Annual Salary
£0 to £0
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Market traders sell goods such as food, clothing and crafts and offer services like mobile phone repairs.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: in your own business; managing your own hours
There will be
1.5% fewer Market trader jobs in 2027.
On a typical day you might:
You could work on a market stall.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a college course, which may help if you're setting up your own business.
Courses include:
You could start by working on a stall part time or at car boot sales. You'll learn on the job from experienced traders, sharing their knowledge and watching their sales methods. Once you've got experience, you could apply to set up your own stall.
You can contact your local council for information on licensing rules and how to apply for one of their market stall. For example, you may have to rent a stall on a casual basis before you can apply permanently.
You could contact your local further education college as they may run short self-employment courses. They can also direct you to community organisations in your local area that help people who want to start their own business.
If you're 18 to 30 years old, you may be able to find help and support to set up a business through the Prince's Trust.
You'll need to:
Do your research on what sells well. You may have an advantage if you're offering something different from other traders.
You can find useful short courses and free resources to help you start your own business on sites like:FutureLearn; Barclays Lifeskills
You could join the National Market Traders Federation for advice and training to support your business.
You can find out more about becoming a market trader and setting up your business through the National Market Traders Federation.
You could expand your business by taking on more staff and starting up new stalls.
You could also move into market stall lettings and management.
You'll need: