Jack
AAT Level 2 apprenticeship, AAT Level 3 apprenticeship
I never expected that starting as an administrator would lead me towards a career in accounting. Being given the opportunity to study AAT Level 2 has completely changed my career path.
Swipe right to explore the sector
Enter the world of business
If you are curious about how organisations work and want a future where you can shape ideas, influence decisions and create opportunities, this subject area is a strong place to start. You will explore careers in areas such as marketing, finance, management and accounting, while building a clear understanding of how businesses operate. Courses are available at Thurrock and Southend, with some adult learning options offered through partners including Mindful Education and Learn Direct, giving you flexibility in how you begin your journey.
Learn by doing
Your learning combines business knowledge with practical application so you can build skills that feel relevant and useful. You will explore areas such as entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, customer service and business operations, while developing strong employability skills including communication, teamwork, problem solving and analytical thinking. You will work on realistic business scenarios such as creating business ideas, analysing performance, developing marketing plans and managing budgets, using digital tools and financial software to understand how decisions are made.
Our facilities and your support
You will learn in professional environments designed to reflect real business settings, including meeting room and boardroom style classrooms. Collaborative spaces support discussion, teamwork and presentations, helping you build confidence in sharing ideas. Throughout your time here, you will be supported in developing your thinking, applying your knowledge and growing in confidence as you prepare for your next steps.
Where this could take you
This subject area opens up opportunities across a wide range of industries, with clear progression routes into higher level study, apprenticeships, university or employment in business and finance. You will leave with the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to take your next step and begin building your career in business.
Student Success Stories
Celebrating Success 2026: T-Level Design, Surveying and Planning Student of the Year – Ellianna-Star Naphtali
T-Level Design, Surveying and Planning
I really enjoy the work in design and surveying. The best thing about the college is how much I have learned. The course is well organised and as given me a good start.
Celebrating Success 2026: Business and Logistics Student of the Year – Mohdjamiu Lawal
BTEC National Foundation Diploma and Extended Diploma in Business
I live in Grays and the college was close. The college and the course were very good and there wasn’t one favourite part because I enjoyed everything about it. It was very friendly and inclusive. I would like to pursue investment banking. I’m going to take a gap year and then go to university.
Celebrating Success 2026: UAL Student of the Year – Sarah Connolly
Access to HE in Art and Design, Fine Art BA (Hons)
The course was brilliant and also challenging, but I’ve enjoyed every moment. I chose to go back to college because I knew I had potential. I started on Access to HE in Art and Design. I’ve overcome challenges and really appreciated the supportive environment.
Celebrating Success 2026: Business Student of the Year – Charlie Curtis
I’m 18 and completed the T Level in Business. I loved the work experience aspect which meant learning the technical knowledge of management and then applying it at the Holiday Inn in Southend. Choosing a T Level instead of A levels means you get work experience and a newer qualification that employers really like.
Leon Hildersley
Level 3 Business Administrator Apprenticeship
I was first inspired to take the apprenticeship route while studying my Level 2 Business Administration course. My teacher highlighted the benefits of apprenticeships as a practical, paid alternative to university that allows you to gain experience while working towards a qualification. That idea really appealed to me, and I knew it was the right path for me.
Jon Day
Access to Business
One of the most valuable aspects of the course was the discipline and structure it introduced. It challenged me in new ways, but it was also incredibly rewarding.
Pat Higgins
Screenwriting
I chose a Master’s in Screenwriting by research because it fit better with my role. I knew how demanding it would be.
Owen Williams
It’s important to discern between a good opportunity and one that isn’t… and to really understand the industry you’re stepping into.
Amanda Rowney
Access to HE Business Management
I would definitely recommend South Essex Colleges Group. The course was easy to access, the college is convenient to travel to and the tutors were supportive and approachable throughout. Having access to the right resources and guidance made a real difference to my experience.
Celebrating Success 2026: Business Student of the Year – Charlie Curtis
I’m 18 and completed the T Level in Business. I loved the work experience aspect which meant learning the technical knowledge of management and then applying it at the Holiday Inn in Southend. Choosing a T Level instead of A levels means you get work experience and a newer qualification that employers really like.
Celebrating Success 2026: Business and Logistics Student of the Year – Mohdjamiu Lawal
BTEC National Foundation Diploma and Extended Diploma in Business
I live in Grays and the college was close. The college and the course were very good and there wasn’t one favourite part because I enjoyed everything about it. It was very friendly and inclusive. I would like to pursue investment banking. I’m going to take a gap year and then go to university.
