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What are the best paid jobs in the UK?

January 03, 2020
Author: Give A Grad A Go

What are the best paid jobs in the UK?

Whether you're looking for your first graduate job or considering a career change, a good starting salary and high potential earnings will likely play a big part in your decision. So what are the best paid jobs in the UK?

If a good salary is important to you, our latest resource for jobseekers will help you discover the best paid careers across the board. Based on data from Give A Grad A Go and from company review website Glassdoor, we've divided up the best paid jobs into the highest paying entry-level jobs, and the careers with the highest salary potential.

Interested to discover what are the best paid jobs in the UK? Check out our list of high value careers below. If you are on your job hunt, take a look at what Graduate Jobs we have live on the site.

What jobs pay the most?

Jobs with the highest salary potential span a range of sectors and specialisms; from Healthcare to Finance. Below is a list of highly paid careers, with the average entry-level salary against the top-end salary potential.

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Highest paying jobs in the UK - explained

Attorney - Graduate jobs in the legal sector tend to have both a high entry-level starting salary, and sky-high potential earnings. According to Glassdoor, the average potential salary is £102k, although many senior Attorneys will earn even more than this.

Director of Operations - Operations graduate jobs are paid moderately well, with an average of £23k as a starting salary. However, salaries can rise quickly in Operations; with the average Director of Operations paid £100k. They might also have the job title of COO (Chief Operations Officer).

Marketing Director - Graduate marketing jobs are paid an average of £23k starting basic salary, with potential earnings nearing the £100k mark or higher, depending on the sector. Glassdoor data reveals that a Marketing Director / Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) earns an average of £92k per year; making it one of the most high paid jobs in business. Check out what Marketing Graduate Jobs we have live on our site right now!

General Practitioner - Careers in the medical / healthcare sector can be amongst the most highly paid jobs. A Junior Doctor can expect to earn an average of £27k, while a General Practitioner has the potential to earn a salary of £88k or above. Although many junior medical jobs aren't as well paid as jobs in business, a GP is one that is certainly a lucrative field to go into.

Geologist - If you studied Geology at university and are looking to go into a related field, graduate geology jobs are relatively well-paid; at a graduate and a more senior level. A graduate Geologist will earn an average of £28k, while potential earnings for geology jobs reach an average of £82k - especially if you go into one of the more niche geology jobs (UK).

Recruitment Consultant - Recruitment is a lucrative career choice due to the commission it usually offers. At a graduate level, Recruitment Consultants earn an average of £23k as a starting salary, plus commission. Potential salary for recruitment jobs reaches up to £80k as a basic, plus a lot of commission on top of that. For this reason, recruitment is arguably one of the best paid jobs. Looking for Recruitment Consultant jobs? We're hiring! Find out what it's like to work for a Graduate Recruitment Agency.

Creative Director - While entry-level creative careers may not be the highest paid jobs, the potential earnings make them high value careers for graduates. Salaries on Glassdoor report that a Creative Director may earn around £80k. Although many creative careers are as high paid as jobs in business, a Creative Director can earn a seriously competitive salary for their work. See what creative & design jobs there are out there.

Investment Banker - Graduate jobs in investment banking pay £27k on average as a starting salary. However, a senior Investment Banker role can pay an average of £78k in potential earnings - making it one of the best paying jobs in capital goods! Interested in a career in Banking? Check out what Graduate Banking Jobs we have available.

Airline Pilot - As a beginner, an entry-level Airline Pilot will earn approximately £36k; but bear in mind that they will have gone through at lot of training before this. A senior Airline Pilot will earn an average of £64k according to Glassdoor salary reports - making this role one of the best paid jobs in the UK.

Data Scientist - As a graduate, a career in data offers an average salary of £27k - which is fairly high for a graduate salary. For a Data Scientist, the average potential salary is £61k; however this can be much higher depending on the company and level of seniority. If you have a Data Science degree or similar, you might be interested in IT, Software or Engineering Jobs.

What are the best paid graduate jobs based on skills & interests?

As a graduate, you need to not only think about salary, but also the career that best fits your skills and interests.

To help you find the perfect balance between starting salary and job satisfaction, we've listed the highest paying jobs based upon certain attributes, for example the best paid sales jobs or the best paid tech jobs for graduates.

Read more about the specifics of each of these graduate jobs below - and why they're the best paid jobs for graduates.

