Job Simulator
Name of Job: Waiter
Outline of Job: A waiter or waitress works directly with customers to greet them when they come into a restaurant, before taking their food and drinks order. They are responsible for bringing the order to the customer and making sure that they are happy with everything. They have to be the link between the customer and the chef and so must have excellent communication skills and be very polite.
Qualifications needed: No qualifications are needed to become a waiter but if you want to improve your job within the company you could go to college and get a Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism. Waiters also need to be able to work well in a team and have a lot of patience.
Starting salary: £11,000 but this can be increased with tips.
Which is the equivalent of: 5,789 slices of chocolate cake!
Name of Job: Shop Keeper
Outline of Job: Shop keepers normally own or are responsible for the shop in which they work. They are the manager and will have responsibilities such as; advising and serving customers, ordering stock, working out staff’s wages, the shop’s profit and looking after the money until it is put in the bank. Shop keepers can often work long hours and they can sometimes work in the evenings and at weekends.
Qualifications needed: You do not need any qualifications to become a shop keeper; however you do need good maths and people skills. You also need to be good at communicating, interested in business, hard working, a good team leader and very polite.
Starting salary: £15,000, however this can increase with the successfulness of the shop.
Which is the equivalent of: 15,789 loaves of bread.
Name of Job: Lollipop Person
Outline of Job: A Lollipop Person is a member of the School Crossing Patrol, and they help people to cross the road safely. They usually work for a couple of hours per day, helping children to arrive at school and get home safely. You can spot them easily in their fluorescent yellow coats and hats, holding their massive lollipop-shaped signs!
Qualifications needed: You do not need any special qualifications to work on the School Crossing Patrol. The most important qualities you need are to be sensible and confident, so you can look after the safety of all the people you are helping. You will also need to be friendly and pleasant, whatever the weather!
Starting salary: Usually about £6 per hour, which equals about £200 each month.
Which is the equivalent of: 1,000 lollipops!
Name of Job: Karate Teacher
Outline of Job: Karate teachers work in gyms or sports centres and teach children and adults karate. They normally work evenings and weekends and their sessions normally last between 1 and 3 hours.
Qualifications needed: You don’t need any formal qualifications to become a karate teacher; however you normally need to be 18 and have a black belt in karate. Karate teachers need to be very fit and healthy, have good communication skills and be very supportive and encouraging. Karate teachers also need to have patience and have the enthusiasm and patience to motivate their pupils.
Starting salary: Most karate teachers work for themselves and their salary depends on how many classes they teach. They normally get paid between £6 and £20 an hour and many karate teachers have another job and just teach part-time. However if you did this job full time your starting salary would be about £12,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 17,143 bottles of water.
Name of Job: Builder
Outline of Job: The work which builders do varies enormously; most builders are responsible for coordinating all the different parts of construction in the new building they are working on. This could be a house, an office, or even a school. The buildings are designed by an architect and then the builder and their team construct them. A builder will work with a variety of materials including concrete, bricks, plaster and wood.
Qualifications needed: The most common way into the building trade is to go to college and work part time on a building site through a modern apprenticeship to gain a NVQ. You will also need GCSE’s in English, Maths and Science, a good understanding of building regulations, health and safety and very good communication skills.
Starting salary: £12,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 5334 bacon butties.
Name of Job: X-ray Person
Outline of Job: An X-ray Person or ‘Radiographer’ takes special x-ray images of the insides of their patients’ bodies, in order to detect things like broken bones. They operate lots of special machines to take x-rays, as well as things like brain-scans and ultrasounds. X-ray People work in a hospital, and their job is to make sense of the x-ray images so that they can help doctors and other healthcare workers to decide how best to treat their patients.
Qualifications needed: To become an X-ray Person you need to go to University to study for a Radiography degree, which usually takes 3 years. You will work with lots of different patients as well as lots of colleagues, so you will need to be a good team worker, and a caring and understanding person.
Starting salary: £22,000 (and with experience, this can go up to about £35,000).
Which is the equivalent of: 1467 'Operation' board games.
