Career profile Β· live from the Careermash careers engine
Leadership / organisation

Filing Clerk

A filing clerk organises and stores a company's documents and records so they can be found quickly when needed. It is steady, methodical work that suits people who are tidy, careful and like keeping things in order.
No degree needed for many routesEntry routes with no formal quals
Direct entry route
0
AI impact
how much AI is reshaping it
Robin Β· your guide
Curious about being a filing clerk? Here's the honest picture - what you'd really do, what you'd earn, and every way in. No need to decide anything yet.

What you'd actually do

The job is sorting, labelling, filing and retrieving paper and digital documents, keeping records accurate and confidential, and helping colleagues find what they need. Being organised, careful and discreet matters, since misfiled or lost documents cause real problems and some records are sensitive.

It is mostly office-based with regular weekday hours, and pay commonly starts around the minimum or low end. The work can be repetitive and involve some standing, reaching and lifting of files, so reliability and attention to detail are what count.

You can usually start with no formal qualifications and learn on the job, or come in through a business administration apprenticeship. It is a common entry point into office work and can lead to wider admin roles.

1Sort and file paper and digital documents
2Label and organise records clearly
3Retrieve files when colleagues need them
4Keep confidential records secure
5Update and archive old records
6Photocopy and scan documents
7Follow data protection rules

Degrees that lead here via Public Services & Government

Degree options are mapped from subjects - explore the buckets to find related courses.

Apprenticeships that lead here

No apprenticeship standard maps directly yet - the university or college route is the main way in.

How to get in - your routes

Careermash Β· your kind of work, the careers in it, and every route in - all in one place.

Career data: role, pay and progression profiles built for Careermash's careers engine; AI-impact estimates from Anthropic's observed AI-usage telemetry and OpenAI's AI Jobs Transition Framework. Course data: HESA / Discover Uni, including Graduate Outcomes, LEO and the National Student Survey. Apprenticeships: IfATE-published standards, approved only.

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