Our Courses
Level 3 Certificate in Sport and Physical Activity (Sports Business)
T Level Business and Administration
Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business
Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion Business and Retail
T Level Accountancy
AAT Level 4 Professional Accounting Technician Apprenticeship
Level 5 Apprenticeship CMI Operations/Departmental Manager
Level 2 Apprenticeship Business Administration Assistant
Level 3 Apprenticeship Business Administrator
AAT Level 3 Accounting Apprenticeship
AAT Level 2 Accounting Apprenticeship
T Level Foundation Accounting Level 2 AAT Bookkeeping Certificate
Leadership and Management Online Degree Pathway - HTQ
BTEC Higher National Diploma in Digital Technologies - Cybersecurity (HTQ)
BSc (Hons) Accountancy & Finance
iLearn Team Leading and Management
Principles of Management and Leadership CMI Level 3 Diploma (Online and On Campus)
iStudy Team Leading Level 2 Certificate (Online)
iStudy Level 2 Certificate in the Principles Customer Service (Online)
iStudy Level 2 Certificate in Digital Promotion for Business (Online)
iStudy Lean Organisation Management Techniques Level 2 Certificate (Online)
iStudy Information Advice & Guidance Level 2 Certificate (Online)
iStudy Event Planning Level 2 Certificate (Online)
iStudy Business Admin Level 2 Certificate (Online)
iStudy Bookkeeping & Computerised Accounts (Sage) Level 1 Award (Online)
iLearn Social Media Marketing & Digital Promotion for Business
iLearn Business Admin & Office Skills
Helping shape your career pathway
Scroll through the job areas to learn more about each pathway
Chartered and Certified Accountants
£26,766
Entry Level Salary
£35,866.75
Average Salary
£68,893.70
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Conducts investigations and advises management on financial aspects of productivity, stock holding, sales, new products, etc.
- Prepares periodic accounts, budgetary reviews and financial forecasts.
- Liaises with management and other professionals to compile budgets and other costs.
- Evaluates financial information for management purposes.
- Conducts financial investigations concerning insolvency, fraud, possible mergers, etc..
- Prepares tax returns, advises on tax problems and contests disputed claim before tax official.
- Audits accounts and book-keeping records.
- Prepares financial documents and reports for management, shareholders, statutory or other bodies.
- Plans and oversees implementation of accountancy system and policies.
Financial and Accounting Technicians
£20,124
Entry Level Salary
£45,917.01
Average Salary
£94,444.99
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Monitors accounting systems to determine accounts are being maintained effectively and provides information on accounting practices to auditors.
- Ensures invoices and payments are correct and sent out on time.
- Liaises with clients to ensure that payments are made on time and credit limits are not exceeded.
- Produces, collates and reports financial information for managers.
- Maintains profit and loss accounts, budgets, cash flow forecasts and other accounting records.
Book-keepers, Payroll Managers and Wages Clerks
£21,654
Entry Level Salary
£28,245
Average Salary
£46,830.31
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Calculates costs and overheads and prepares analyses for management.
- Compiles schedules and distributes or arranges distribution of wages and salaries.
- Processes holiday, sick and maternity pay and travel and subsistence expenses.
- Calculates and records hours worked, wages due, deductions and voluntary contributions.
- Supervises payroll team and develops payroll systems and procedures.
- Prepares provisional balances and reconciles these with appropriate accounts.
- Records and checks accuracy of daily financial transactions.
Finance Officers
£20,718
Entry Level Salary
£25,783
Average Salary
£41,395.81
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Coordinates the activities and resources of finance departments.
- Plans work schedules and assigns tasks to financial clerks.
- Prepares or arranges the preparation of financial reports for managers.
- Oversees the recording and checking of daily financial transactions, the preparation of provisional balances and reconciliation of accounts.
Records Clerks and Assistants
£20,430
Entry Level Salary
£25,964
Average Salary
£37,249.73
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Performs specialised clerical tasks in connection with conveyancing, litigation and the maintenance of medical records.
- Copies or duplicates documents or other records.
- Classifies, files, archives and locates documents and other records.
- Examines and sorts incoming material.
Transport and Distribution Clerks and Assistants
£19,476
Entry Level Salary
£24,367
Average Salary
£35,996.14
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Maintains records regarding the movement and location of freight, containers and staff.
- Obtains customs clearance and processes import and export documentation necessary for the movement of goods between countries.
- Monitors tachograph readings and maintains records of hours worked and distance travelled by drivers.
- Formulates delivery loads, vehicle schedules and routes to be followed by delivery staff.
