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Working Abroad Job Vacancies Job Hunting Guide Voluntary Work Working Part-time and Temping Useful Job Hunting Resources Working in Somerset Wages and Employment Rights Shop Assistants in Somerset CLCI: OE CRCI: SB There are many kinds of shops. There are well-known chain shops that can be found in almost every large town in the country. Some of these may have big branches on the edge of towns. Smaller shops might be located away from the main shopping centres. Or they might specialise in selling a particular type of product. Some businesses, such as cosmetic counters and fashion outlets in big stores, are franchises. Other shops, owned by local franchise holders, operate under the name of a big company. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT SHOP ASSISTANTS IN SOMERSET Thousands of people in Somerset work in shops. More people do this work than ever before. Most national retailers have at least two or three branches in Somerset. Others are represented in practically every town. The larger towns – such as Bridgwater, Taunton and Yeovil – have big retail units away from the town centre. Street’s Clarks Village has dozens of shops. There are small family-run shops, maybe with just one or two branches, throughout Somerset. These can be found in towns and larger villages (although not every village now has a shop). HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Go to college full-time to do extra qualifications or a business or retailing course   Start as a trainee – or apprentice – in a shop and go to college as part of your job USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   GCSEs in subjects such as maths and English are useful   A levels and BTECs in business subjects can help for management jobs   NVQs in retail and customer service (through an apprenticeship) More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? If you’re doing well at school, and are ambitious, you could study retail management at university WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. After that it depends whether you are working full-time or part-time. Most staff are paid an hourly rate depending on how much they work. Some shops pay commission or bonuses based on how much you sell. Average earnings for shop assistants are around £200-250 per week. FINDING A JOB   Connexions centres   Job centres   Through applying for work apprenticeships   School and college careers notice boards   Speculative letters/visits/emails   Newspaper and industry publications adverts   Adverts displayed at premises and on industry/company websites   Job offer after work experience   Word of mouth   A Guide to Job Hunting gives tips on CVs, interviews and job letters. To view click here OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WORK   There is often a basic choice between working in a food or non-food shop   In village shops many customers are regulars and like to stop and chat. In town centres they may want to buy quickly and move on   In some shops (such as furniture and electrical good retailers) customers need a lot of attention, purchases take time and you need excellent product knowledge. In places like supermarkets things are done without fuss   For many jobs you don’t need particular qualifications. Training takes place as you go along. Sometimes this means going away on courses   Working for a national company offers the chance of promotion and moving elsewhere   Some shops promote people to manager from their own staff. Others ask you to have certain qualifications if you want to be a trainee manager   You can get good retail experience by working part-time whilst still at school or college WHO DOES THE WORK? Hayley (20) comes from Street and worked in a chain store when she was doing her A levels at college. After leaving college she successfully found a place on the shop’s trainee management programme. Hayley is now working as an assistant manager in one of their branches in Devon John (20) grew up in West Somerset and did an Apprenticeship in a small shop close to home. John did NVQs in retailing as part of his training and, together with his experience, he reckons these have helped him find a really interesting, better-paid job in a clothes shop in Taunton More Info: A-Z Careers Careers information dates rapidly. Every effort has been made to ensure information is accurate but please check details before making firm decisions. Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Privacy Policy/Terms of Use