The highest paid jobs you can get with GCSEs and no A-Levels or degree earning up to £200,000
If you’ve just got your GCSE results and don’t fancy going back to studying, you can still land a job with a bumper pay packet.
There are plenty of jobs out there that don’t require additional qualifications, such as a degree or even A-levels.
And after years at school, many young people will no doubt be keen to get out into the world and start earning cash.
Some of the highest paid jobs you can get with GCSEs alone can pay six figures a year.
We spoke to one plumber who lives in millionaires' playground Kensington, West London, and even goes on luxury holidays to the Maldives after earning £200,000 a year.
You can start working as a plumber after leaving school with many firms offering apprenticeships to help train people up.
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Or you could consider becoming a train driver. Tube drivers have been found to earn £100,000 a year.
Tube driver jobs are initially advertised to Transport For London employees, so working for the company beforehand is the best way to try landing these well-paid roles.
We have also spoken to train drivers who earn £54,000 and don't have any A-levels.
Lorry drivers can also take home salaries of up to £60,000 and there are no formal education requirements. However, you will usually need to be 18 and pass a driving test.
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We spoke to one driver earning £43,000 and he explained how he got into the job.
Many people without A-levels go on to earn big pay packets by working their way up through companies, with each promotion increasing their salary.
For example, one person we spoke to retired at 47 after climbing the ladder within his company and being clever with his cash.
In a list of high earning roles you can do without A-levels compiled by job site Adzuna, an air traffic controller and video games developer were found to be most well paid.
You will likely need to do an apprenticeship in place of A-levels to become a video games developer.
The company looked at average advertised wages for jobs that don't require A-levels.
As each company is different, you could earn much more depending on the specific role.
With most of these particular careers you'll need specialist training, but many companies will offer training on the job - so you can earn while you learn.
You could consider applying to be an executive assistant or word press developer – both of which can expect to pay upwards of £39,000.
Many of these roles offer room for progression so you can go on to earn even more as your career progresses.
Andrew Hunter, co-founder of job search engine Adzuna, said: “While the traditional and more common route after GCSEs is to study for A-levels, school leavers who dislike studying can go straight into work to gain hands-on experience or go through vocational training and apprenticeships to hone an industry-specific skill set.
“There are plenty of lucrative options paying close to £40,000 a year available now.
“School leavers who like identifying and solving an issue can go for problem-solving roles like air conditioning refrigeration engineer, electrical technician, and plumber.
“Jobseekers who enjoy sitting in the office and interacting with others can consider executive assistant, car sales executive, and call centre analyst.”
You could also earn over £39,000 as a live-in nanny, car sales executive or plumber.
And you could still earn more than the average salary in the UK - currently around £33,000 - by becoming a maintenance fitter, fire alarm service engineer or lighting technician.
If you have just got your GCSE results and considering your career options, we have also looked at the best paying office jobs.
As well as the best-paying flexible jobs that don't need a degree.
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