Postperson

A postperson collects and sorts letters and parcels, and delivers them to homes and businesses in the community.

Also known as: Postal delivery worker

• Starter salary£23,000 a year
• Experienced£30,000 a year
• Typical hours30 to 40 a week

What you'll do

As a postperson, you may:

• load and unload delivery vans
• sort mail and parcels for your route, by hand or using a sorting system
• walk for up to 6 hours a day to deliver mail
• use a hand-held computer device to get customer signatures
• pick up mail from post boxes, post offices and businesses
• deal with wrongly addressed or returned mail
• transport mail to and from processing centres, delivery offices, railway stations and airports

Working environment

You could work in the community or from a vehicle.

Your working environment may be physically active and outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• customer service skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to work on your own
• excellent verbal communication skills
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• the ability to work well with others
• knowledge of English language
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

How to become a postperson

You can get into this job through:

• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Express Delivery Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship in delivery or sorting, with a courier or postal firm.

These take around one year to complete and combine on-the-job learning with time at a training centre.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

Work

Royal Mail often recruit temporary staff . This can be a useful way for you to get some experience in the job before applying for a permanent role.

Direct application

You can apply directly for postal delivery work . You'll need to be physically fit, a good timekeeper and be friendly and approachable.

You will also need a full driving licence if you want to work on van deliveries.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• have a good level of fitness

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

You'll usually need your own transport to get to and from work, as you may not be able to get public transport to suit your shift times.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could be promoted to higher grades like delivery office supervisor or manager. You could also move into national parcel deliveries, HGV driving or customer care jobs.

Guides for this industry

• Transport & Logistics: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleDelivery van driver
• Job rolePost Office customer service assistant
• Job roleWarehouse worker
• Job roleHGV driver

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0