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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 Office Workers in Somerset CLCI: CAT CRCI: AD Enormous numbers of people work in offices. Some are in managerial and professional jobs. This leaflet covers the more general clerical and administrative jobs such as clerk, administrative assistant and clerical assistant. It doesn’t include specialist roles like secretary or receptionist. General office work involves dealing with the post, taking and making telephone calls, keeping and recording information and using photocopiers and fax machines. Sometimes it can also involve typing, some reception duties and figure work. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your Careers or Connexions library THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT OFFICE WORKERS IN SOMERSET Nearly all organisations have some sort of office. This includes councils, government departments, factories, hospitals, schools, colleges, garages, warehouses, legal businesses and shops. Some of these might be in a building full of offices (an “office block”); others may be in a small part of another type of building (such as a factory). This means there are offices in towns, villages and the countryside throughout Somerset. The biggest concentrations are in towns. Taunton, in particular, has many regional branches, headquarters and government offices. HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Start as a trainee – or apprentice – in an office and go to college as part of your job   Do a full-time college/sixth-form course. This could be to add to your overall qualifications or gain a business administration qualification USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   GCSEs are important (especially maths and English)   Extra qualifications (such as A levels) can help for some jobs   NVQ, BTEC, OCR and other business administration qualifications at levels 1-3 More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? Somerset County Council is the biggest employer in Somerset. It has offices throughout the county WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. Most office jobs pay above the minimum wage and many office workers earn between £10,000 and £14,000 a year. Earnings are usually higher for office managers and senior staff 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   Rather than doing the same tasks all the time many office jobs involve doing different things (known as “multi-tasking”)   You need to be good with people and able to work as part of a team. Sometimes you need to follow instructions; other times you have to take your own initiative   It helps to have a good telephone manner and keyboard skills. You’ll need to be confident about using computers, photocopiers and fax machines (training will be given)   The pace of work varies between offices and different days. Often things are hectic, sometimes they are manic, other times it can be slow   Offices often recruit people through employment agencies or on temporary or part-time contracts. One job can lead to another   Job prospects are quite good in Somerset and there’s often a shortage of young trainees   Being keen to learn is important. Things are always changing with new IT packages and ways of doing the work WHO DOES THE WORK? Leroy (17) always wanted to work in an office. After leaving school he started an apprenticeship working in the office of an engineering company in Yeovil. His job involves some typing, opening the post, photocopying and anything else that needs to be done in his office Jenny (24) lives in Wells and went to college to do a business administration course. After working as an office junior in an insurance office she is now office manager at a warehouse. This involves managing three people and deciding how the office is run 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