Name of Job: Vet
Outline of Job: Vets work with a range of animals, including people’s pets, zoo animals and farm animals. They are responsible for the welfare of animals and when animals are ill the vets can often perform blood tests, examinations, x-rays or operations. Vets are like doctors for animals and they have skills and knowledge in nutrition, medicine and the way animal’s bodies work to help animals with illness and recovery.
Qualifications needed: To become a vet you need to go to university and get a degree in veterinary science, which is normally 5 years long. Vets also need to be caring, organised and hard-working.
Starting salary: £20,000, although this increases with experience, with the average salary of a vet being £50,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 6,667 dream catchers.
Name of Job: Quiz Show Host
Outline of Job: During a quiz show the host is responsible for interviewing guests, asking the contestants questions, managing the playing of the game and entertaining the audience, whether this is on TV or in a room. Some game shows are filmed and shown on TV or put on the radio, whereas others are performed live in pubs, nursing homes and other community rooms.
Qualifications needed: You don’t need any formal qualifications to become a quiz show host but you will need to be very enthusiastic, polite, and have excellent communication skills to put people at ease. You must also like being the centre of attention!
Starting salary: This totally depends on what type of host you are, you might be on the television or you might be the quiz host at the local nursing home.
Which is the equivalent of:
Name of Job: Electrician
Outline of Job: Electricians are responsible for wiring the electricity supply in all different types of buildings. They work with lighting and power points, as well as fitting the wiring for cookers, washing machines and sometimes central heating.
Qualifications needed: You need to do an apprenticeship, which involves attending college whilst learning on the job the skills to become an electrician. Electricians also need to have good communication and problem-solving skills.
Starting salary: £14,000, which can increase as you get more hands on experience.
Which is the equivalent of: 31,112 packets of crisps.
Name of Job: Yoga teacher
Outline of Job: Yoga teachers often work in gyms or health centres teaching yoga classes. Each class normally lasts between 1 and 2 hours and teaches people all about posture, breathing exercises, relaxation and meditation.
Qualifications needed: As well as attending yoga classes to become a yoga teacher you have to attend classes to learn about all the different aspects of yoga, whilst completing practical work and essays at home
Starting salary: £11,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 18,333 postcards.
Name of Job: Hairdresser
Outline of Job: Hairdressers work either in a salon or mobile with lots of different members of the public. They have to be creative, have good people skills and aim to please all their customers when cutting, styling or colouring their hair.
Qualifications needed: There are 2 different routes to becoming a hairdresser. You can either go to college for a minimum or 2 years to gain a NVQ Level 2 in hairdressing. A NVQ Level 3 takes 3 years if candidates would like a higher level of knowledge and experience. The second option is to do an apprenticeship which involves learning on the job. This will involve working in a salon and attending college 1 or 2 days a week, this route takes slightly longer but involves getting paid whilst you qualify.
Starting salary: £12,000, which can increase with experience.
Which is the equivalent of: 6,000 bottles of shampoo.
Name of Job: Primary School Teacher
Outline of Job: Primary school teachers develop and teach schemes of work and lessons for children aged 4-11. They have to creative a positive learning environment, whilst being encouraging, enthusiastic and imaginative.
Qualifications needed: You need to go to university and get either a teaching degree which is 4 years or you can do a 3 year degree in a specific subject (eg. English or History) and then a 1 year teaching degree. Teachers must also be patient, organised and have the ability to inspire and motivate children.
Starting salary: £21,000. This will increase with responsibility and experience.
Which is the equivalent of: 4,667 cinema tickets.
Name of Job: Solicitor
Outline of Job: Solicitors provide clients with legal support and advice. They have to be organised with very good communication skills and can often work both individually and in a team. They advise people on many different matters including; jobs, divorces, injury and housing.
Qualifications needed: To become a solicitor you need to go to university and get a degree. This can be in law or another subject. If your degree is not in law you can do a conversion course which takes a year full-time, however there are part-time courses. Following this you then have to take a Legal Practice Course which again is 1 year but can take longer if done part-time, before competing to get a 2 year training contract before you become a fully qualified solicitor. So it takes 4 or 5 years to start working and 6 or 7 years to be fully qualified.