- Processes customer orders and forwards requisition documentation to storage and distribution personnel.
Human Resources Administrative Occupations
£20,916
Entry Level Salary
£25,365.70
Average Salary
£37,471.48
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Implements and maintains HR records systems.
- Provides administrative support for training courses, work placements etc.
- Provides practical support for recruitment and selection procedures such as checking application forms, arranging interviews of candidates and ensuring the interview panel receive all relevant documentation.
- Arranges advertisements for jobs in the relevant media.
- Supports senior HR staff in the development and implementation of HR and industrial relations policies.
Office Managers
£20,952
Entry Level Salary
£31,102
Average Salary
£52,254.91
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Plans, organises and co-ordinates the activities and resources of other offices not elsewhere classified including box offices, other ticket offices and accommodation bureaux.
- Ensures that procedures for considering, issuing, amending and endorsing insurance policies are adhered to.
- Advises on the handling of all correspondence and enquiries relating to accounts, sales, statistical and vacancy records.
- Plans work schedules, assigns tasks and delegates responsibilities.
Office Supervisors
£20,574
Entry Level Salary
£30,216.91
Average Salary
£47,393.37
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Reports as required to managerial staff on work-related matters.
- Determines or recommends staffing and other needs to meet the organisation’s requirements.
- Liaises with managers and other senior staff to resolve operational problems.
- Establishes and monitors work schedules to meet the organisation’s requirements.
- Directly supervises and coordinates the activities of office staff.
Sales Administrators
£21,744
Entry Level Salary
£27,492.24
Average Salary
£43,871.83
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Carries out general sales and marketing administrative duties.
- Handles customer complaints or forwards them to relevant member of sales team.
- Prepares sales invoices and maintains records and accounts of sales activity.
- Fields telephone enquiries from prospective customers on behalf of the sales team.
- Help customers to place orders online through social media platforms.
- Provides information to customers on products and prices.
Other Administrative Occupations
£20,916
Entry Level Salary
£23,613
Average Salary
£38,345.25
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Checks figures, prepares invoices and records details of financial transactions made.
- Receives and distributes incoming and outgoing correspondence.
- Types reports, memos, notes, minutes and other documents.
- Stores information by filling in forms, writing notes and filing records.
Financial Managers and Directors
£22,590
Entry Level Salary
£46,839.96
Average Salary
£129,331.09
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Ensures compliance with accounting, recording and information storage, retrieval procedures and the statutory regulatory framework.
- Plans, organises, directs and co-ordinates the activities of financial institutions .
- Assesses and advises on factors affecting business performance.
- Determines staffing levels appropriate for accounting activities.
- Plans external and internal audit programmes, arranges for the collection and analysis of accounting, budgetary and related information, and manages the company’s financial systems.
- Participates in the formulation of strategic and long-term business plans, assesses the implications for the organisation financial mechanisms and oversees their implementation.
Marketing, Sales, and Advertising Directors
£45,504
Entry Level Salary
£64,521.80
Average Salary
£128,862.24
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Produces and/or assesses reports and recommendations concerning marketing, advertising and sales strategies.
- Stays abreast of changes in market trends and advertising rates.
- Controls the recruitment and training of staff.
- Examines and analyses sales figures, advises on and monitors marketing campaigns and promotional activities.
- Conceives advertising campaigns to impart the desired product image in an effective and economical way.
- Defines target group for advertising campaigns and implements strategy through appropriate media planning work.
- Discusses employer’s or clients’ requirements, plans and monitors surveys and analyses of customers’ reactions to products.
- Liaises with client to discuss product/service to be marketed and develops the most appropriate strategy to deliver the objectives.
Public Relations and Communications Directors
£36,216
Entry Level Salary
£51,631.78
Average Salary
£118,856.59
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Directs the arranging of conferences, exhibitions, seminars, etc. to promote the image of a product, service or organisation.
- Stays abreast of changes in media, readership or viewing figures.
- Reviews and revises campaign strategy and takes appropriate corrective measures if necessary.
- Liaises with client to discuss their needs and develops the most appropriate strategy to deliver the objectives directs public relations campaigns and communicates messages through a variety of media.
- Directs and oversees the work of the communications department of an organisation or work on behalf of clients at a public relations firm.
- Develops and reviews the public relations policy and direction of an organisation.
Human Resource Managers and Directors
£21,384
Entry Level Salary
£39,052.90
Average Salary
£74,186.40
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Stays abreast of relevant legislation, considers its impact on the organisation’s HR strategy and recommends appropriate action.
- Considers alternative work procedures to improve productivity.
