You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification that includes data analysis, like:

• maths and statistics
• marketing and analytics
• business and marketing
• data science

Some market researchers focus on understanding what customers think and feel to give insight into products and services. Relevant degree subjects for this role include psychology, social sciences and sociology.

If you want to specialise in an area like medical or economic market research, you'll find it useful to have a postgraduate master's degree or PhD in statistics or applied statistics.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

You may be able to apply for a junior analyst position with a company after doing a T Level in Digital Business Services.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

You may be able to start by doing a Data Analyst Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, or a Social Researcher Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

These can take 2 years to 3 years and 6 months to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

You could start as a research assistant, and move into statistical work after getting more experience and doing qualifications on the job.

The Market Research Society offers training courses at different levels, depending on your job role and responsibilities.

You could apply for a place on a graduate training scheme with a market research company and start as a junior analyst. You'll need a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification to apply.

You could get a marketing qualification like those offered by The Chartered Institute of Marketing, which often include a market research focus.

You'll need:

• analytical thinking skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to use your initiative
• excellent verbal communication skills
• customer service skills
• maths knowledge
• ambition and a desire to succeed
• business management skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

In your day-to-day duties you may:

• speak to clients to understand their needs
• write proposals, describing how research will be carried out
• manage relationships with clients
• advise researchers about survey methods and design
• project-manage teams
• check the quality of the data collected
• analyse the data using statistical software programs and computer models
• present results in a useful way, through talks, written reports, graphs and tables
• explain findings to market research executives

You could work in an office.