Motor Vehicle Breakdown Engineer

Typical Salary

£20,000 To £40,000

Typical Hours

42 to 44 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Motor Vehicle Breakdown Engineer

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could take a college course before applying for work as a trainee with a garage or breakdown company.

Level 2 Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Competence
Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Technology

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You can get into this career by completing a motor vehicle service and maintenance technician advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply directly to become a breakdown engineer. You'll need experience and qualifications in motor vehicle maintenance and repair to do this.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to use your initiative
analytical thinking skills
physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
the ability to repair machines or systems
persistence and determination
the ability to work well with others
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties could include:

making sure the vehicle, driver and passengers are safe
examining the vehicle to find and diagnose the fault
carrying out roadside repairs
towing or transporting the vehicle to a garage if major repair work is needed
filling in record sheets for each job

Working Environment

You could work at a garage, from a vehicle or on call-out to wherever the car owner is.

Your working environment may be you'll travel often and outdoors some of the time.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a supervisor or manager, or move into training.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You'll find more advice about how to become a breakdown engineer from Autocity.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a driving licence that includes LGV for lorries, or PCV for buses, if you work with these vehicles