- Examines and reports on company and departmental structures, chains of command, information flows, etc. and evaluates efficiency of existing operations.
- Develops and administers salary, health and safety and promotion policies.
- Undertakes industrial relations negotiations with employees’ representatives or trades unions.
- Provides or arranges for provision of training courses.
- Oversees the monitoring of employee performance and career development needs.
- Oversees the preparation of job descriptions, drafts advertisements and interviews candidates.
- Determines staffing needs.
Directors in Logistics, Warehousing and Transport
£49,626
Entry Level Salary
£97,062.52
Average Salary
£233,669.47
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Decides on storage conditions for particular items, allocates warehouse space and arranges for regular stock inspections to detect deterioration or damage.
- Prepares reports on expenditure and advises on materials and parts standardisation, future stores and stock control policies.
- Advises purchasing department on type, quality and quantity of goods required and dates by which they must be available.
- Reviews, develops and implements stock control, handling and distribution policies to maximise use of space, money, labour and other resources.
- Liaises with production, maintenance, sales and other departments to determine the materials and other items required for current and future production schedules and sales commitments.
- Ensures that regulations regarding hours of work, the licensing of crews and transport equipment, the operational safety and efficiency of equipment, the insurance of vehicles and other statutory regulations are complied with.
- Arranges for maintenance of airport runways and buildings, liaises with fuel and catering crews to ensure adequate supplies and resolves any complaints and problems raised by airport users..
- Oversees and directs the movement, handling and storage of freight in transit and the operations of transport hubs such as airports, railways stations and harbours.
- Plans the optimum utilisation of staff and operating equipment, and co-ordinates maintenance activities to ensure least possible disruption to services examines traffic reports, load patterns, traffic receipts and other data and revises transport services or freight rates accordingly.
Managers and Directors in Retail and Wholesale
£21,330
Entry Level Salary
£30,259
Average Salary
£61,418.89
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Examines quality of merchandise and ensures that effective use is made of advertising and display facilities.
- Authorises payment for supplies received and decides on vending price, discount rates and credit terms.
- Oversees the maintenance of financial and other records and controls security arrangements for the premises.
- Ensures customer complaints and queries regarding sales and service are appropriately handled.
- Ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and that stock keeping is carried out efficiently.
- Liaises with other staff to provide information about merchandise, special promotions etc. to customers.
- Appoints staff, assigns tasks and monitors and reviews staff performance.
Management Consultants and Business Analysts
£22,842
Entry Level Salary
£49,267
Average Salary
£86,511.78
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Runs workshops, and addresses seminars, conferences and the media to present results of research activity or to express professional views.
- Advises governments, commercial enterprises, organisations and other clients in light of research findings.
- Determines the appropriate method of data collection and research methodology, analyses and interprets information gained and formulates and implements recommendations and solutions.
- Identifies problems concerned with business strategy, policy, organisation, procedures, methods and markets.
- Assesses the functions, objectives and requirements of the organisation seeking advice.
Business and Related Research Professionals
£24,048
Entry Level Salary
£33,678
Average Salary
£58,681.50
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Discusses possible changes that need to be made in terms of design, price, packaging, marketing and promotion etc. in light of market research with appropriate departments.
- Manages and directs research, collates and interprets findings and presents results to clients.
- Liaises with client to understand their market research needs, establishes an appropriate quantitative and qualitative market research methodology and prepares proposals outlining programmes of work and details of costs.
- Deals with copyright issues and negotiates fees.
- Liaises with client on the appropriate image/s to be used.
- Researches images for clients in a wide range of media using specialist picture libraries and archives, museums, galleries etc., or commissions new images.
- Presents findings in the required format, via written reports or presentations.
- Provides support to criminal intelligence or to military or other security operations by gathering and verifying intelligence data and sources.
- Provides administrative support for programme development such as booking facilities.
- Briefs presenters, scriptwriters or journalists as required via verbal or written reports.
- Research sources for accurate factual material, finds suitable contributors to programmes or print features and deals with any copyright issues.
- Liaises with production team to generate and develop ideas for film, television and radio programmes.
Business, Research and Administrative Professionals
£20,952
Entry Level Salary
£42,892.37
Average Salary
£75,098.17
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Negotiates and monitors contracted out services provided by the private sector to local government studies and acts upon any legislation that may affect the local authority.
- Registers and maintains records of all births, deaths and marriages in local authority area, issues appropriate certificates and reports any suspicious causes of death to the coroner..
- Co-ordinates and directs the activities of Revenue and Customs offices, Job Centres, Benefits Agency offices and other local offices of national government.
