The CV Writing Workshop

Trading standards officers (TSOs) protect consumers by making sure that goods and services are bought and sold in a safe and fair trading environment. They advise consumers and businesses, check that businesses keep to the law, investigate complaints and prosecute any traders that break consumer laws.

TSOs are employed by local authorities, and their duties may include:

• visiting local traders and businesses to carry out routine checks or investigate complaints
• taking samples of food and goods for testing
• checking that traders’ scales and measures are accurate
• making sure that labelling is correct and advertising is not misleading
• advising consumers and traders about the law
• investigating suspected offences – this may include undercover or surveillance work
• preparing evidence and going to court in prosecution cases
• giving talks to schools and community groups
• writing reports and keeping records.

TSOs may specialise in a particular area of trading standards work, or may work across the full range of duties. Their duties may also depend on where they are based. For example, a city-based officer could deal with street traders and fake goods, whilst in rural areas they may deal more often with animal welfare issues.

In most trading standards departments, TSOs are supported by:

• Enforcement or Fair Trading Officers – do similar work to TSOs such as advising, mediating and serving notices, but do not carry out the full range of duties of a qualified TSO
• Consumer Advisers – advise the public and businesses about consumer issues and laws by phone, e-mail or face-to-face, and pass on any criminal cases to fully-qualified TSOs. Some consumer advisers also give money and debt advice.

Hours and Environment

Trading standards officers usually work 35 to 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Flexible hours are usually available and part-time working and job sharing may be possible.

They are office-based, but spend a lot of their time travelling around their local area visiting businesses and traders. Trading standards officers enter all sorts of premises, some of which can be unpleasant. They also often need to attend court.

Skills and Interests

To be a trading standards officer, you should:

• have good spoken and written communication skills
• be observant and pay attention to detail
• be able to understand technical and complex information
• have good judgement
• keep up-to-date with changes in the law
• be able to work alone or as part of a team
• be patient, determined and resilient
• be tactful, diplomatic and able to persuade and influence people
• have computer and numeracy skills.

Entry

To work as a trading standards officer you must gain the Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS). DCATS is part of a range of qualifications which replaced the previous Diploma in Consumer Affairs (DCA) and Diploma in Trading Standards (DTS) qualifications in 2006.

To qualify for the DCATS, you must be working for a local authority as a trainee trading standards officer, and either:

• have a consumer protection degree or postgraduate diploma approved by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), or
• accreditation of prior experience and learning (APEL) in another trading standards role.

Degree route
For a consumer protection degree you will normally need at least five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) including English, maths and science, and two A levels/three H grades or equivalent qualifications. An Access to Higher Education qualification may be accepted for entry to certain courses. Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements.

You may be able to get sponsorship for the consumer protection degree from local authorities. This means that you will get work experience while studying, and may also lead to a job as a trainee TSO after graduating.

If you already have a degree in another subject, you could choose to take Manchester Metropolitan University’s Graduate Diploma in Trading Standards. This is a one-year full-time postgraduate conversion course accredited by the Trading Standards Institute. Your first degree will usually need to be in a subject related to trading standards work.

After graduating from an accredited consumer protection course, you can apply to local authorities for a job as a trainee trading standards officer and begin working towards the diploma.

See the TSCareers website for more information including a list of accredited courses.

Non-degree work-based route
If you do not have an accredited consumer protection degree, you could apply for a trainee enforcement officer or consumer adviser job, and study towards the Foundation Certificate in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards and relevant Module Certificates whilst working. See the Training section for more details.

You must also get credit for your on-the-job experience by submitting a portfolio of workplace evidence to the TSI for approval – this is known as accreditation of prior experience and learning (APEL). After passing the Foundation Certificate and satisfying APEL, you can apply for DCATS to become a fully-qualified trading standards officer.

Local authority trading standards departments recruit people from a wide variety of backgrounds. You will find it useful to have previous experience of legal, retail or advice work.

Training

You will train and gain experience on the job, and also study for professional qualifications from the Trading Standards Institute.

The TSI has introduced a new series of qualifications for trading standards in 2006:

• Foundation Certificate in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards: an entry-level qualification in consumer law
• Module Certificate in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards: single-subject exams in a range of specific areas of trading standards work
• Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS): this is the legal requirement for fully qualified TSOs. To achieve DCATS you must pass at least three or four trading standards subjects from a list of 10 modules. If you do not have an accredited consumer protection degree, you must first have passed the Foundation Certificate. DCATS usually takes around 18 months.
• Higher Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (HDCATS): for experienced trading standards officers.

For all levels, you must submit a portfolio of workplace evidence as well as passing exams. You can study for the exams by distance learning or with a local accredited training provider. Please see the TS Careers website for more information about qualifications.

You must carry on updating your knowledge and skills throughout your career. The Trading Standards Institute offers a range of short courses as part of its continuous professional and personal development (CPPD) scheme.

Opportunities

There are around 1,500 trading standards officers in local authorities all over the UK.

There is a clear promotion structure to senior TSO, section head and divisional officer. However, trading standards departments can be small, so TSOs may need to change employers to gain promotion.

There may be opportunities for trading standards professionals to move into private industry to work as a consultant. They could also become self-employed and set up their own consultancy.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Starting salaries for enforcement officers and trainee TSOs are around £16,000 to £20,000 a year.
Qualified trading standards officers can earn £23,000 to £32,000 a year.
Senior trading standards officers can earn up to £45,000 a year.

Further information

First Floor, 1 Sylvan Court
Sylvan Way
Southfields Business Park
Basildon
Essex
SS15 6TH
Tel: 0870 872 9000