Explore & Discover

Role Description

Entry requirements

You don't always need qualifications to become a web designer, but you’ll usually need to show that you’ve got skills in:

visual design
UX (user experience)
SEO (search engine optimisation), marketing and social media
using coding software like HTML and CSS
using design software like Photoshop and Illustrator
You may also find it useful to have basic photo editing and copywriting skills.

Some employers will expect you to have a portfolio of work to show them, like websites you've worked on.

Colleges offer a wide range of courses, and there are lots of free online tutorials.

You could also take a college or higher education course in a web design or multimedia subject.

You may be able to get into this role through an apprenticeship.

Tech Future Careers has more information on tech roles including web design. 

The UK Web Design Association (UKWDA) and Bubble Jobs have more information about becoming a web designer.

Skills required

You’ll need:

strong creative skills
the ability to pay attention to detail
good problem-solving skills and a logical approach to work
the ability to explain technical matters clearly
an ability to work to deadlines

What you'll do

You could work on any kind of website, from education to shopping. You’ll often be responsible for managing the design of your client’s other online services like mobile applications, social media accounts and digital marketing campaigns.

Your day-to-day duties might include:
meeting clients to discuss what they want their site to do
preparing a design plan
deciding which branding, text, colours and backgrounds to use
laying out pages and positioning buttons, links and pictures using design software
adding multimedia features like sound, animation and video
testing and improving the design and site
uploading the site to a server
You’ll work closely with web developers and marketing professionals.

Salary

Starter: £18,000 to £24,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £40,000 (more in senior roles)

Self-employed web designers set their own rates.

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll normally work 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. You may have to work extra hours to meet deadlines or when there are problems with a website. 

If you’re self-employed, you’ll set your own working hours.

You’ll work indoors in an office or in your own home at a computer. You may spend some of your time travelling to meet clients.

Career path and progression

With experience you could move into design team management or expand your skills to become a web content manager. 

You might work towards a move into business management.

You could also work as a freelance web designer, or set up your own web design business.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no entry set requirements, but a good general secondary education would be useful. 

Experience of working in a kitchen, in hospitality or a catering service may also be helpful.

You could complete a college qualification in catering, but this isn't essential.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

the ability to carry out tasks quickly and competently

the ability to pick up detailed instructions quickly and follow them closely

good spoken communication skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties could include:

supporting chefs in a specific work section

washing, peeling and preparing food items

using a variety of kitchen equipment such as mixers, special knives and cutters.

unloading deliveries

organising the storeroom

washing kitchen appliances, work surfaces, floors and walls

4. Salary

Starter: £11,500 to £12,500

Experienced: up to £16,500

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays. If you're based at a factory or catering business, your hours are likely to be more regular than in a restaurant. Part-time, casual or seasonal work may be available.

Your working environment will often be hot, busy and noisy. You may find this work unsuitable if you suffer from certain skin conditions.

You'll usually be provided with a uniform.

6. Career path and progression

With experience and further training, you could become a trainee or junior chef. You could also progress into management or move into bar work or food service.

Role Description

You’ll support senior finance officers and finance managers to prepare and develop accounting information.

• Your day-to-day duties could include: 
• recording financial transactions on computer systems 
• producing financial forecasts 
• dealing with payroll, invoices, expenses and VAT 
• carrying out financial audits 
• creating monthly, quarterly and annual budget reports 
• presenting report findings to finance managers

Role Training

You’ll usually need GCSEs, including maths and English. 

A levels in maths, business studies or economics may also be useful. .

Some employers may ask for a relevant degree, or an accounting or bookkeeping qualification, like those offered by the Association of Accounting Technicians.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• carrying out and writing up pre-installation surveys
• marking out ventilation, wiring and pipework ducts in walls, and sealing openings, like air vents
• working out the volume of space to be filled, and the amount of insulation needed
• drilling holes into the walls of a building
• injecting insulation materials into cavity spaces through the holes in a specific order
• re-filling the holes and re-pointing mortar
• checking all airbricks and flues are clear
• making sure materials and methods used meet building regulations

Role Training

Some employers may ask for:

• GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in subjects like English, maths or design and technology
• experience of using power tools and a knowledge of basic brickwork
• a driving licence

Although not essential, you could complete a short course offered by a product manufacturer, a general construction course, or a course in insulation and building treatments.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

With experience, you could become a team leader or estimator, set up your own installation business, or move into wider construction trades. 

Role Description

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need experience as a training officer. 

A degree or postgraduate qualification in business studies, human resources or communications might be useful.

Other qualifications which may help are:

training qualifications offered by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
qualifications in teaching or lecturing in further education (FE)
skills assessor or verifier awards
You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Skills required

You’ll need:

the ability to relate to staff at all levels
excellent communication and negotiating skills
the ability to coach people and give constructive feedback
presentation skills
IT skills

What you'll do

You’ll design and coordinate training that covers your organisation's present and future needs.

