Postal Clerk

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Work Tasks

• Sell stamps, money orders, stationery, envelopes, and boxes
• Weigh packages and check to make sure they are secure for mailing
• Register, certify, and insure mail
• Unload mail that comes in and sort it using machines
• Work indoors for the United States Postal Service in post offices
• Work with letters, packages, newspapers, magazines, stamps, money orders, scales, postal-rate charts, hand and machine cancellers, mail-sorting machines, optical character readers (OCRs), bar code sorters, and sorting trays

Salary, Size & Growth

• $34,000 average per year ($16.25 per hour)
• A large occupation (213,000 workers in 2010)
• Expected to decline (2.7% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A high school diploma, 18 years of age or older, a resident of the US, able to speak English, and must pass tests
• Skills/Courses: On-the-job training includes machine operation and processing procedures.