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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 Call Centre Workers in Somerset CLCI: OM CRCI: SA If you phone for an ambulance from Somerset you’ll probably speak to someone in Devon. Your call to order groceries, book your train ticket or renew a magazine subscription could mean talking to someone in Ireland, Scotland or even India. The job involves dealing with enquiries and requires a pleasant telephone manner, good IT skills and the ability to deal with the public. All sorts of businesses and organisations run call centres including manufacturers, publishers, banks, insurance firms, transport companies and advice agencies. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library. THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CALL CENTRE WORKERS IN SOMERSET Somerset does not have as many call centres as certain other places. There are roughly twenty call centres in the county. Some sell things like health insurance, hotel rooms, home improvements, DIY products, banking services and manufactured items. Others give advice on health, employment and money matters. Throughout the South West there are close to a hundred call centres employing between 8,000 and 10,000 people. Some call centres are located in their own buildings and only exist to make or take telephone calls. Others are sections of existing offices and factories. HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Continue with your education and start in a call centre when you are 18 or over   Start as a part-time call worker when you are a student   Start as a trainee – or Apprentice – and go to college as part of your job (not always very likely because call centres may want you to be a little older) USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   Good GCSEs in English, maths and – maybe – a foreign language can be a useful starting point   College and sixth form qualifications are good for some jobs   NVQs in Customer Service   Company training More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? One of Somerset's biggest call centre can handle up to 15,000 sales calls a day WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice (but it’s likely you’ll be starting when you’re older). Pay varies between employers especially as jobs can be full-time, part-time or through an agency. Many selling jobs involve a basic salary plus commission. Typical earnings could be £225-275 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’s quite a difference between call centres that sell things and those that give advice   There has been a big growth in call centre work but some firms are switching jobs to other parts of the world to save money   New call centres are opening up all the time (just as others close down)   Some business are employing less people as customers opt to use online services   Listening skills are important, you need to get things right and your work is closely monitored   Lots of targets makes the work stressful and pressurised   Customers can be awkward and you can expect to deal with complaints   Many call centre workers are in their twenties and may only do the job for a while WHO DOES THE WORK? John (18) works for a computer systems company in Yeovil where he has worked since leaving school. After initially arranging call outs for engineers he is just about to start on the computer helpline. John has made progress by doing company training and gaining NVQs in customer service. Sally (20) comes from Taunton and did a business course at college after leaving school. As a student Sally had a part-time job in a financial services call centre. After college she went full-time and with more experience dealing with customer accounts, Sally hopes to become a team leader. Eventually she would like to become a call centre manager. 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