Market Trader

Typical Salary

To

Typical Hours

44 to 46 variable

in your own business managing your own hours

How To Become a Market Trader

You can get into this job through:

a college course
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You could do a college course, which may help if you're setting up your own business. Courses include:

Level 1 Business Start Up
Level 2 Certificate in Preparing to Set Up in a New Business

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship are not listed for this job.

Routes into this Career

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 requirements 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.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

customer service skills
the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to use your initiative
excellent verbal communication skills
the ability to sell products and services
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

On a typical day you might:

visit suppliers to buy products and agree prices
unload your van and set up your stall
encourage customers to buy
take money for goods and give out change
keep records of goods bought and sold
pack up your stall at the end of each day
stocktake

Working Environment

You could work on a market stall.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

Career Path & Progression

You could expand your business by taking on staff and starting up new stalls.

You could also move into market management.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Do your research on what sells well. You may have an advantage if you're offering something different from other traders.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the National Market Traders Federation for advice and training to support your business.

Further information

You can get more advice about becoming a market trader and setting up your business through the National Market Traders Federation.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have insurance

Depending on where you work, you’ll need to apply to your local council for:

If you're selling food, you'll need to:

register with your local environmental health service at least 28 days before starting
get food hygiene certificates for any staff
complete assessments for control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)

You'll usually need a driving licence and your own car or van.