Best paid graduate jobs for tech skills

Data Engineer - A Data Engineer is responsible for providing and maintaining analytics infrastructure, such as databases and large-scale processing systems. Demand for Data Engineers & Data Scientists is booming, so it's a lucrative career to get in to as a graduate, and one of the most high paid jobs in business. Click here to find Engineering Jobs today.
Average graduate starting salary: £35,000 p/a

Web Developer - A Web Developer, also known as a Web Programmer, is responsible for designing, coding and making changes to websites. Web Developers are in high demand, and need specific technical skills, hence the high starting-salary for entry-level technology graduate jobs. It's widely understood that Developers earn a high salary for their work - and are amongst the highest paying jobs in the UK.
Average graduate starting salary: £29,000 p/a

Software Developer - A Software Developer, also known as a Computer Programmer, is responsible for designing and coding computer programmes and operating systems. They also play a key role in installation, testing, and ongoing maintenance. Software Developers need to know specific programming languages; including Java, Python, C, and JavaScript. Many Software Developers will know a few different computer programming languages.Find jobs for Developers here.
Average graduate starting salary: £27,000 p/a

Best Paid Graduate Jobs For Good Communicators

Operations Manager - An Operations Manager takes on a range of duties; including finance & invoicing, HR, and business analysis. Their function is to analyse and organise operational processes and procedures, and ultimately improve them to increase efficiency. Graduate operations jobs tend to be fairly well-paid, and have a clear career path laid out; from Operations Assistant to COO.
Average graduate starting salary: £30,000 p/a

Account Manager - An Account Manager could work for a range of different companies; from PR, to financial services. Their job is to manage relationships with clients, and sometimes, sales. This might include project management duties, delivering presentations, attending meetings, and finding ways to add value to clients. Account Managers have the potential to be amongst the best paying jobs in the UK, depending on the type of company. Search Account Manager Jobs in London and across the UK.
Average graduate starting salary: £27,000 p/a

Project Manager - A Project Manager plans, organises and oversees aspects of one or several project(s). They will need to organise employees, resources and various tasks in order to work towards an end goal in an efficient and cost-effective way. Depending on the sector, a Project Manager can be amongst the best paid jobs in a company.
Average graduate starting salary: £24,000 p/a

Best Paid Creative Jobs For Graduates

Creative Lead - A Creative Lead works on an aspect of a larger project; they may act as team leader for a group of artists. They will make creative decisions for brands and companies, working on projects such as advertisements, websites, products, events and so on.
Average graduate starting salary: £30,000 p/a

UI/UX Designer - A UI Designer focuses on user interface of a product, i.e. the look and layout. Whereas a UX Designer focuses on the user experience of a product, so how something works and people's interactions with it. Both UI Designers and UX Designers are in real demand, so starting salary and potential salary are high!
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a

Social Media Executive - A Social Media Executive sits within a marketing team, managing all social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest. Social media has become one of the largest digital channels for many businesses; so it's a career to consider as a graduate if you're looking for career progression and big responsibility.Find Social Media and Marketing Jobs in London and across the UK.
Average graduate starting salary: £24,000 p/a

Best Paid Mathematics Graduate Jobs

Business Analyst - A Business Analyst is responsible for analysing company data such as financials, operations and technology. They help to set business goals, and implement processes to reach those goals; so like an Operations Manager, they'll need to have a great understanding of existing processes within the business. Business Analysts tend to sit within a company's operations / management team, so are high up on the list of the best paid jobs in the UK.
Average graduate starting salary: £30,000 p/a

Financial Analyst - A Financial Analyst examines and reports on financial data, and uses this information to inform business decisions. Analyst graduate jobs tend to be fairly well-paid across the board, but the average graduate starting salary for Financial Analyst tops the bill! Financial Analysts can be one of the most high paid jobs in business.Keen to persue a career as an Analyst? Find Graduate Analyst jobs now.
Average graduate starting salary: £28,000 p/a

Junior Accountant - An Accountant sits within a finance team, and is responsible for recording business transactions, reporting on financial performance and issuing financial statements. At a graduate level, a Junior Accountant will sometimes receive training to become a Part-Qualified Accountant or a Fully Qualified Accountant; something to consider as part of your job offering. Not only are Accountancy jobs amongst the best paid jobs in the UK, they will often also include training to develop your career.Interested in becoming an Accountant? Check out what Finance and Accounting Jobs we have available.
Average graduate starting salary: £26,000 p/a

