What are the highest paying careers?

When trying to find the right job for you, you may feel compelled to research the highest paying careers. Salary isn’t always the main motivating factor for everyone, but for some people it has an important role to play. Finding a line of work that pays well can provide you with financial stability and can also be a constant source of motivation to keep pushing onwards and upwards throughout your career.

Read on to find out what the highest paying jobs and salaries are in the UK.

• Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
• Chief executives and senior officials
• Marketing and sales directors
• Legal professionals n.e.c.
• Information technology and telecommunications directors
• Financial managers and directors
• Advertising and public relations directors 
• Medical practitioners

6 highest paying jobs in the UK

1. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers – £92,330 average salary

Pilots and flight engineers have somewhat of a rare skill set and with that comes a great amount of responsibility and an even greater salary. Salaries depend on the airline and type of aircraft, but rest assured this is a high-paid line of work to be in.

To become a pilot there will be some level of study required but not necessarily a degree. You can gain your ATPL through private training rather than undertaking university study. To become a flight engineer, a Bachelor’s degree is usually required in aviation engineering or similar.

2. Chief executives and senior officials – £85,239 average salary

Chief executives are the leaders who drive companies forward and propel them into new stages of growth. As a chief executive, you’ll have the final say on key business decisions which could either make or break a company. You’ll need a lot of business acumen and the ability to critically analyse your options.

Many chief executives hold an undergraduate degree, although your experience and achievements in the working world are going to be the real driving force behind your success.

3. Marketing and sales directors – £80,759 average salary

Marketing and sales is the creative force behind any business. You could have the greatest product in the world, but without an effective marketing and sales team, your product won’t go very far. Marketing and sales directors have a direct impact on profit generation, which is one reason why they earn a high salary.

Typically, many marketing and sales directors will have a degree related to business or marketing although this is less common among sales directors.

4. Legal professionals n.e.c. – £77,212 average salary

Legal professionals are responsible for giving legal advice to people or companies. Two of the most common types of legal professionals are solicitors and barristers. Solicitors provide legal advice to their clients, whereas barristers will appear in court to represent their clients. Legal professionals can specialise in different areas from commercial to criminal to family law.

Becoming a legal professional is a studious path, and you must be prepared to dedicate several years to university study in a related law degree before becoming fully certified.

5. Information technology and telecommunications directors – £69,814 average salary

In this age of technology, IT directors have a crucial role to play in the success of any business. IT directors will oversee the strategy and implementation of IT throughout the business, finding the right technologies to improve the customer experience, streamline processes and boost profits.

Typically, IT directors will have a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as computer science, programming or information technology.

6. Advertising and public relations directors – £63,362 average salary

Advertising and PR directors have a big role to play in upholding a company’s image. They work closely with marketing directors to create strategies and campaigns that promote the business in the wider press. 

Many PR directors come from a journalism background, and need to be good at juggling many plates from arranging interviews to building relationships with the press to being a company spokesperson. Most companies will require you to have a bachelor’s degree. Degrees in English, PR and marketing are helpful.

Climb the ladder

Whilst salary is an important factor to consider when making a career change, job satisfaction also plays a huge role in your professional success. The right career will give you a balance of both worlds. 

If you’re working towards a higher salary, check out our blog post on asking for a salary increase.