Post Office customer service assistant

Post Office customer service assistants help customers in post offices and at counters in shops.

Also known as: Post Office counter clerk

• Starter salary£19,000 a year
• Experienced£27,000 a year
• Typical hours30 to 37 a week

What you'll do

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.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

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
• good maths skills
• active listening skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a post Office customer service assistant

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

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.

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

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.

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

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass background checks

Career path and progression

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.

Career tips

Customer service experience in retail, banking or hospitality will be helpful when applying for jobs.

Guides for this industry

• Customer Service: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleCustomer service assistant
• Job roleSales assistant
• Job roleFinancial services customer adviser
• Job roleRetail manager

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