Booksellers buy books from publishers or wholesalers and sell them to customers.
£14,000 Starter
to£40,000 Experienced
39 to 41 a week
evenings / weekends / bank holidays
You can get into this job through:
You may have an advantage when looking for work if you've completed a qualification at university, like a higher national diploma or a degree. Employers will accept any subject, although some may prefer English, humanities or the arts.
You'll usually need:
You can learn some of the skills you need for this job by doing a:
You'll usually need:
You can get into this job through a retailer intermediate apprenticeship or a retail team leader advanced apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
You can apply directly for jobs. You'll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English and maths. Retail, customer service or publishing experience will also be helpful.
You'll need a broad range of reading interests and an enthusiasm for books.
You may need a particular qualification or understanding of a certain book type for some specialist bookshops. For example, an in-depth knowledge of comic art for a shop that sells graphic novels, or a background in classic literature for rare book sales.
You'll need sound business skills and a good grasp of the publishing and bookselling industry, if you're looking to open your own bookshop.
You can find more advice about bookselling and setting up your own business through the Booksellers Association.
You'll need:
Your day-to-day duties might include:
You could work at a store.
Your working environment may be physically demanding.