Best Paid Language Jobs For Graduates

French Speaking / German Speaking / Portuguese Speaking Sales Executive - A Sales Executive is responsible for selling a business product or service to customers. This may include making presentation, attending relevant events, and making cold-calls. Bilingual sales jobs will usually involve doing so within a particular market, i.e. the French, German or Portuguese market, and liaising with potential customers in that language. Bilingual Sales Jobs are particularly well paid jobs, because they combine two very hard-to-find skills; sales acumen and foreign language skills.
Average graduate starting salaries: French - £27,000 p/a. German - £26,000 p/a. Portuguese: £26,000 p/a

Highest Paying Target Driven Jobs For Fresh Graduates

Broker - A Broker is responsible for buying and selling goods / assets for others. They then charge a fee or commission for doing so. As with many graduate finance jobs, a career as a Broker offers a good starting basic salary, as well as generous commission on top. Brokers are highly in-demand because they are able to generate so much revenue for companies; making it one of the best paying jobs in capital goods, and one of the best paid jobs (UK).
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a (plus commission)

Business Development Executive - A Business Development Executive plays a key role in growing a company; by selling particular products or services to new customers. They will undertake research to find profitable new leads, and then reach out to potential customers to encourage them to purchase (they are also known as Sales Executives). Graduate sales jobs are amongst the best paid jobs in the UK, usually combining a good basic salary with high commission on top.Check out what Sales & Business Development jobs we have.
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a (plus commission)

Events Manager - An Events Manager plans, organises and promotes events; ensuring a high engagement rate and return on investment; similar to project management. They can be extremely well-paid at graduate level, and as you gain more experience be amongst the highest paid jobs.
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a (plus commission)

High Paying Entrepreneural Jobs For Graduates

Business Strategy Analyst - A Business Strategy Analyst is responsible for identifying business needs and developing plans to determine strategy and direction. They tend to work within the IT & Tech, Finance, Banking, and Business Sectors. Given the combination of skills that a job as a Business Strategy Analyst requires, the graduate starting salary is usually fairly high. Find Graduate Business Analyst jobs here.
Average graduate starting salary: £40,000 p/a

E-Commerce Coordinator - An E-Commerce Coordinator oversees a company's online sales. They may also be involved in decision-making when it comes to the company's website, social media and online advertising. Graduate E-Commerce Jobs tend to have an above-average starting salary.
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a

Growth Manager - A Growth Manager is responsible for analysing data and results, and developing a plan to acquire and retain customers. They usually sit within the marketing team. Growth Managers are often seen as a crucial part of a startup company; and therefore the starting salary will reflect this.
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a

Best Paid Graduate Jobs That Help People

Executive Assistant - An Executive Assistant is responsible for providing support to senior management (often a company CEO). Their role will involve diary management, scheduling, office organisation and compliance. Acting as the right-hand person to a senior member of staff will often equate to an above-average starting salary for graduates.
Average graduate starting salary: £26,000 p/a

Business Consultant - A Business Consultant works with clients, analysing their business requirements, collecting information and executing business projects on their behalf. Consultants tend to be fairly well-paid; and an entry-level Business Consultant can expect to receive somewhere in the mid-£20k range - plus a lot of training!
Average graduate starting salary: £25,000 p/a

Recruitment Consultant - A Recruitment Consultant is responsible for matching candidates to jobs. They work with employers to identify, attract and recruit staff for their roles. Recruitment Consultants tend to have a good starting salary, coupled with commission. Because of this combination, graduate recruitment jobs top our list of 'What are the best paid jobs in the UK'?Looking for Recruitment Consultant jobs? We're hiring! Find out what it's like to work for us.
Average graduate starting salary: £24,000 p/a (plus commission)

What are the best paid jobs without a degree?

If you're looking for high paying jobs without a degree, some of the graduate jobs listed below don't always require them.

The best paid jobs UK without qualifications include:

Broker
Multilingual Sales Jobs
E-Commerce Coordinator
Executive Assistant
Sales Executive

Additionally, many entrepreneurial jobs don't require qualifications. Some of the world's best-known entrepreneurs dropped out of university without a degree; and CEO's / Business Owners can earn huge amounts, depending on the size of the company.

Large corporates will regularly offer rotational graduate programmes to candidates who haven't necessarily gone to university. These often involve management training, and working across various departments within a large business. For those looking for the highest paying jobs without a degree, these could be a good option.

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January 03, 2020
Author: Give A Grad A Go