Starting salary: £18,500, however once fully qualified with experience the average salary is £40,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 2,056 Chinese dwarf hamsters.
Name of Job: Receptionist
Outline of Job: Receptionists or personal assistants can work in a variety of different businesses. They work with computer packages and the public and have to be very friendly and organised. Depending on what business they work in they often have to handle money and can act as a front-of-house role.
Qualifications needed: GCSE’s are important to become a receptionist, especially English and Maths. Receptionists will do basic training on computers and in customer care when they start their job and some employers will require their employees to do college courses in Reception, Customer Service and Hospitality Supervision.
Starting salary: £11,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 6 and ½ interactive white boards.
Name of Job: Journalist
Outline of Job: Journalists research and write stories for newspapers and magazines. The stories they write about can be real life stories about local or world-wide events or non-fictional stories. They cover many topics, including news, politics, sport, entertainment and science. They often interview people to gain information for their writing and some journalists can travel quite a lot.
Qualifications needed: Journalists need to have a passion for writing and be creative and self-motivated. A degree in journalism is not essential but will improve your chances of getting a job in this industry.
Starting salary: £24,500.
Which is the equivalent of: 16,333 ice creams.
Name of Job: Optician
Outline of Job: An optician uses specialised equipment to examine people’s eyes and perform eye tests and eye exams on people of all ages. From these eye examinations opticians can informs patients of any visual problems and can fit contact lenses or glasses where necessary.
Qualifications needed: To become an optician you need to go to university and gain a degree in optometry. Opticians also need to be good with people and good with computers.
Starting salary: £22,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 35 and ½ years worth of dog food.
Name of Job: Nurse
Outline of Job: Nurses provide care and support to patients who are suffering with any illness or injury. They do not perform surgery but concentrate more on the needs of the patient and make sure that they are comfortable. Nurses can work in hospitals or in the community in a doctor’s surgery or doing home visits.
Qualifications needed: At the moment you can become a nurse by getting either a diploma or degree in nursing. However it is currently being changed and by the time you leave school to become a nurse you will need to go to university and get a degree in nursing. Nurses need to be caring, patient and have the ability to be able to gain the trust and confidence of their patients.
Starting salary: £20,700.
Which is the equivalent of: 1,035 theme park tickets.
Name of Job: Doctor
Outline of Job: Doctors use their skills to diagnose, prevent and manage illness and disease in people of all ages. Doctors can work in hospitals or in Doctor’s surgeries and work in teams to give patients the best possible care.
Qualifications needed: To become a doctor you have to go to university and gain a degree in medicine. A medicine degree lasts either 5 or 6 years and includes both studying in university and getting hands on experience with patients in the community. As well as getting a degree doctors need to be very dedicated and understanding people who are very professional, trustworthy and caring.
Starting salary: £30,500, however this does go up with experience.
Which is the equivalent of: ½ a sports car.
Name of Job: Architect
Outline of Job: Architects work in construction and design new buildings, extensions or changes to existing buildings. They work with clients to decide what they want and how much money they want to spend and then after designing a building they work with builders, surveyors and engineers to create the building.
Qualifications needed: To become an architect you need to spend at least 7 years in training and at university. The first 3 or 4 years is spent at university getting a degree, followed by 1 year of work experience, then 2 more years studying and finally 1 more year of work experience with an exam at the very end.
Starting salary: £25,000. (Although this goes up with experience, with the average salary of an architect being £60,000.)
Which is the equivalent of: 208 games consoles.
Name of Job: Interior Designer
Outline of Job: An interior designer is involved in designing and renovating the inside of rooms and buildings. They design and choose the furniture, lighting, wallpaper, paint and features of a room. They can work in houses, offices, museums, shops, cafes and many other locations.
Qualifications needed: Candidates with lots of experience and creativity may not need to study to become an interior designer. However, most people will need to go to university and gain a degree or foundation degree in a course like spatial design, interior design or textile design.
Starting salary: £24,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 48,000 chocolate bars.
