Potential earnings
£47,294.08
Importers and exporters buy commodities from overseas for the home market and sell home-produced commodities to overseas markets.
Main tasks
- Advises home and overseas producers on the likely future demand for their goods.
- Carries out customs clearance procedures for imports, arranges their storage and delivery and sells them personally or through a commodity broker.
- Arranges for shipment of commodities overseas and ensures that insurance and export licences are in order.
- Obtains orders from buyers and arranges payment by bill of exchange, letter of credit or other means.
- Investigates and evaluates home and overseas demand for commodities.
Source: Office for National Statistics.
Salary and earnings
Average earnings
£30,274.00
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.
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.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
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.
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.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
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.
Clerical
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
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 | 3% |
| Level 1 | 15% |
| Level 2 | 27% |
| Level 3 | 20% |
| Level 4-5 (Higher Education) | 7% |
| Level 6 (Bachelors) | 21% |
| Level 7 (Masters or equivalent) | 6% |
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.
