skip to Main Content

Highest Paid Jobs in the UK without a Degree

Highest Paid Jobs in the UK without a Degree

Want to know the highest paid jobs in the UK without a degree? well we reveal all!

Not having a university education should not get you down. In fact, some of the most successful people in the world do not have a university. Examples include Richard Branson and Jeremy Clarkson to name but a few. Today, there are several high-paying jobs in the UK you can do without a university degree.

Here we outline the highest paying jobs in the UK you can do without a university degree.

Plumber

Starting Salary – £15,000

Do you like dealing with people? Do you like working with machines and your hands? If you do, then a career as a plumber is right for you. With an average salary of £25,000, your duties include installation, repairs, and maintenance of fixtures and pipes.

A standard work week for a plumber is 40 hours and like in other careers, you’ll work overtime during peak periods. To become a plumber, you’ll need an NVQ Level 2 qualification.

Air Traffic Controllers

Starting Salary – £17,000

Every day, over 500,000 people pass through UK airspace and they rely on air traffic controllers to reach their destinations safely

To qualify for air traffic controller training, you need to be 18 years and over. You should also have at least five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above. As a trainee, your starting salary is £17,000 along with a weekly payment of £60. After training, you’ll earn between £37,000 – £41,000.

Sound Engineering Technician

Starting Salary – £17,000

Sound engineering technicians assemble and operate equipment used to record and mix sound. Basically, they use their knowledge to produce and manipulate sound for performances.

In an established studio or radio and television, starting salary is between £17,000 to £20,000. With experience, salaries start upwards of £30,000.

Sales Manager

Starting Salary – £21,000

As with any sales occupation, sales managers ensure sales targets are always met, develop sales tactics and much more. They also attend networking events, manage the sales team and ensure the team runs effectively.

You don’t need a degree to become a sales manager. However, prior experience as a sales representative or executive is needed.

Electrician

Starting Salary – £18,000

Electricians install, maintain, and enhance electrical systems including lights, fuses, and wiring. They also test, inspect and modify electrical systems at homes, businesses, and construction sites. To become an electrician, you need a Level 2 Diploma in Access to Building Services Engineering.

Flight Attendant

Starting Salary – £15,000

Travel around the world for free and meet new people as you work as a flight attendant. While travelling the world, you’ll carry out pre-flight duties such as checking safety equipment. You’ll also clean and tidy the aircraft, and welcome passengers on board.

To become a flight attendant, you need a Level 2 Certificate or Diploma in Air Cabin Crew. You can also study a cabin crew module as part of your travel and tourism course.

Train Driver

Starting Salary – £24,000

Operate trains on the rail network while carrying freight and passengers from city to city as a train driver. While you don’t need a degree to become a train driver, you’ll need solid decision-making skills, coordination, and visual acuity. To become a train driver, apply to a train operating company and start your train driver advanced apprenticeship.

Health and Fitness Coach

Starting Salary – £19,000

If you’re passionate about staying healthy, then a health and fitness coach career is right for you. As a fitness coach, you’ll help others achieve their fitness goals by creating programs, motivating and guiding your clients.

As a coach, you’ll teach people how to exercise properly using workouts and eat healthy foods to maintain a healthy weight. To become a health and fitness coach, you’ll need a Level 2 Diploma in Instructing Exercise and Fitness.

Personal Trainer

Starting Salary – £20,000

Like a health and fitness coach, a personal trainer is responsible for working with people on a 1-to-1 basis to help them achieve their fitness goals. The trainer helps clients reach these goals by developing fitness programs tailored to their needs.

Most of these programs take place in a gym where clients work out and use various equipment under the guidance of the trainer. To be a personal trainer, you’ll need to complete a Level 2 Gym Instructing Course and Level 3 Personal Training Course. Once you complete your training, you can choose to be self-employed or work in a gym.

Nutrition Coach

Starting Salary – £19,000

To achieve your fitness goals, you also need to make smarter food choices. As a nutrition coach, you’ll empower your clients with the knowledge to make the best food choices. You will also teach clients about the principles of nutrition science.

This includes lessons on micronutrient and macronutrient intake, how to read food package labels and more. To become a nutrition coach, you’ll have to complete a Level 3 Nutrition Course. As a self-employed nutrition coach, your prospects will be great. To be successful, build and maintain a client base and sound reputation. Networking will also increase your client base.

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Starting Salary – £24,000

With an average salary of £50,000, a strength and conditioning coach helps in establishing programs for all sports. The coach also monitors an athlete’s progress and improves their performance. When you get the job, you’ll work alongside other coaches and physiotherapists and report on data from diagnostic testing. Remember, to be successful, you must be proactive, use your own initiative and work well under pressure.

Pilates Instructor

Starting Salary – £20,000

A Pilates instructor teaches individuals and groups in fitness programs known as Pilates. The instructor helps people improve their muscle strength, and promote overall using Pilates.

To become a good Pilates instructor, you must be intelligent, intuitive, imaginative and creative. Not only that. You’ll also need to qualify for a Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates. With this qualification, you’ll have the knowledge and skills of physiology and anatomy focusing on the core and spine.