- Advises national and local government on the interpretation and implementation of policy decisions, acts and regulations, and provides technical assistance in the formulation of policy.
- Controls and administers budgets.
- Prepares and reviews operational and financial reports.
- Develops plans, sets objectives and monitors and evaluates performance.
- Recruits and manages staff, assigns and delegates tasks and duties, makes changes in procedures to deal with variations in workload.
- Analyses internal processes and systems, recommends and implements procedural and policy changes.
- Coordinates the organisation’s services and resources, liaising with other senior staff.
Business and Financial Project Management Professionals
£26,154
Entry Level Salary
£49,772.25
Average Salary
£83,459.73
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Reports regularly on progress to the client or to senior managers.
- Ensures that each stage of the project is progressing on time, on budget and to the right quality standards.
- Negotiates with contractors and suppliers for materials and services.
- Selects and leads a project team.
- Draws up a detailed plan for how to achieve each stage of the project.
- Agrees timescales, costs and resources needed.
- Finds out what the client or company wants to achieve.
Shopkeepers and Owners - Retail and Wholesale
£23,328
Entry Level Salary
£33,965.50
Average Salary
£51,659.82
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Examines quality of merchandise and ensures that effective use is made of advertising and display facilities.
- Authorises payment for supplies received and decides on vending price and credit terms.
- Maintains financial and other shop records and controls security arrangements for the premises.
- Ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and orders new stock as required.
- Provides information about merchandise to staff and customers and ensures customer complaints are appropriately dealt with.
- Oversees staff training, rotas and the allocation of work.
- Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements.
- Defines the market position for the business, decides what to sell, forecasts demand and develops the brand image of the business.
Public Relations Professionals
£22,122
Entry Level Salary
£34,923
Average Salary
£63,390.52
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Develops and implements tools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of public relations exercises.
- Addresses individuals, clients and other target groups through meetings, presentations, the media and other events to enhance the public image of an organisation.
- Writes, edits and arranges for the effective distribution of press releases, newsletters, social media and other public relations material.
- Discusses issues of business strategy, products, services and target client base with senior colleagues to identify public relations requirements.
Advertising Accounts Managers and Creative Directors
£27,270
Entry Level Salary
£39,866.65
Average Salary
£73,066.63
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Arranges conferences, exhibitions, seminars, etc. to promote the image of a product, service or organisation.
- Stays abreast of changes in media, readership or viewing figures and advertising rates.
- Reviews and revises campaign in light of sales figures, surveys, etc..
- Conceives advertising campaign to impart the desired product image in an effective and economical way, including planning which media to use, such as print, television, radio or online advertising.
- Liaises with client to discuss product/service to be marketed, defines target group and assesses the suitability of various media.
Clothing, Fashion and Accessories Designers
£22,410
Entry Level Salary
£33,177.53
Average Salary
£59,216.57
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Observes and manages intellectual property issues.
- Oversees production of sample and/or finished product or produces one-off products for fashion shows.
- Specifies materials, production method and finish for aesthetic or functional effect.
- Submits design to management, sales department or client for approval, communicates design rationale and makes any necessary alterations.
- Prepares sketches, designs, patterns or prototypes for textiles, clothing, footwear, jewellery, fashion accessories.
- Undertakes research to determine market trends, production requirements, availability of resources and formulates design concepts.
- Liaises with client to determine the purpose, cost, technical specification and potential uses/users of clothing or related fashion accessory.
Tailors and Dressmakers
£20,844
Entry Level Salary
£21,660.53
Average Salary
£33,099.57
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Makes alterations to finished garments according to customer’s requirements.
- Shapes garment by pressing seams, pleats, etc..
- Sews garment parts together by hand or machine, makes buttonholes and sews on fasteners and trimmings.
- Pins/tacks and fits garment on customer or dummy model and makes any necessary alterations.
- Arranges pattern on correct grain of fabric, marks position and cuts out garment parts with hand shears, electric knife or cutting machine.
- Examines fabrics or skins for flaws and prepares materials for cutting.
- Prepares individual or adapts stock pattern.
- Takes customer’s measurements and discusses required style and material.
Artists
£18,342
Entry Level Salary
£36,668.85
Average Salary
£65,448
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Produces works on commission basis for clients.
- Markets and sells finished work directly to customers.
- Liaises with writers and publishers to produce book illustrations.
- Uses artistic skills to restore damaged artworks.
- Approaches managers of galleries and exhibitions in order to get finished work displayed.
- Builds up composition into finished work by carving, sculpting, etching, painting, engraving, drawing, etc..
