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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 Motor Mechanics in Somerset CLCI: RAE CRCI: GJ Light vehicle motor mechanics work with cars and small vans. Heavy vehicle mechanics work with lorries, buses, coaches and other big vehicles. Light vehicle mechanics work in small garages, fast fit centres, large dealerships and for organisations with fleets of cars (such as the police). Heavy vehicle mechanics work for bus and coach companies, road haulage businesses and for organisations with lots of large vehicles (such as gas, electricity and telephone companies) To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your Careers or Connexions library THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MOTOR MECHANICS IN SOMERSET Garages and workshops are found all over Somerset in towns, villages and in the countryside. They vary in size. Small garages might employ up to 5 or 6 people. Large places may have up to 30 or 40 staff. There are also one-person businesses dotted all over the place. For heavy vehicle work it’s worth remembering that there are road haulage firms along the M5 and the A303. Vehicle fleets (including ambulances, police cars, mail vans and fire engines) are more likely to be found in bigger towns like Bridgwater, Taunton and Yeovil. HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the job for you   Go to college full-time for an NVQ or BTEC motor vehicle course   Start as a trainee – or apprentice – with a garage or workshop and go to college as part of your job USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   Good GCSEs in maths, English, science and design technology can be a useful start   BTEC and NVQ motor vehicle engineering qualifications (either at college full-time or part of your apprenticeship) More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? If you are doing well at school you could think about following automotive engineering all the way through to university. This could lead to a job with a car maker or a management job in the motor industry WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. Once qualified and experienced motor mechanics can earn up to £400-500 per week in some of the larger garages in Somerset 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   This is a popular job and openings can be hard to find. You’ll need to try hard for an apprenticeship. Getting a Saturday job when at school can help   Other jobs with vehicles include tyre fitter, exhaust fitter, body repairer and paint sprayer   Vehicles are being serviced less often as they become more reliable   Fitters fit new parts when old ones wear out. Technicians do servicing, MOTs and diagnose what needs to be done   You need to have patience and perseverance, be organised and enjoy problem solving   Mechanics need to be practical and interested in how things work   Technology is changing all the time. This mechanics have to keep up to date WHO DOES THE WORK? Kevin (19) lives in Frome and did motor vehicle engineering at college. As part of his course Kevin did work experience in a garage that eventually offered him an apprenticeship. During his training he gained a good set of NVQs at levels 2 and 3. Kevin is now fully-qualified with big plans to open his own garage Lorraine (18) comes from Yeovil and is doing an apprenticeship with a major dealer. Not only is she doing NVQ and BTEC qualifications but she is also going on the car maker’s own courses. Lorraine’s plan is to stay with the same garage and become a service manager within the next 5-10 years 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