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Garage managers and proprietors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the day-to-day running of garages and specialist vehicle maintenance and repair establishments.

Main tasks

  • Ensures the business accounts are maintained.
  • Provides information about garage merchandise for staff and customers.
  • Maintains records of repair work to detect recurrent faults.
  • Checks completed work for compliance with safety and other statutory regulations.
  • Arranges for maintenance staff to perform necessary maintenance and repair work on vehicles or motorcycles.
  • Ensures that necessary spare parts, materials and equipment are available or obtainable at short notice.
  • Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements.

Source: Office for National Statistics.

Salary and earnings

Potential earnings

£60,733.51

Average earnings

£36,035.00

Source: Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).

Skills & knowledge

The top 5 most important skills and knowledge requirements relevant to this career.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modelling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labour relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

What course level do I need to study?

The level of study required will vary with each job, sector and company. The table below shows the level of study achieved by those currently working in this career choice.

Educational requirements: Level 3 NVQ; A Levels

Source: Office for National Statistics.

Level of study Percentage achieved
Level 0 11%
Level 1 8%
Level 2 30%
Level 3 42%
Level 4-5 (Higher Education) 7%
Level 6 (Bachelors) 1%
Level 7 (Masters or equivalent) 2%

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) data.

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Economic data for careers is provided by Lightcast and also available through our Career Coach app. Job postings, employment and earnings information is represented at the regional level for the East Midlands.