Distribution

Postperson

A postperson collects and sorts letters and parcels, and delivers them to homes and businesses in the community.

Annual Salary

£23,000 to £30,000

Working hours

30 to 40 a week

You could work: early mornings; on shifts

1.4%
Future employment

There will be 1.4% fewer Postperson jobs in 2029.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As a postperson, you may:

  • load and unload delivery vans
  • sort mail and parcels for your route, by hand or using a sorting system
  • walk for up to 6 hours a day to deliver mail
  • use a hand-held computer device to get customer signatures
  • pick up mail from post boxes, post offices and businesses
  • deal with wrongly addressed or returned mail
  • transport mail to and from processing centres, delivery offices, railway stations and airports

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work in the community or from a vehicle.

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

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an Express Delivery Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship in delivery or sorting, with a courier or postal firm.

These take around one year to complete and combine on-the-job learning with time at a training centre.

Work

Royal Mail often recruit temporary staff. This can be a useful way for you to get some experience in the job before applying for a permanent role.

Direct application

You can apply directly for postal delivery work. You'll need to be physically fit, a good timekeeper and be friendly and approachable.

You will also need a full driving licence if you want to work on van deliveries.

Further information

You can get more details about careers and training in postal work from Royal Mail Group.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You may need a driving licence for some jobs.
  • You'll usually need your own transport to get to and from work, as you may not be able to get public transport to suit your shift times.
  • have a good level of fitness

More information

With experience, you could be promoted to higher grades like delivery office supervisor or manager. You could also move into national parcel deliveries, HGV driving or customer care jobs.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • customer service skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work on your own
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to work well with others
  • knowledge of English language
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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