- Prepares sketches, scale drawings or colour schemes.
- Selects appropriate materials, medium and method.
- Conceives and develops ideas and ways of working for artistic composition.
Business Associate Professionals
£18,468
Entry Level Salary
£27,231
Average Salary
£45,485.04
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Canvasses political opinion, writes and distributes leaflets, writes and distributes press releases and other such material to promote the image and policies of a political party or election candidate, arranges fund raising activities, and organises and participates in election campaigns.
- Purchases services, receives payment from clients, processes contracts and deals with contractual arrangements.
- Studies work methods and procedures by measuring work involved and computing standard times for specified activities, and produces report detailing suggestions for increasing efficiency and lowering costs.
- Studies department or problem area and assesses its interrelationships with other activities.
IT Project Managers
£25,704
Entry Level Salary
£42,521.06
Average Salary
£74,521.89
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Reports on project to senior management and/or client.
- Coordinates and oversees implementation of the project.
- Monitors progress including project budget, timescale and quality.
- Manages third party contributions to the project.
- Coordinates and supervises the activities of the project team.
- Plans the stages of the project, reviews actions and amends plans as necessary.
- Works with client or senior management to establish and clarify the aims, objectives and requirements of the IT project.
Call and Contact Centre Occupations
£21,438
Entry Level Salary
£24,293
Average Salary
£37,424.90
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Arranges for field staff to visit the caller if further assistance is required.
- Maintains details of calls received, the action taken as a result of a call and updates customer database as required.
- Advises on services available and sells additional products or services.
- Informs existing and potential customers on any immediate action to be taken, and refers the matter to a more senior member of staff if necessary.
- Interviews caller to establish the nature of any complaint or the requirements of the client.
- Answers incoming telephone calls from existing or prospective customers.
Telephonists
£20,034
Entry Level Salary
£26,702.75
Average Salary
£41,137.28
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Alerts emergency services in cases of fire, crime or accident.
- Provides directory information, dialling codes and details of charges.
- Gives advice on dialling and other special features available.
- Reports any faults on telephone operating system.
- Operates switchboard to connect outgoing calls or to relay incoming or internal calls.
- Receives callers and directs them to appropriate person or department.
Communication Operators
£24,588
Entry Level Salary
£34,051.43
Average Salary
£52,458.39
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Receives and handles incoming calls for emergency services, transmitting to the appropriate services.
- Performs routine tests and maintenance on equipment and reports faults.
- Keeps record of messages sent and received.
- Uses a teleprinter or telex keyboard to transmit messages to other teleprinters or telexes.
- Tunes transmitter to required channel or wavelength and relays or receives message to/ from person or vehicle.
- Receives messages, weather reports and other material to transmit.
Market Research Interviewers
£21,654
Entry Level Salary
£24,114
Average Salary
£37,149.14
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Collates and reviews information collected and compiles reports to pass back to the organisation/individual commissioning the market research.
- Collects questionnaires, diaries, and other research materials left with interviewees and conducts follow-up interviews.
- Records progress of interviews by noting answers, completing questionnaires, making audio or visual recordings or inputting responses into a computer.
- Approaches members of the public, individuals, households and organisations to arrange and conduct face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, focus groups, panel interviews etc..
Customer Service Occupations
£22,050
Entry Level Salary
£24,081.99
Average Salary
£36,657.10
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Informs customers of special promotions and new product launches.
- Addresses customer complaints and problems.
- Follows up clients to ensure their satisfaction with a product or service and to gain renewal of customer service agreements.
- Makes reservations, books tickets, organises insurance policies on behalf of customers.
- Discusses pricing processes with clients, agrees payment arrangements and handles customer accounts.
- Receives enquiries from potential and existing clients, discusses requirements, and recommends products or services.
Customer Service Supervisors
£22,284
Entry Level Salary
£33,187.82
Average Salary
£51,581.33
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Discusses customer responses with managers with a view to improving the product or service provided and to resolve operational problems.
- Establishes and monitors work schedules to meet the organisation's requirements.
- Develops and plans training for their teams.
- Liaises with clients and handles more complicated or sensitive complaints and queries.
- Directly supervises and coordinates the activities of a help and advisory services to provide support for customers and users.
Psychotherapists and Cognitive Behaviour Therapists
£27,864
Entry Level Salary
£35,660.03
Average Salary
£54,150
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Helps people come up with new ways to cope with their problems and to change their ways of thinking.
- Analyses events, behaviour, and habits to understand their mode of thinking and feelings.
- Talks with patients about their emotions, relationships and personal history.
