Trading standards officer : Employers and vacancy sources

Trading standards officers (TSOs) who provide a public trading standards service are employed by local authorities, including local, regional and county councils.

The trading standards service is often located in larger departments within local government, such as community protection, environmental health and the chief executive's office. Because of this, the designated responsibilities of TSOs differ from department to department, as does the budget allocation and management structure.

Examples of opportunities outside the trading standards service include licensing management for local authorities and quality/consumer law advisers for supermarkets, national retail outlets and manufacturers. There are also specialist roles within organisations such as:

• Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)  
• Office of Fair Trading  
• Food Standards Agency  
• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)  
• Direct Gov - Consumer Rights  
• ConsumerLine  - in Northern Ireland
• Audit Commission  
• Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment for Northern Ireland (DETINI)  

Due to the nature of the work, opportunities exist throughout the country. Employment tends to be secure and many TSOs remain in the profession for the duration of their working lives.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Trading Standards Institute (TSI)  
• Trading Standards Careers  
• Local Government Jobs  - the official recruitment site for local government.
• Directgov  - for a list of local authorities.
• Local council websites.
• National, regional and local press.

Recruitment agencies do not handle vacancies for trainee posts, but a small number of specialist agencies recruit experienced trading standards officers (TSOs), primarily for contract work.

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