Market traders sell goods such as food, clothing and crafts, and offer services like mobile phone repairs.
44 to 46 variable
in your own business managing your own hours
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college course, which may help if you're setting up your own business. Courses include:
There are no set entry requirements for this route.
You could start by working on a stall part time or at car boot sales. You'll learn on the job from experienced traders, sharing their knowledge and watching their sales methods. Once you've got experience, you could apply to set up your own stall.
You can contact your local council for information on how they let their market stalls, licensing rules and how to apply. For example, you may have to rent a stall on a casual basis before you can apply for a permanent pitch.
You could contact your local Chamber of Commerce, as they often run short courses to help people who want to start their own business.
Do your research on what sells well. You may have an advantage if you're offering something different from other traders.
You could join the National Market Traders Federation for advice and training to support your business.
You can find out more about becoming a market trader and setting up your business through the National Market Traders Federation.
You'll need:
You'll need to:
Depending on where you work, you’ll need to apply to your local council for:
If you're selling food, you'll need to:
You'll usually need a driving licence and your own car or van.
On a typical day you might:
You could work on a market stall.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
You could expand your business by taking on more staff and starting up new stalls.
You could also move into market stall lettings and management.
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a market trader right now.
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