How much does a telemarketer make?

The median pay is $17.04 per hour — roughly $35,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.00/hr (10th percentile) to $24.21/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a telemarketer?

The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a telemarketer actually do all day?

Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers. Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.

Sales

Telemarketers

Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

What it pays
Telemarketers earn a median of $17.04/hr — about $35,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.00/hr; the top 10% earn $24.21/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)

What you'd actually do

Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.
Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

You're around people constantly; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 0.6% of telemarketers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are take-charge, organized and detail-focused and people-focused.

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Quick questions

How much does a telemarketer make?: The median pay is $17.04 per hour — roughly $35,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.00/hr (10th percentile) to $24.21/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Do you need a degree to be a telemarketer?: The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
What does a telemarketer actually do all day?: Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers. Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.

Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.