Name of Job: Undertaker
Outline of Job: An undertaker is responsible for preparing for and organising funerals and making sure that they run smoothly. Undertakers will also be expected to comfort and support family members and help and advise them with any funeral arrangements.
Qualifications needed: Undertakers do not need any college or university qualifications; however they need to have very good communication skills, be very caring and sympathetic. They must also have knowledge of the different cultural groups and their customs so that they can respect their wishes.
Starting salary: £25,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 12,500 Birthday cards.
Name of Job: Police Officer
Outline of Job: Police officers aim to maintain law and order in the community. They work in a team to prevent crime and protect members of the public and their property. Police officers work with the community and often work closely with social workers, schools, local businesses, hospitals and housing authorities.
Qualifications needed: To become a police officer you need to pass health and fitness tests and have a NVQ in policing. However A-levels and a degree would ensure entering the police force at a higher level.
Starting salary: £22,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 3,143 roast dinners.
Name of Job: Fire Person
Outline of Job: Fire people normally work in a team of 6 people. They rescue people and animals from fires and many other dangerous situations. They have to be able to do first aid, work with fire engines and all the safety equipment and can often attend incidents such as road accidents, floods and rail or air crashes. Some fire people also do talks and workshops within the community, in schools or in public places.
Qualifications needed: Fire people have to pass a fitness test and an eye exam and their personality is very important. They must be caring, considerate, a good team player and hard-working. A degree is not essential but a good general education is required, with good GCSE’s in English, Maths and Science
Starting salary: £s;20,100.
Which is the equivalent of: 2,010 DVD’s.
Name of Job: Zoo Keeper
Outline of Job: Zoo keepers are responsible for the day-to-day care of animals in a zoo, wildlife park or aquarium. They may work with a variety of different animals or just one specific type of animal. They will feed the animals and monitor them for illness, as well as keeping their enclosures clean and talking to the public.
Qualifications needed: To become a zoo keeper experience in caring for animals is vital and people with diplomas in animal care or a degree in a related subject may be preferred. Zoo keepers need to be dedicated, friendly, caring and passionate about the welfare of animals.
Starting salary: £24,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 4,800 books.
Name of Job: Mechanic
Outline of Job: Mechanics service vehicles when they go into the garage. After talking to the customer and doing some tests they will know what is wrong with the vehicle and whether it needs fixing or a part needs replacing.
Qualifications needed: To become a mechanic you will need GCSE’s including English, Maths and Science and then you can begin an apprenticeship at a garage. Mechanics learn most of their skills on the job whilst beginning to earn money; they will attend college approximately once a week. Mechanics also need to be fairly strong, technically minded and friendly.
Starting salary: £11,000, which can increase with experience.
Which is the equivalent of: 15,714 cans of fizzy drink.
Name of Job: Chef
Outline of Job: Chef’s prepare and cook food and are responsible for kitchen hygiene and using equipment in the kitchen such as; fridges, freezers, ovens, knives, blenders and pans. Chef’s job can vary from just preparing food, being in charge of one thing like fish or desserts or being a head chef. Head chefs will over see everything that is prepared and cooked in the kitchen and make sure that everybody is working together.
Qualifications needed: Qualifications are not compulsory to become a chef; however employers and businesses prefer people who have been to college and gained NVQ qualifications in food hygiene, food preparation and catering and therefore this is what lots of people do.
Starting salary: £14,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 28,000 doughnuts.
Name of Job: Gardener
Outline of Job: Gardeners can work either by themselves or in a small team. Their work can vary from cutting lawns and keeping people’s gardens tidy to maintaining gardens, parks and sports pitches. Gardeners work with equipment such as lawn mowers, strimmers and scarifiers.
Qualifications needed: You do not need any qualifications to become a gardener, you can begin cutting lawns and doing peoples gardens straight from school. However, people do choose to go to college or university and study horticulture or landscape gardening which leads them to a job which has a higher pay and more responsibilities. Gardeners need to have a broad knowledge of nature and be very active.
Starting salary: £13,000.
Which is the equivalent of: 130 lawn mowers.