Trade union officials represent, train and advise union members, carry out research and develop policy.
£50,000 Starter
to£80,000 Experienced
33 to 35 a week
evenings attending events or appointments
You can get into this job through:
You may be able to join a national head office as a research officer straight from university, if you've got a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification. Common subjects include:
You'll usually need:
You could start as a learning rep in a local union office. This would help you to get experience and an understanding of the workings of the union at ground level.
There's a lot of competition for full-time jobs, so relevant paid or voluntary experience could give you a head start when you apply for work. Relevant experience could include:
You may be able to apply directly if you've got a background in adult education or training and development.
It can also help if you have experience in the voluntary or public sector, or experience of tackling issues around equal opportunities, economics, or health and safety.
For many jobs at national head office level, you'll normally be qualified and experienced in a specialist area like:
You could do work-based training courses through Unionlearn or the General Federation of Trade Unions. Training like this could be useful when you apply to become a full-time paid official at a union's branch or regional office.
You can find out more about working and training as a trade union official through the Trades Union Congress.
You'll need:
At a regional level your tasks may include:
At the national head office you may be:
You could work in an office.
With experience, you could become a regional secretary of your union or move into a post at national head office. You could also move into politics as a councillor or MP.
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a trade union official right now.
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