Member of Parliament

Starting Salary – £18,000

Want to represent the interests and concerns of the people in the House of Commons? The UK public elects Members of Parliament to raise issues that matter to them as well as propose new laws.

When in Parliament, MPs spend their time attending debates and voting on new laws. They also split their time between working in Parliament, for their political party and the constituency. The good news is you don’t need a degree to become a Member of Parliament. Simply get elected by voters in your constituency.

Estate Agent

Starting Salary – £16,000

As an estate agent, you’ll assist people with purchasing, selling and renting commercial and residential property. Basically, you’ll act as a negotiator with home buyers and sellers during home purchases and sales.

Your role will also involve frequent liaison with mortgage brokers, banks and other estate agencies. On certain occasions, you may handle property sales taking place via auctions. It’s not essential to have a university degree to do this job. However, you can have an advantage with a diploma in business studies, estate management, and surveying.

Firefighter

Starting Salary – £23,000

Protect property and lives as a firefighter in the event of fires. Besides extinguishing flames, a fighter also helps with floods, medical emergencies and even rescue cats on trees. Firefighters also work with the community to fit smoke alarms, and support businesses with fire prevention. To become a firefighter, you’ll need a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Public Services.

Police Officer

Starting Salary – £21,000

Protect members of the public and their property by working as a police officer. Working as an individual or with other officers, you can prevent crime, reduce the fear of crime and improve the community’s quality of life.

To protect people and their property, you’ll use a range of technology and equipment. They will help you identify perpetrators of crime, and protect the people. Not only that. The technology will also ensure the successful prosecution of those who break the law.

To become a police officer, take courses such as Level 3 National Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services.

Recruitment Consultant

Starting Salary – £18,000

Assist employers to recruit staff by working as a recruitment consultant. You’ll assist employers by identifying, selecting and recruiting staff for a variety of vacancies. This role also calls for negotiating contracts, building relationships with clients and more.

In some circumstances, you’ll find yourself working with graduates where you’ll hire the best for graduate training schemes. To become a recruitment consultant, you need a diploma in any field. But human resources, sales and administration are normally beneficial. Management and good communication skills will also be useful.

Computer Games Tester

Starting Salary – £20,000

If you love playing computer games, then you can do something you love by becoming a computer games tester. Game testers test all types of computer games, including role play, combat, sports, shooters, puzzles and much more.

While working as a game tester, you’ll test different versions and levels of a game. You’ll also find bugs and causes of faults at the development stage, and compare your game against others. As you play computer games, you’ll report any glitches, bugs and irregularities you may come across. This is usually done via bug tracking software.

Marketing Executive

Starting Salary – £19,000

As a Marketing Executive, you’ll work as part of a larger marketing team to promote brands, products and services via campaigns. You’ll do so by contributing ideas to marketing campaigns, research to identify and define audiences.

The role also plays a great deal in digital and online marketing. Marketing Executive roles are open to graduates in subjects like marketing, and advertising. But you can also take a course like Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Marketing or Level 3 Certificate in Digital Marketing.

Environmental Conservation Consultant

Starting Salary – £21,000

An environmental conservation consultant helps clients address concerns about the environment. Such issues include air, land and water contamination, emissions and climate change, and recycling. Other duties include carrying out research, writing reports and sharing findings with clients.

You’ll usually need a degree in environmental science or environmental studies. However, you can volunteer and work in various training opportunities before applying for the role.

Journalist

Starting Salary – £18,000

Write stories for local and national newspapers as a journalist. To write award-winning stories, you’ll research, investigate and follow leads from the police, the public, and other sources. To support your stories, you’ll research and collate evidence using relevant sources such as archives and the internet.

Working hours include regular unsocial hours. Shift work is also common, and so is weekend work. Many journalists are freelance but some work in TV, radio, newspapers and magazines on short and long-term contracts.

Mortgage Advisor

Starting Salary – £19,000

If you’re interested in real estate, then a career as a mortgage advisor is right for you. Mortgage advisors help their clients find the best mortgage deals for use in purchasing their homes. The majority of mortgage advisors are self-employed and work between 35 and 40 hours a week.

To become a mortgage advisor, you could do a college course that will give you the necessary knowledge and skills. Such courses include T Level in Finance and Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business.

Freelance IT Contractor

Starting Salary – £27,000

Businesses in the UK require IT services not only to safeguard their operations. But to remain competitive and streamline their business processes. This is where a freelance IT contractor comes in. By providing reliable IT support to businesses, they improve productivity and revenue.

As a freelance IT contractor, you’ll offer IT solutions depending on the needs of the business. You will also install, test, inspect and maintain their IT Infrastructure.

Personal Assistant

Starting Salary – £19,000

Personal Assistants carry out various duties for individuals in various roles. Such duties include diary management, event planning, making travel arrangements, and taking notes. You’ll also plan conferences, seminars and other events, liaise with other members of staff, prepare expense reports and much more.

To get the job, you’ll need a Level 2 Diploma in Business Support or a Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration.