- Assesses and provides treatment for people suffering with mental illness, stress, and emotional and relationship problems.
Clinical Psychologists
£40,914
Entry Level Salary
£42,864.80
Average Salary
£65,090.48
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Writes reports on their work and conducts applied research.
- Maintains required contacts with family members, education or other health professionals, as appropriate, and recommends possible solutions to problems presented.
- Helps patients to manage their own psychological conditions.
- Provides treatment or guidance using a variety of therapy and counselling techniques.
- Determines appropriate treatment and may refer patients to other mental health professionals.
- Administers tests to assess patients' needs through interviews, psychometric tests and observation of their behaviour.
Other Psychologists
£16,686
Entry Level Salary
£26,497
Average Salary
£66,329.06
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Applies psychological treatment methods to help athletes achieve optimum mental health and enhance sporting performance.
- Applies professional knowledge and techniques within the workplace, addressing issues such as job design, work groups, motivation etc.
- Maintains required contacts with family members, education or other health professionals, as appropriate, and recommends possible solutions to problems presented.
- Studies psychological factors in the treatment and prevention of mental illness or emotional and personality disorders.
- Analyses the effect of hereditary, social and physical factors on thought and behaviour.
- Observes and experiments on humans and animals to measure mental and physical characteristics.
- Develops treatment and guidance methods and gives treatment or guidance using a variety of therapy and counselling techniques.
- Develops and administers tests to measure intelligence, abilities, aptitudes, etc. and assesses results.
Counsellors
£21,132
Entry Level Salary
£25,763
Average Salary
£37,026.53
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Keeps accurate and confidential records.
- Refers to other appropriate sources of help.
- Presents different perspectives to the problem areas identified.
- Encourages clients to discuss their feelings in relation to their problems, aiming to ensure that an understanding of the issues is achieved.
- Meets clients face-to-face, working either one-to-one or with couples or families, or by telephone or internet.
Careers Advisers and Vocational Guidance Specialists
£23,058
Entry Level Salary
£27,044.79
Average Salary
£43,245.98
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Monitors progress and welfare of young people in employment and advises them on any difficulties.
- Organises careers forums and exhibitions and establishes and maintains contact with local employers, colleges and training providers.
- Liaises with employers to determine employment opportunities and advises schools, colleges or individuals accordingly.
- Visits educational and other establishments to give talks and distribute information regarding careers.
- Advises on appropriate courses of study or avenues into employment.
- Uses an interview, questionnaire and/or psychological or other test to determine the aptitude, preferences and temperament of the client.
Hotel and Accommodation Managers and Proprietors
£23,418
Entry Level Salary
£31,314.48
Average Salary
£55,720.31
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Arranges for payment of bills, keeps accounts and ensures adherence to licensing and other statutory regulations.
- Approves and arranges shipboard entertainment and shore trips and liaises with ship’s agent to ensure that ship is adequately provisioned.
- Ensures physical comfort of residents or passengers and makes special arrangements for children, the elderly and the infirm if required.
- Determines financial, staffing, material and other short- and long-term needs.
- Analyses demand and decides on type, standard and cost of services to be offered.
Restaurant and Catering Establishment Managers and Proprietors
£22,212
Entry Level Salary
£21,181.33
Average Salary
£51,220.29
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements.
- Checks that supplies are properly used and accounted for to prevent wastage and loss and to keep within budget limit.
- Plans and arranges food preparation in collaboration with other staff and organises the provision of waiting or counter staff.
- Verifies that quality of food, beverages and waiting service is as required, that kitchen and dining areas are kept clean and appropriate hygiene standards are maintained in compliance with statutory requirements.
- Purchases or directs the purchasing of supplies and arranges for preparation of accounts.
- Discusses customer’s requirements for special occasions.
- Decides on range and quality of meals and beverages to be provided.
- Plans catering services and directs staff.
Events Managers and Organisers
£18,846
Entry Level Salary
£25,216.14
Average Salary
£52,893.53
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Ensures that Health and Safety and other statutory regulations are met.
- Liaises closely with venue staff to ensure smooth running of the event.
- Plans work schedules, assigns tasks, and co-ordinates the activities of designers, crafts persons, technical staff, caterers and other events staff.
- Allocates exhibition space to exhibitors.
- Develops proposal for the event, and presents proposal to client.
- Discusses conference and exhibition requirements with clients and advises on facilities.
Advertising and Marketing Associate Professionals
£21,132
Entry Level Salary
£30,320
Average Salary
£63,599.40
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Briefs advertising team on client requirements, monitors the progress of advertising campaigns and liaises with client on potential modifications.
