Parking valet to taxi driver
A parking valet already meets 33% of what the taxi driver role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
66/ 100
1 How much of what a taxi driver is expected to do is already part of a parking valet’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the taxi driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A taxi driver role treats 8 of its required skills as things a parking valet already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assist passengers
- communicate with customers
- drive in urban areas
- follow verbal instructions
- lift heavy weights
- maintain vehicle appearance
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A taxi driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a parking valet background worth leading with.
- already held maintain vehicle appearance constructing
- already held assist passengers assisting and caring
- already held provide customers with price information communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held drive in urban areas working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held mechanical components of vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held follow verbal instructions communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 8 the taxi driver role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn ensure vehicle operability required
- still to learn operate radio dispatch systems for taxis required
- still to learn park vehicles required
- still to learn use communication devices required
- optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
- optional, not held provide private transport services optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- still to learn organise vehicle breakdown support required
- still to learn tolerate stress required
- still to learn handle petty cash required
- still to learn tolerate sitting for long periods required
- still to learn apply knowledge of human behaviour required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- still to learn read maps required
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn transport topography required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a taxi driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure vehicle operability practise this
- 02 organise vehicle breakdown support practise this
- 03 tolerate stress practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held assist passengers skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held drive in urban areas skill
- already held follow verbal instructions skill
- already held lift heavy weights skill
- already held maintain vehicle appearance skill
- already held mechanical components of vehicles knowledge
- already held provide customers with price information skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn operate GPS systems required
- optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held provide high-end driving services optional
- optional, not held provide private transport services optional
- optional, not held solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held maintain privacy of service users optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
21 held skills the taxi driver role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role assist disable passengers skill
- not needed by the target role clean vehicle interiors skill
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role drive automatic car skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role ensure protection of car parking skill
- not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role greet guests skill
- not needed by the target role handle guest luggage skill
- not needed by the target role handle surveillance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role interpret traffic signals skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maintain personal hygiene standards skill
- not needed by the target role operate radio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role park guest's vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role perform defensive driving skill
- not needed by the target role provide directions to guests skill
- not needed by the target role road traffic laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role wash vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role work in shifts skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn geographic areas required
- still to learn transport topography required
Common questions about this move
Can a parking valet become a taxi driver?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A parking valet already covers 33% of what a taxi driver is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 8 of which the taxi driver role treats as required.
What skills does a parking valet need to become a taxi driver?
14 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is ensure vehicle operability.
How hard is the move from parking valet to taxi driver?
Its learning distance is 66 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.