Data Entry Clerk

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

between 8am and 6pm

How To Become a Data Entry Clerk

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You could take a college course to develop your computer skills while looking for work. Courses include:

Level 1 Certificate for IT Users (New CLAiT)
Level 2 European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Certificate in IT User Skills
Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Business Administration

Apprenticeship

The following apprenticeship may be relevant to this role:

Level 3 Business administrator

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could move into data entry work if you've got office experience, for example, as an administrative assistant.

Employers will give you training on the job, covering their data entry systems.

You can apply for jobs directly if you've got experience of word processing, spreadsheets and databases. Employers may also ask for GCSEs in English and maths.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

administration skills
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
customer service skills
to be flexible and open to change
the ability to work on your own
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to work well with your hands
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

Your day to day tasks will depend on the type of organisation you work for. You may:

transfer paper-based information into computer files or database systems
update existing databases with new information
take customer, client or patient details to add to a database
create spreadsheets and run reports on data
regularly back up data to make sure nothing is lost
process invoices
organise paperwork and follow data confidentiality processes

Working Environment

You could work in an office.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a supervisor or team leader. You could also train and mentor new employees.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

You would normally be tested for keyboard skills and accuracy in entering data when you go for an interview.

Further information

You can get more details about careers in IT from The Chartered Institute for IT.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.