You could do a college course to learn some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. Courses include:
- customer service
- principles of customer service
- retail skills
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
Career Suggestion
Post Office customer service assistant
Post Office customer service assistants help customers in post offices and at counters in shops.
Average salary (a year)
£19000.0 to £27000.0 (starter to experienced)
Typical hours (a week)
30.0 to 37.0
You could work
weekends on a rota
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
College
Apprenticeship
You may be able to apply to do an apprenticeship with a Post Office shop or counter service. Options include:
- Retail Service, Supply and Administration Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
- Customer Services Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
- Retailer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
Foundation apprenticeship
You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.
If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- are in care or have been in care
- are in prison or have been in prison
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
More Information
- equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
- guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct Application
You'll need a good standard of education with numeracy and literacy skills, alongside good customer service skills, to apply for jobs.
You will be given training in Post Office products, services and computer systems by your employer when you start.
Many post offices are run as a franchise and are part of shops selling other goods and services. Each franchise will have its own recruitment and selection methods.
More Information
Career Tips
Customer service experience in retail, banking or hospitality will be helpful when applying for jobs.
Further Information
You can find out more about working as a counter assistant from the Post Office.
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- persuading and negotiating skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to sell products and services
- maths knowledge
- active listening skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- pass background checks
Day-to-day tasks
As a Post Office customer service assistant, you could:
- serve customers and deal with parcels, letters and stamps
- sell financial and retail products and services to meet targets
- pay out pensions and benefits
- accept bill payments
- deal with vehicle registrations and car tax
- check passport and driving licence applications
- sell travel insurance and foreign currency
- carry out stock checks and order supplies
- complete admin tasks and follow security rules
Working environment
You could work at a store.
With experience, you could progress to a position in a larger branch, or become an assistant branch manager or branch manager.
You might also open up your own Post Office franchise.