What Do I Need To Study To Get a Job In The Motor Trade?

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If you are thinking of joining the motor trade the sector you are interested in will determine what you need to study. Bear in mind that this industry doesn't only relate to vehicle repairs, there are sales, accounts, dealership management, restoration and so much more.

Vehicle Sales

If you are interested in selling cars either for a large dealership or opening your own smaller independent business, then a sales degree of some kind can be useful, but not essential.

For vehicle sales you need confidence, a good knowledge of cars and superior communication and organisational skills. Many school leavers turn to car sales to make an income without any sales or marketing degree, you are able to get ahead without them, but an additional degree can be useful to help you close the deal.

Management

Many of the larger dealerships are looking for branch managers to run their stores. This requires a management degree and the ability to manage staff, communicate effectively and delegate. As a manager you will be responsible for the entire branch, meeting sales targets, managing both sales and administrative staff and dealing with customer complaints and problem solving.

Bookkeepers and Accountants

An accounting degree is essential if you want to work for one of the larger companies. All businesses need accountants but the larger companies will hire in-house accountants and if you are interested in joining this sector you will need an accounting degree.

Workshop

If you love restoring old cars or fixing new cars a mechanical engineering degree can be useful but not always essential. Many schools offer mechanics as an additional subject, so if you really want to get your foot in the door this is a good place to start.

If you have been a person that has always spent your weekends fixing up old bangers in your garage, then you can get away with not having a degree, not all workshops find this essential as long as you know engines, can problem solve and can carry out the repairs effectively.

In many cases throughout the industry you are able to find intern ships where you can learn as you work, even though you will be paid substantially less than someone who is already qualified, it's a wonderful opportunity to get your feet wet.

If you are able to get an intern ship you are able to work and study at the same time, or maybe help out after school on certain days. These intern ships can often lead to full time employment once you are qualified, but the advantage is that you gain valuable hands on experience while you study to enter the motor trade job market.

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What Does The Job of a Mechanic Entail?

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When considering to enter the motor trade industry, you may be wondering which sector of the industry to join. Maybe you want to try the workshop side where you can work with your hands or perhaps you prefer the dealership side where you can sell people their new cars. As a mechanic you will need to have good problem solving skills and enjoy working with your hands, otherwise this job is definitely not for you.

Repairs

In a workshop environment whether you work for a large car dealership or an independent company, you will need to do vehicle repairs. Cars or vans will come in on a regular basis, maybe they are even delivered by a tow truck because they have a serious mechanical problem, it is up to you to find the problem and fix it.

This is where the problem solving skills come in, you will need to have a good understanding of engines and how they work. Knowing your business can ensure that repairs are carried out quickly and effectively, enabling the customer driving away with their vehicle as good as new.

Services

Another aspect you will deal with on a daily basis is servicing. Vehicles of all kinds need to be serviced on a regular basis, this may be a minor service where you drain the oil and replace with clean. Each service must be done in a short period of time following the required guidelines to ensure optimum performance from the vehicle.

Checks

As winter takes hold of the UK more people are taking their vehicles into workshops to have them checked over for the winter months to make sure they are safe. Customers don't want to end up stuck on the side of the motorway in icy conditions. Quality checks are common in the workshop environment, it may mean test driving the vehicle, testing the tyres and checking the oil and water to see if the car can be given the all clear.

MOT Testing

Many workshops also run a MOT test centre and you may get involved in that. What this entails is to ensure that the vehicle is safe to be driven on the UK roads. There are guidelines to work by and your job will be to check to see the car meets these requirements, if not work will need to be carried out by a mechanic to make the car safe and give it the all clear for another year.

Brought to you by www.motortradenews.org

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