Supervisor

Supervisors manage teams of staff and organise their workload. They also encourage staff to meet company standards and performance targets.

Also known as: Team leader, first line manager

• Starter salary£24,000 a year
• Experienced£34,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 42 a week

What you'll do

As a supervisor, you could:

• plan workloads, rotas and tasks for team members
• brief teams on targets, initiatives and policy changes
• carry out performance reviews with team members and create reports
• advise team members on how to improve their skills and knowledge
• handle complex customer enquiries or complaints
• keep up to date with standards and regulations in your industry

Working environment

You could work in an office, in a contact centre, in a factory, at a store or in a hotel.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• leadership skills
• the ability to motivate and manage staff
• the ability to organise your time and workload
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to use your initiative
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• excellent verbal communication skills
• business management skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

How to become a supervisor

You can get into this job through:

• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• applying directly

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Team Leader Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This can take between 1 and 2 years to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Work

You could move into a team leader or supervisor role within your current workplace through training, promotion, or on a temporary basis.

In a larger organisation, you might need to complete a management trainee scheme.

Direct application

You could apply directly for team leader or supervisor roles.

You'll usually need at least 1 or 2 years' experience in a job to apply directly.

Employers might also want you to have work based qualifications and training certificates for the industry you're working in.

Career path and progression

With training and experience, you could move into middle management and then senior management positions.

You could also use your skills and experience to move into a managerial role in a different industry.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for professional development opportunities and events.

Guides for this industry

• Administration: pay, interviews and getting started →

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