Chauffeur Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Chauffeur

Hours

Variable
Starting salary

£12,500 + per year

Chauffeurs drive clients to and from places, making sure that their journey is safe and comfortable, and that they arrive on time. As a chauffeur, you might work for just one employer, or for a company offering chauffeur services.

To be a chauffeur, you should have a smart appearance and a professional manner. You’re timekeeping will need to be excellent. Sometimes you will have to work unsociable hours.

A full UK driving licence is essential to work as a chauffeur, and you will need to be an experienced driver. Many employers will expect you to have completed driver training.

The work

Your job would include:

picking up clients and taking them to their destination
helping passengers with their luggage
helping passengers get in and out of the vehicle if required
providing journey information
making sure that the vehicle is clean and well maintained for each job.

Your work would vary depending on your employer. If you worked for a private household, you might take members of the family to school, work or social events. You may also have other duties, such as shopping or light maintenance work. If you worked for a large organisation, you may drive company clients or staff to and from meetings, or collect them from airports or railway stations.

As a chauffeur at a limousine hire company, your work would depend on the needs of clients, and could include driving anniversary, wedding or funeral parties.

Hours

You will not usually have a fixed working pattern and your hours could be very irregular. You may have to spend nights away from home, and work early mornings, evenings, bank holidays and weekends.

Split shifts are common, giving you free time in the afternoon. Temporary and part-time work is also common.

Income

Starting salaries can be between £12,500 and £16,000 a year. This can go up to £25,000 a year, depending on the contract and location.

Experienced chauffeurs can earn around £30,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

A full UK driving licence is essential to work as a chauffeur, and you will need to be an experienced driver.

Many employers will expect you to have completed driver training, for example an Advanced Driving Test certificate from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). See the IAM website for more details.

Institute of Advanced Motorists

Some employers may also have specific requirements, such as the ability to speak a foreign language or car maintenance skills. You may also need to be a non-smoker.

When applying for jobs, it may help you if you have previous experience of driving work, for example as a driver with a taxi firm, the police or in the armed forces.

Training and development

If you work for a company as a chauffeur, you may receive further on-the-job training, for example in first aid or security awareness. You may also be encouraged to work towards the following NVQ qualifications:

Road Passenger Vehicle Driving Level 2
Road Passenger Transport Operations Level 3.

You could also take the British Chauffeurs Guild Chauffeur Training Programme. The course includes safe driving techniques, customer care and information for self-employed chauffeurs. See the British Chauffeurs Guild website for details.

British Chauffeurs Guild

Other training options include the EDI Level 2 Certificate in Defensive Driving and a range of short courses offered by the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

A number of private companies also offer short courses for chauffeurs. You can find these by searching online or in local business directories.

Skills and knowledge

To be a chauffeur, you should have:

excellent driving skills
excellent customer care skills
a smart appearance
a polite, diplomatic and professional manner
excellent timekeeping
a responsible attitude towards client privacy and safety
a willingness to work flexibly
basic knowledge of vehicle maintenance
geographical and route knowledge
the ability to deal calmly with unexpected circumstances or delays.

More information

Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) (Opens new window)
IAM House
510 Chiswick Road
London
W4 5RG
Tel: 020 8996 9600
www.iam.org.uk

People 1st (Opens new window)
2nd Floor
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 01895 817 000
www.people1st.co.uk

British Chauffeurs Guild Ltd (Opens new window)
13 Stonecot Hill
Sutton
Surrey
SM3 9HB
Tel: 020 86411740
www.britishchauffeursguild.co.uk

Opportunities

You could work for:

private individuals
large companies or organisations
hotels and tour operators
car hire companies that provide chauffeur-driven cars for special events
personal security companies.

Vacancies are usually advertised in the local press and on the Directgov website (jobseekers page).

Directgov (Jobseekers page)

You could also set up your own business.

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The taxi and private hire industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The passenger transport sector incorporates rail, aviation, bus and coach, taxi and private hire, light rail and metro, driver training, and UK waterways. The sector accounts for 735,000 jobs, most of which are within the bus and coach, taxi and private hire, rail, and aviation industries. The passenger transport sector includes a wide variety of roles, from pilots and transport planners, to essential support roles in finance, marketing and human resources.

The taxi and private hire industry offers dedicated passenger services, providing door‐to‐door services tailored to the passenger’s requirements. Taxis can take bookings in advance and can also be hailed from the street, whereas private hire cars can only take bookings. The industry is mostly made up of small businesses, self‐employed workers and sole operators. In terms of work opportunities, the main employment is driving, although many companies also need dispatchers, control room operators and managers.

Key facts:

There is an estimated 170,000 people working in the taxi and private hire industry.
Much of the workforce is made up of self‐employed drivers and sole operators.
The average age of employees is 47 years.
The average working hours for a driver are 40 per week.
22% of the workforce is employed part‐time.
29% of businesses in the industry have only one employee.

Jobs in the industry fall into the following areas:

Driving – such as licensed taxi driver, private hire driver, chauffeur
Operations and service delivery – such as control room staff, taxi and private hire dispatcher, operations manager, telephone operator, taxi and private hire company owner

National and regional data

[N.B. Regional data presented are for the taxi and private hire industry and the passenger transport sector as a whole. Data derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2007.]

East Midlands – There are 11,400 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 14% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 32% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; job related IT; and safety/accident management.

East of England – There are 17,100 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 9% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 52% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

London – There are 32,900 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 20% of the workforce in the region is female. 42% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 70% is 26‐49 years and 26% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; safety/accident management; booking operations; and logistics and scheduling of services.

North East – There are 9,200 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 17% of the workforce in the region is female. 3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 51% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; and safety/accident management.

North West – There are 27,100 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 61% is 26‐49 years and 33% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; disability awareness; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

South East – There are 26,800 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 11% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 48% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and job related IT.

South West – There are 8,100 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 40% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

West Midlands – There are 16,100 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 27% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 65% is 26‐49 years and 28% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; safety/accident management; foreign languages; maths/working with numbers; and disability awareness.

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 16,300 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 13% of the workforce in the region is female. 18% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 30% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; job related IT; and Welsh language.

Northern Ireland – There are 3,700 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 21% of the workforce in the region is female. Data are unavailable on the ethnicity of the workforce. 9% of the workforce is under 25 years, 74% is 26‐49 years and 17% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; safety/accident management; job related IT; and disability awareness.

Scotland – There 18,300 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 2% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and disability awareness.

Wales – There are 7,100 people working in the taxi and private hire industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 18% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 54% is 26‐49 years and 38% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: Welsh language; foreign languages; disability awareness; safety/accident management; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.