Your day-to-day duties could include:

identifying priorities and drawing up training plans
producing training materials
working with external providers to develop specialist courses
managing and leading a team
updating training records
writing reports, keeping records, and working within budgetsmaking sure training is cost-effective
In a smaller organisation you may also deliver some of the training.

Salary

Starter: £18,000 to £22,000

Experienced: £30,000 to £40,000

Highly Experienced: £45,000 or more

These figures are a guide

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to be flexible, to cover things like residential courses or workshops, or work shifts.

You’ll be office-based, but may travel between company sites or to training venues like hotels or conference centres.

Career path and progression

With experience and contacts, you could become a freelance trainer or consultant.

Role Description

You could work in the public sector for a local authority, housing association or government department. 

You could also work in the private sector for a building contractor, property company, civil engineering or architecture firm.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• finding out a client’s needs and assessing if their plans are feasible
• working out quantities and costs of materials, time and labour for tenders
• negotiating contracts and work schedules
• advising on legal matters, including risks and disputes 
• monitoring sub-contractors and stages of construction 
• writing regular reports on costs and preparing accounts for payment
• keeping up to date with construction methods and materials 
• following health and safety and building regulations

Role Training

You'll need a degree or professional qualification accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This can be a quantity surveying degree or a postgraduate conversion course from any degree. Useful subjects are construction, structural or civil engineering, mathematics, geography, economics or land studies.

You could also start work as a junior or trainee quantity surveyor, a surveying technician or surveying assistant, then study to become a quantity surveyor.

You could also get into this job with an apprenticeship.

You’ll need to be a member of RICS (MRICS) to become a fully qualified chartered surveyor. For this you’ll need to complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).

Role Description

Entry requirements

There are no set qualifications but you'll usually need:

basic English and maths skills
good eyesight and colour-normal vision
a good driving record and the correct licence
You may need to be over 21 and have held a full driving licence for at least 12 months.

Many vans are less than 3,500kg. If you drive vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,000kg, you may need further training depending on when you passed your driving test.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Skills required

You'll need:

excellent practical driving skills
the ability to work quickly and to tight deadlines
lifting and carrying skills
the ability to complete record sheets and paperwork

What you'll do

You may deliver parcels, letters and documents, groceries, furniture or equipment. This could be for postal or courier services, supermarkets or retailers. Your vehicle could vary in size, depending on the load and your licence.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

collecting goods from a depot, warehouse or pick-up point
loading the vehicle in an order that matches the deliveries you'll make
planning the route
greeting customers, getting signatures and giving invoices when you deliver
recording mileage and fuel you buy
updating delivery records
returning undelivered items

Salary

Starter: £14,000

Experienced: £20,000

Highly Experienced: up to £27,000

Some employers offer bonuses for attendance and for reaching work targets.

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work between 36 and 48 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Some courier companies may expect you to drive through the night.

For safety reasons there are legal limits on drivers' hours, depending on the type of vehicle.

For some jobs, you'll be given a uniform and specialist clothing.

The job is physically demanding.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could complete training for a large goods vehicle (LGV) licence for opportunities in freight transport and tanker driving.

If you take specialist training, like defensive driving and personal security, you could drive vehicles containing cash and valuable items. You'd also usually need a Security Industry Association (SIA) licence for this.

Role Description

Magazine Journalist:

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• going to meetings to plan the content of the magazine 
• suggesting ideas for articles 
• interviewing and researching to collect information for articles 
• writing articles to suit the magazine’s style 
• keeping up-to-date with developments and trends in the magazine's subject area 
• working as a critic, reviewing things like films, food or concerts

Newspaper Journalist

You could be reporting on council meetings and school fêtes for a local paper, or on general elections and world events for the national press.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• investigating a story as soon as it breaks
• following up potential leads and developing new contacts
• interviewing people face-to-face and over the phone
• attending press conferences
• recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
• coming up with ideas for stories and features
• writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the reader
• sub-editing other reporters' articles for publication
• writing up articles for online publication

Broadcast Journalist

You could be reporting on council meetings and school fêtes for a local paper, or on general elections and world events for the national press.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• investigating a story as soon as it breaks
• following up potential leads and developing new contacts
• interviewing people face-to-face and over the phone
• attending press conferences
• recording meetings and interviews using recording equipment or shorthand
• coming up with ideas for stories and features
• writing up articles in a style that will appeal to the reader
• sub-editing other reporters' articles for publication
• writing up articles for online publication

Role Training

There are no set requirements, but most new magazine journalists have an HND, degree or equivalent qualification. 

Paid or unpaid work experience is a good way to build up your skills and a portfolio of published work to show employers. You could gain this with magazines or other publications, including student papers, fanzines, charity newsletters, websites or blogs.

You’ll usually need knowledge of the subject area your magazine deals with. 

You may be able to get into this job through an apprenticeship.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) run courses and have more information about careers in magazine journalism.