Petrol service sales assistant Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Petrol service sales assistant

Hours

37-40 per week
Starting salary

£12,000 + per year

The work

As a petrol service sales assistant, or forecourt assistant, you would sell fuel and other items to customers at garages and service stations.

As customers usually fill their own vehicles with fuel at the pumps, you would mainly take payments and serve customers in the shop. As well as fuel, you would also sell a range of other goods, including food and drinks, newspapers and magazines. Some garages also sell motor spares such as oil, batteries and headlamp bulbs.

Your main duties would include:

checking how much fuel a customer has bought, using a computerised display screen
operating a till and taking cash, cheque and credit card payments
keeping track of fuel levels in the fuel storage tanks
restocking shelves
ordering new stock and taking deliveries
keeping forecourt and shop areas clean and tidy.

Depending on the type of operation you work for, you may have to carry out some basic vehicle checks for customers, for example checking tyre pressures and oil levels.

Hours

You would normally work 37 to 40 hours a week on a shift rota. Some service stations are open 24 hours a day, so you may be expected to work evenings, nights and weekends. Part-time work is very common.

You would spend most of your time inside the shop, serving customers, although you may occasionally help customers at the pumps. You may have to work alone, depending on the size of the outlet.

Income

Petrol sales assistants can earn between £12,000 and around £16,000 a year.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

You will not need any qualifications, but you should be able to show good communication skills and an ability to deal with payments – customer service, retail or cash handling experience will be useful.

Some companies will only employ people over the age of 18 for legal reasons, for example if the job involves working on your own in a garage.

You may be able to get into this job through an Apprenticeship scheme. The range of Apprenticeships available in your area will depend on the local jobs market and the types of skills employers need from their workers. To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit the Apprenticeships website.

Apprenticeships

Training and development

Once you start work you will receive on-the-job training in parts of the job such as security, health and safety, and retail skills.

You may be expected to attend a Petrol Retail Passport course as part of health and safety awareness. For more details and a list of training providers, see the Safety Pass Alliance website.

Safety Pass Alliance

You may also be able to work towards Level 2 NVQ Certificate in Customer Service.

If you work for an oil company, you may be able to take one of their own training programmes, particularly for management jobs.

Skills and knowledge

good customer service skills
the ability to work without supervision
good maths and cash handling skills
honesty
an awareness of security issues
an understanding of health and safety.

More information

Cogent (Opens new window)
Unit 5, Mandarin Court
Centre Park
Warrington
Cheshire
WA1 1GG
Tel: 01925 515200
www.cogent-ssc.com

Opportunities

There are around 10,000 forecourt sites across the UK, with about 9,000 of these operating a small shop or convenience store on site. Operations range from large supermarket-owned sites to small independently-run garages.

Look out for vacancies advertised with Jobcentre Plus, in the local press and at the forecourts themselves.

With experience, you may be able to progress to supervisor or manager.

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 petroleum industry is part of the broader science‐based sector represented by Cogent Sector Skills Council, which also includes chemicals, polymers, oil and gas, nuclear and pharmaceuticals industries. Most goods used by people in their homes, at work and in their everyday activities are products derived from the chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. The combined industries represent nearly half a million people in the UK and are of huge economic and strategic importance to the UK.

The petroleum industry is also referred to as the ‘downstream’ sector and includes: stabilising, refining and manufacturing; storage, blending and distribution; and retail sale of automotive fuel. There are nine major oil refineries in the UK situated around the coastline for ease of access by crude oil tankers. Onward distribution is achieved via a national pipeline system and road, rail and sea transport. The main products of the downstream sector are transport fuels.

The industry is creating new “greener” fuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol, made from renewable sources including vegetables and wheat, to reduce harm to the environment.

Key facts:

43% of research and development in the industry is funded by the industry itself.
1,000 employees are employed in research and development activity.
There has been an overall increase in research and development spending since 1998.
The UK refineries, of which there is 9, are ranked 17th (out of 26) in Europe for competitive performance.
The future direction of the industry remains stable with a declining need for petrol, but a rising demand for diesel.
To manufacture biofuels, the workforce does not require new skills, but more likely an extension of existing skills.
Process safety continues to be of the highest priority for downstream petroleum.

Jobs in the industry range from: Lab manager, Operations manager, Area superintendent, Senior engineer, HSE manager, Assistant planner, Control room operator, Graduate engineer, Panel operator, Core process operator, Maintenance technician.

National and regional data

Across Great Britain, there are an estimated 10,100 people working in the manufacture of refined petroleum products. The largest number of employees is located in: