Builders' Merchant

Typical Salary

£16,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

39 to 41 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Builders' Merchant

You can get into this job through:

an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a trade supplier intermediate apprenticeship.

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

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You could apply directly to work as a builders' merchant. You may find it useful to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English. Experience in construction, warehousing or retail could be helpful.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
customer service skills
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
excellent verbal communication skills
the ability to work well with your hands
physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

giving product information to customers
loading and unloading deliveries by hand or with a forklift truck
processing orders and handling payments
moving goods to storage areas
putting orders together and organising deliveries
advising customers about which materials to use

Working Environment

You could work at a builder's yard or at a store.

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

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about working as a builders' merchant from Building Materials Careers and the Builders Merchants Federation.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have forklift truck driver training for some jobs

For some jobs you'll need to have a C1 licence to drive trucks up to 7.5 tonnes.