Courier
Career outlook for courier
Average UK salary
£25,480
Currently employed in Scotland
8,300
"LMI for All" supplies our salary and employment status information. "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.
What's it like?
You would collect packages, documents and letters from customers and use a van, motorbike or bike to deliver them quickly and reliably.
Most of your work would be for businesses which need to send something to another business or to a customer. The parcel may be urgently required or it may contain confidential documents that cannot be posted.
The package would probably need to be delivered as soon as possible after you pick it up.
You’d usually work in and around large towns and cities. But you could also work on cross-country deliveries.
You would:
- Collect a schedule of pick-up points and deliveries from your depot
- Plan routes and sort the jobs into order for dropping off the items
- Find the quickest routes to delivery addresses
- Sign for the packages that you pick up and get signatures when you deliver them
- Keep paperwork and delivery records up to date
You’d usually drive a van or ride a motorcycle, but in larger cities you might work as a bicycle courier.
Working conditions
Hours
Travel
UK employment status
Full-time
54%
Part-time
42%
Self employed
5%
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- Resilience
- Positive attitude
- Reliable
- Time management
- Taking initiative
- Developing a plan
- Resourceful
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Qualifications
No formal qualifications are required but most employers will value a good general education with English and maths. Some employers will ask for qualifications at SCQF level 4/5.
Useful subjects
- English
- Maths
- Geography
You will also need
- A driving licence will be essential for some jobs.
- You may need your own car, van, motorcycle or bicycle.
- You may need to pass a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Disclosure check for some jobs.
Helpful to have
Qualifications and experience that demonstrate employability skills such as good time keeping and physical fitness.