Service Station Attendant
Kaihoko Penehini/Hinu
This job is sometimes referred to by alternative titles
Service station attendants help motorists get petrol, gas or oil for their vehicle, and sell motoring accessories and food items.
Pay
Service station attendants usually earn
$16 per hour
Job opportunities
Vocational pathwaysPay
Pay for service station attendants varies depending on responsibility, experience and location.
Most service station attendants earn the minimum wage.
- PAYE.net.nz website - use this calculator to convert pay and salary information
- Employment New Zealand website - information about minimum wage rates
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the figures and diagrams in our job information)
What you will do
Service station attendants may do some or all of the following:
- check petrol tank levels by doing a tank dip and reading the pumps
- pump petrol into customers' cars
- check car batteries, and oil and water levels
- wash windscreens and check car tyres
- carry out minor workshop tasks such as fixing tyres
- take payment for goods and give change
- keep the shop and forecourt tidy
- order new stock.
Skills and knowledge
Service station attendants need to have:
- knowledge of service station products such as petrol, oil and other goods
- understanding of safety rules and first aid
- basic mechanical skills.
Working conditions
Service station attendants:
- work full or part-time hours, and may do shift work including nights and weekends
- work in service station shops and forecourts
- work in all weather conditions, and can be exposed to petrol fumes.
What's the job really like?
Doug Thrush - Service Station Attendant
Early shifts suit Doug
Service station attendant Doug Thrush likes the freedom of a job where he can begin early.
"What I enjoy most about this job is the hours that I'm working – being able to start early and finish early. I open up in the mornings, so I do the tank dips to see how much fuel is in there and I read the pumps. I also get the pies out of the chiller and the milk ready for the milk distributor.”
The freedom of working outside was also an attraction for Doug. “Here you can get in and out. I spend time inside serving customers but I also work out on the forecourt pumping petrol. I also do things like replacing windscreen wipers and changing punctured tyres.”
Good service brings back the customers
Doug acknowledges that good customer service skills are invaluable. "This job is not as easy as it looks – you've got to keep thinking ahead, so when you meet the customers you know what they're doing and what they want. If you can get people to come back to you again, then you've achieved something."
Entry requirements
There are no specific entry requirements to become a service station attendant, as you gain skills on the job.
Secondary education
NCEA Level 1 is preferred. Useful subjects include English and maths.
Personal requirements
Service station attendants need to be:
- good at communicating
- friendly and helpful
- good at customer service
- honest and reliable
- able to follow instructions
- good at basic maths.
It is great meeting new customers all the time and because of that the job can be a lot of fun.
Doug Thrush - Service Station Attendant
Useful experience
Useful experience for service station attendants includes:
- customer service work
- money-handling experience
- repairing vehicles
- retail work.
Physical requirements
Service station attendants need to be reasonably fit as they spend long periods on their feet.
Find out more about training
- NZ Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO)
- (04) 494 0005 - info@mito.org.nz - www.mito.org.nz
- NZ Retailers Association
- (04) 472 3733 - helpline@retail.org.nz - www.retail.org.nz
- ServiceIQ
- 0800 863 693 - info@serviceiq.org.nz - www.serviceiq.org.nz
Check out related courses
What are the chances of getting a job?
Station closures and the rise of self-service petrol pumps affect job opportunities
According to 2013 Census data, there has been a large drop in the number of people working as service station attendants in the past eight years.
The decrease in numbers is due to:
- some large oil companies closed down a number of their smaller franchises
- some small, independent, rural petrol stations closed due to competition from large companies
- more stations are offering self-service petrol pumps, reducing the need for attendants.
Some stations are expanding their services to include more food and drink, and are therefore employing more attendants and hospitality staff to meet customer demand.
Vacancies still common
However, vacancies are fairly common because service station attendants usually work on a casual or part-time basis, and tend to stay in the job for a short period only.
Your chances of getting a job as a service station attendant are best if you are prepared to work weekends and evenings.
Sources
- Herrick, K, Z Factor Specialist, Z Energy Limited, Careers New Zealand interview, November 2014.
- Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, '2003-2013 Occupation Data' (prepared for Careers New Zealand), 2013.
- Statistics New Zealand, ‘Census of Population and Dwellings’, 2014 (www.stats.govt.nz).
Service station attendants help motorists get petrol, gas or oil for their vehicles
Last updated 27 November 2017