Courier (Koerier)
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A courier is a logistics employee who delivers parcels, letters or other goods on behalf of a delivery service. This can be done by means of a bicycle, motorcycle or van. The profession of courier is a popular profession, because there are more and more consumers who buy products online. As a courier, in most cases you bring packages or other goods around with a courier bus, such as at people's homes, who have ordered something. The work of a courier is not difficult, but a courier must have a sense of responsibility, because a courier can have to deal with expensive packages. In recent years, the number of couriers has increased considerably, because more and more people order via the internet. In most cases, these goods are delivered to your home via the courier. Although most couriers use a courier bus, a courier can also use other means of transport. Which means of transport a courier will use depends on the working area and the type of courier work. In all cases, a courier will have to be regarded as a carrier, who will transport all common shipments in the short term. The short-term transport of parcels plays an important role, which should not be underestimated. The suppliers of packages will in most cases also demand that packages are delivered quickly. Depending on the order, a courier may also have to deal with urgent deliveries. In that case, a courier will usually not transport other packages. Nowadays there are many independently working couriers, who often have their own courier bus. The profession of courier is a profession that has to suit you, because the workload is high. In addition, most couriers work long hours and make many stops in a day. Planning routes in the right way is important to work as effectively as possible.
A courier is therefore a logistics employee, who is responsible for delivering and collecting letters, packages and other goods. As a courier you often work as an entrepreneur, but you do have to deal with contracts from the delivery service. This means that you must meet certain conditions to be able to work for a delivery service. Think of the age of a van, the color of the van and requirements with regard to the work clothing. A courier must look well-groomed and this is also expected of the means of transport. It does not matter whether it is a bicycle, moped, car or van. Representativeness is important for a courier. In most cases, there are also other mandatory requirements, such as compulsory insurance. The profession of courier does not require specific training, but it can help to follow a training in logistics. In addition, a courier will in most cases have to have the driver's license. As a courier, it is important to adhere to the traffic rules, because the fines are hefty nowadays. A courier who gets too many fines will in most cases be working for nothing. Just like a truck driver, a courier can be regarded as a professional driver and will have to comply with the traffic rules.
WORKING AS A COURIER
The profession of courier is a beautiful profession, in which you have many freedoms. However, the profession of courier can also be regarded as a fairly heavy profession, because most couriers work long hours. In addition, the work pace of couriers is high. In other words, working as a courier will have to suit you, because you have to deliver a lot of packages every day. Planning routes in a good way is important to be able to deliver all packages on time. Another important point is competition between them. Due to the rise of self-employed couriers, prices are under pressure. In other words, as a courier, it is important to win enough orders to survive. In addition to the courier work that is done with a van, there are couriers who deliver mail or packages by bicycle or moped. These couriers often work in cities where it is difficult to deliver packages with a van. A courier can work locally or nationally. Sometimes it happens that packages have to be brought abroad and the courier has to stay overnight.
SELF-EMPLOYED COURIER RATES
The vast majority of couriers nowadays work as self-employed. Most couriers use a fixed mileage allowance excluding freight costs. The freight costs depend on the weight and size of the package. In addition, most couriers use a surcharge when it concerns an urgent order. The price per kilometer can vary from € 0.45 per kilometer to € 0.50 per kilometer, excluding freight costs. Most parcel deliverers who deliver parcels from webshops have to deal with a different revenue model when it concerns a self-employed person. Parcel deliverers usually receive a fixed fee of € 1.50 per address and € 0.16 per package they deliver.
WHAT DOES A COURIER DO:
- Collection and collection of parcels (sorting centre)
- Delivering packages according to the conditions (signing)
- Performing general administrative actions
- Delivering packages to a postal centre (not at home)
- Mapping out routes
- Picking up packages
WHAT DOES A COURIER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A COURIER
There are no recognized training opportunities for courier. The most targeted training to become a courier is the MBO training logistics employee. In practice, a courier does not have to have specific training. In other words, anyone can work as a courier. However, in most cases you will have to have the driver's license. Following extra driving skills training is also recommended, because there is a lot of driving as a courier. In addition, there are plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Couriers who have a van that has more than five hundred kilos of payload must have a permit from the NIWO. Because couriers often work as entrepreneurs, it is wise to follow an additional course in business administration. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A COURIER CAN BE EMPLOYED
In many cases, a courier will work as an entrepreneur. This does not alter the fact that a courier can work for a postal center. In addition, a courier can work for a large courier company that has many courier buses. The name courier must also be seen as a fairly general one, because a courier can also work as a pizza courier, for example. In other words, it is not the case that all couriers work for parcel services.
COMPETENCES COURIER
The most important competence of a courier is its professionalism. This mainly relates to working as a professional driver. In addition, it is important that you can withstand a high workload and are stress-resistant. Another important competence is communication, because you have to deal with many different people. If you work as an entrepreneur, it is also important that you have a commercial institution. Generally important words are independence, perseverance, energy, performance, kindness, planning, organizing and service.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A COURIER
The labor market perspective of a courier does not really apply, because most couriers work as entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur will have to determine his own labour market perspective by networking. In general, it is true that there is a lot of demand for couriers. The career opportunities of a courier should be seen in obtaining the truck driver's license or growing the courier company. There are actually no further career opportunities.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY COURIER
There are no examples of the employment conditions, because most couriers work as entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur will have to determine his own terms of employment. A courier will in most cases earn a salary between 1800 and 2400 euros gross per month, depending on age, education and further responsibilities. A self-employed courier can generally earn more. This is highly dependent on the number of packages and the expenses of the van.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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