- Develops digital marketing strategies, such as the use of social media, to promote products, brands or services and presents options to the client.
- Through market research, discusses possible changes that need to be made in terms of design, price, packaging, promotion etc.
- Collates and interprets findings of market research and presents results to clients.
- Discusses business methods, products or services and targets customer group with employer or client to identify marketing requirements.
Marketing and Commercial Managers
£20,070
Entry Level Salary
£39,018.71
Average Salary
£68,315.97
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Builds relationships with clients, negotiates new business contracts, plans specifications and prepares details of the requirements for a project.
- Manages a marketing team and directs the implementation of marketing strategies for products and services.
- Produces reports and recommendations concerning marketing and sales strategies for senior management.
- Compiles and analyses sales figures, prepares proposals for marketing campaigns and promotional activities.
- Discusses employer’s or client’s requirements, carries out surveys or other market research and analyses customers’ reactions to product, packaging, price, etc.
- Liaises with other senior staff to determine the range of goods or services to be sold, contributes to the development of sales strategies and setting of sales targets.
Sales Accounts and Business Development Managers
£28,476
Entry Level Salary
£57,895
Average Salary
£107,547.18
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Keeps up to date with products and competitors.
- Produces reports and recommendations concerning marketing and sales strategies for senior management.
- Recruits and trains junior sales staff.
- Handles customer accounts.
- Compiles and analyses sales figures, prepares proposals for marketing campaigns and promotional activities and undertakes market research.
- Discusses employer’s or client’s requirements, carries out surveys and analyses customers’ reactions to product, packaging, price, etc..
- Liaises with other senior staff to determine the range of goods or services to be sold, contributes to the development of sales strategies and setting of sales targets.
Business Sales Executives
£18,036
Entry Level Salary
£31,625.68
Average Salary
£66,338.21
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Maintains records and accounts of sales made and handles customer complaints.
- Stays abreast of advances in product/field and suggests possible improvements to product or service.
- Makes follow up visits to ensure customer satisfaction and to obtain further orders.
- Quotes prices, credit details, delivery dates and payment arrangements and arranges for delivery and installation of goods if appropriate.
- Discusses customer requirements and advises them on the capabilities and limitations of the goods or services being sold.
IT Managers
£29,538
Entry Level Salary
£54,628.99
Average Salary
£94,206.53
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Reports on IT activities to senior management.
- Plans and monitors work and maintenance schedules to ensure agreed service levels are achieved.
- Supervises the technical team and coordinates training.
- Takes responsibility for managing the development of an aspect of IT provision such as user support, network operations, service delivery or quality control.
- Liaises with users, senior staff and internal/external clients to clarify IT requirements and development needs.
- Plans, coordinates and manages the organisation’s IT provision or a specialist area of IT activity.
IT Operations Technicians
£22,518
Entry Level Salary
£32,460
Average Salary
£51,979.76
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Acts as a liaison between users, outside suppliers, and other technical teams.
- Performs server backup and recovery operations and restarts systems following outages.
- Identifies problems, agrees remedial action and undertakes emergency maintenance if required.
- Analyses systems and makes recommendations to improve performance.
- Schedules and performs system maintenance tasks, such as loading user applications, programs and data.
- Configures and sets up new server systems.
- Administers, monitors and supports internal/external networks, servers, email and security systems.
IT User Support Technicians
£19,368
Entry Level Salary
£27,666.75
Average Salary
£44,917.96
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Reports on commonly occurring queries to detect underlying problems.
- Maintains a log of work in progress, calls received, actions taken and problems detected.
- Researches possible solutions in user guides, technical manuals and other documents.
- Refers more complex or intractable problems to appropriate IT professionals.
- Facilitates user access to systems.
- Installs and upgrades hardware, cables, operating systems and/or appropriate software.
- Advises users on how to resolve hardware and software problems.
- Provides technical support to IT users.
Cyber Security Professionals
£27,864
Entry Level Salary
£52,260.22
Average Salary
£91,590.62
Potential Salary
Daily Tasks
- Uses specialist software to gather and analyse information and evidence relating to cybercrime and presents findings to law enforcement officials or private clients.
- Deals with and reports on breaches in security.
- Makes recommendations concerning software/system quality.
- Develops quality standards and validation techniques.
- Develops test plans for security systems and undertakes and documents the testing of security systems weaknesses and errors, identifies source of problems and proposes solutions.
- Examines IT system for potential threats to its security and integrity and draws up response plans for situations where security is compromised.