Risk Manager

Starting Salary – £30,000

Risk managers are responsible for managing the risks of a business, its employees, and stakeholders. As a risk manager, you’ll assess and identify threats that may potentially harm a business. You’ll also develop strategies and systems for managing and monitoring risks to ensure business continuity. To achieve the above, you’ll carry out investigations, gather data then analyse it to identify internal and external risks to the business.

Computer Security Specialist

Starting Salary – £22,000

More than 39% of UK businesses face at least one cyber attack on their operations each day. As a computer security specialist, your job is to develop measures that will protect your clients’ computer networks. You’ll also use hardware and software to create barriers that will deter external access to the computer networks.

The general working hours of a computer security specialist is the normal 40 hours a week. However, you must remain on call 24/7 in case of any security breaches.

Security Consultant

Starting Salary – £22,000

As a security consultant, your duty is to analyse and assess security measures and systems. To do so, you’ll study potential breaches and suggest solutions and contingency plans. You’ll meet with clients to discuss security measures, run security tests and risk assessments.

Clients will also require you to design measures to prevent risks that would compromise their systems. To become a security consultant, you must have strong coding and endpoint security skills. You should also have excellent analytical and decision-making skills.

Hazardous Waste Manager

Starting Salary – £20,500

More than 15% of waste generated by healthcare-related activities is hazardous. As a hazardous waste manager, you’ll oversee the collection and transportation of waste. You’ll need to do so without contaminating air, water and land sources.

You will also assist in the implementation of waste disposal schemes, and ensure compliance with legislation in the handling and disposal of waste. To work as a hazardous waste manager, experience in auditing waste facilities and operations is highly recommended.

Youth Worker

Starting Salary – £17,000

As a Youth Worker, you’ll organize and run community programs that offer support to young people aged 11 to 25 years. Through these community programs, you’ll help the youth build life skills and self-confidence. This will help them make a successful transition to adulthood. To become a Youth Worker, you need to gain qualifications through an apprenticeship in youth work.

Offshore Energy Technician

Starting Salary – £19,000

Work as an offshore energy technician in the oil and gas industry where you’ll install, test and maintain a variety of equipment. In electrical maintenance, you’ll repair and maintain equipment such as power control systems, and others. In process operations, your duties will include maintaining the safe operations of oil and gas productions.

Offshore energy technicians are usually paid a basic ‘on call’ salary plus daily bonuses for the time spent offshore. Salary usually increases with the time spent offshore with average salaries in the region of £30,000 to £35,000.

Strategy Manager

Starting Salary – £36,000

A strategy manager is usually tasked with assessing organisational performance. Using available information, the manager implements processes to improve effectiveness. The manager also develops achievable goals and builds a sustainable competitive advantage. To be successful, you should have excellent leadership skills and be familiar with operations.

Management Consultant

Starting Salary – £30,000

A management consultant helps organizations solve issues. To improve the performance of an organization, you’ll carry out research, collect data and analyze it. This will allow you to identify issues, and form solutions.

Equipment Operator

Starting Salary – £18,000

An equipment operator ensures all equipment is always used following safety regulations. The operator will perform routine equipment checks, and ensure all equipment is safely turned off and stored. To succeed as an equipment operator, you must partake in comprehensive training to help you carry out your duties. You must also work with others to enforce safety measures to reduce the risk of casualty.

Translator

Starting Salary – £18,000

Translators are experts in language and communication. They read, and convert spoken and written messages from one language to another. Normally, they specialize in two languages – their native language and a foreign language. However, they may also specialize in more languages. Most translators are self-employed, but others work for companies providing translation services.

Prison Officer

Starting Salary – £22,000

A prison officer works with fellow officers in correctional centres, and jails to ensure the custody and security of inmates. Prison officers are responsible for enforcing rules and regulations in a prison. They oversee inmates arrested for committing crimes. To get this job, complete an advanced apprenticeship as a custody and detention officer.

Executive Assistant

Starting Salary – £22,000

Company executives are usually under incredible pressure to perform, and they have a lot to do. This is where an Executive Assistant comes in. The assistant is responsible for managing the communications and schedules of company executives. They do so by prioritizing phone calls and emails plus arranging business events and meetings.

Sheet Metal Worker

Starting Salary – £20,000

A sheet metal worker is an expert in fabrication, installation and maintenance of sheet metal products. They use equipment to cut, form and weld sheets of metal creating products for industrial applications. Sheet metal workers can learn their trade at a technical school, but those employed in manufacturing typically learn on the job.

Nuclear Technician

Starting Salary – £23,000

Nuclear technicians assist engineers, physicists and other professionals in nuclear research. They work in nuclear energy production where they operate special equipment used in experiments. The technicians also monitor radiation levels produced by power generation and other activities.

Sports Massage Therapist

Starting Salary – £18,000

A sports massage therapist is a professional who helps to condition the muscles of athletes. As a trained expert, they identify the types and frequency of athletes’ physical activities. They then use this information to provide massage techniques to a variety of muscle groups. By doing so, they reduce muscle tension, increase flexibility and reduce inflammation.

Further Reading…

close-link