Working in a car dealership is often presented as a fun and exciting job and you can make a lot of money if you’re really good at it. Being passionate about cars and a sweet-talker are essential for this type of job, but those qualities alone are not enough. In Australia, you also need a licence to work as a car dealer or own a dealership.
Here’s what you need to know about becoming a car dealer in Australia.
What are the conditions to become a car dealer?
People that buy, sell or exchange more than four motor cars per year need to have a car dealer licence. This provision is intended to distinguish between private citizens buying or selling a car or even four, if they feel like it, and professionals who regularly deal with motor vehicles.
In order to become a professional, you’ll need to apply for a licence and join a car dealer’s organisation.
You don’t need any particular qualification to become a car dealer. To apply for a licence you must be over 18 years of age and hold a driver’s licence, as you will be required to take cars for test drives.
If you want to start your own dealership you will need to prove you did not file for bankruptcy and have enough funds for such a business.
You also need a clean criminal record, which is why you will be required to pass a background check.
Why do I need a background check to become a car dealer?
There are several reasons why national police checks are required to enter the profession. Obviously, you will need to prove that you don’t have convictions for traffic offences. No dealership owner would entrust a brand new car to someone with a history of drunk driving.
Even more important than that, a background check is necessary to prove you were not convicted of car theft over the past 10 years. You won’t be able to get a licence if it is discovered that you are a member of a criminal organisation and have been under police supervision.
Although not explicitly mandated by law, you might see your application rejected if you were convicted of offences that make you unsuitable for working in close contact with members of the public. For instance, a sexual harassment conviction might make you ineligible for this type of work.
How do I know what’s on my criminal record?
If you are not very sure what your criminal record looks like you can always order a background check on yourself. You can easily access an online police check agency like Australian national character check (ANCC) which doesn’t involve any sort of red tape and works much faster than your local police station. You can get your police check straight to your email.
If you have committed some minor offence well in the past chances are it has become spent in the meantime and it will no longer appear on your record. The term minor offence refers to crimes for which the conviction is less than 12 months in prison.
Even if there are some convictions on your record, but they are unrelated to those mentioned above you stand a good chance of getting a car dealer licence.
One you get your licence, all you need to do is go online and search for open positions. Any given day there are hundreds if not thousands of jobs available. You don’t need to worry about your lack of work experience, most car dealerships provide intensive training for new employees.
