tidying work areas, equipment and coffee machines 
• creating displays of stock 
• doing stock checks and ordering new stock 
• cleaning and tidying the coffee shop before closing

Role Training

You may find it useful to have:

GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, in English and maths

experience of working in customer service or catering environment 

You could complete a college qualification in a subject like food safety or hospitality and catering, but this isn’t essential.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.