Top Highest Paying Jobs in London, UK
London is one of the world’s top financial centers in the world. UK capital attracts thousands of people every year to move there and pursue their career goals. Because of its various job sectors, London has many opportunities indeed. Armed with competitive skills, industry knowledge, and especially an excellent education, you can land a high-paying job in the UK capital.
Top high-paying jobs in London include:
- Enterprise Architects
- Risk Managers
- Enterprise Account Managers
- Technical Programme Managers
- Investment Banking Associates
- Strategy Managers
- Equity Research analysts
- Program Managers
- Creative Directors
- Portfolio Managers
The top highest-paying jobs in London pay a median annual salary above £70,000. Enterprise Architects are the best-paid professionals, with some at the partner or director level earning up to £107,000 annually.
While some of the best-paying jobs might require at least a degree, there are several opportunities for non-degree holders possessing special skills. This article features some of the most attractive and highest-paying professions in London. You might want to pursue one of them, whether you have a university degree or not.
What are the highest-paid jobs in London in 2022?
Below are the careers leading the ranking in terms of salaries in London, UK:
Enterprise Architects
Boasting a median salary of £71,400, Enterprise Architects top the list of the highest-paid jobs in the UK. To be one, you need to have a knack for technology because the key role involves overseeing an organization’s IT operations and infrastructure.
The basic qualification is a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in computer science. However, to have a competitive edge, you also need skills and an understanding of database management languages like SQL and knowledge of enterprise-level IT hardware.
Risk Managers
The median salary of a Risk Manager is £68,600, and their role is to find and ease the risks that pose threats to an organization’s well-being. These include risks, such as personnel shortages, credit risks, business interruptions, financial risks, and any concerns that may interfere with the smooth flow of the business.
Enterprise Account Managers
An Enterprise Account Manager handles the organization’s largest accounts. These comprise dealings with multinationals and household names with contracts worth millions, sometimes billions.
Because of the huge transactions, the role requires excellent customer relations and negotiation skills. These will help you secure enterprise-level client contracts and keep the client satisfied with the services or products they get. The job attracts a median salary of £65,800.
Technical Programme Managers
The similarity between a Technical Programme Manager and a Programme Manager is that both have the same role: To manage several projects operating under a single program, to achieve the organization’s goals.
Their difference is because of the ‘Technical’ part of the job title, showing they handle the job more tactically, with a deeper understanding of a specific field, market, or sector.
Additionally, as a Technical Programme Manager, you might be required to make a detailed analysis to justify the delivery of your program. This role has a higher financial reward than a general Programme Manager for these reasons. The median salary of a Technical Programme Manager is £65,800.
Investment Banking Associates
As an Investment Banking Associate, your job entails performing an array of duties. You might attend industry conferences to attract prospective investors and clients.
Alternatively, you could prepare business valuations or analyze liquidation to pull an acquisition out of bankruptcy. It’s also your task to develop scenarios for your client’s future investments.
Before progressing to this position, you can start as a Contract Analyst or an Equity Analyst to first witness the pressures involved and decide whether it’s the right role for you. Investment Banking Associate’s median salary is £65,000.
Strategy Managers
To land a strategy manager job, you will need an MBA or equivalent. Alternatively, you can get an intermediate role with an excellent track record in business.
The dominant responsibilities are identifying strengths and what’s needed to grow the organization. Likewise, you are to note the weaknesses and areas that desire improvements.
This is a senior position and will require both critical and creative thinking. The median salary is £64,000. Apart from the attractive pay, the greatest satisfaction is seeing the company prosper under your leadership.
Equity Research analysts
The primary responsibilities of an Equity Research Analyst include an organization’s financial planning, coming up with new investment ideas, analyzing economic data, and proposing budgetary spending.
Another critical task is writing clear reports that represent the equity strategy and the financial information. You should possess superb communication skills to effectively communicate your research to your workmates and external stakeholders. The role attracts a median salary of £62,900.
Program Managers
A program manager is in charge of several projects, each headed by a Project Manager. This role comes with authority and influence while overseeing many projects. To be successful in the position, you will need to multitask in the projects and ensure their completion is on time and within the allocated budget.
This senior position earns a median salary of £62,800.
Creative Directors
Earning a median salary of £61,500, Creative Directors mostly work for marketing and advertising agencies. However, large brands have in-house Creative Directors who work alongside the marketing teams.
The job comes with the massive pressure of coming up with creative marketing strategies for a client’s product. Producing successful projects may mean working hard for long in order to beat deadlines or to redo projects severally before finding a rapport with the client.
It might be a well-paying job but isn’t for those without enough creative juices.
Portfolio Managers
Your role as a Portfolio Manager is to ensure the investment accounts, such as retirement savings and pension funds, make favorable returns on the capital invested.
The position requires knowledge of the stock market, economy, emerging trends, and knowing when to jump on opportunities before other players take advantage of them.
The Portfolio Manager has the chance to progress to the boardroom or director’s position. Additionally, the job comes at an attractive median salary of £60,900. To be successful in this role, you need interpersonal, communication, and risk management skills.
Furthermore, other high-paying jobs in London include:
- Doctors
- Accountants
- Risk Managers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Psychologists
- Air Traffic Controllers
- Solicitors
Highest paying jobs in London with a degree
Being a degree holder, undergraduate, or master’s can elevate your chances of working in some leading companies. Below are the highest-paying jobs in London for a degree holder:
Chief Executives and Senior Officials
Median salary £90,000.
CEOs are the top-ranked individuals within an organization. In most organizations, the CEO holds a business-related degree or a postgraduate qualification, such as an MBA and might have previously served on the board of directors.
Legal Professionals
Median salary £76,522.
In the UK, judges have some of the highest salaries among legal professionals, with average salaries ranging from £91,217 to £267,509.
Lawyers earn, on average, around £70,321, and it goes up to £122,000.
The starting salaries of fresh law graduates are relatively low, but the top-paid lawyers practice corporate and commercial law. The wage rises as you climb up the career ladder. To be a lawyer, you require a law degree. Alternatively, if you graduate in other subjects, you can take the Graduate Diploma in law.
Marketing and Sales Directors
Median salary £75,631.
Sales and marketing are at the heart of many businesses to ensure products move and make profits. Non-profit organizations also need marketing for their charity campaigns.
The marketing executive creates awareness of new products and runs campaigns for charity, while salespeople might mainly require experience and natural talent to produce massive sales. Most organizations prefer graduates with degrees related to business or marketing.
Possessing specialized up-to-date courses in marketing can be an added advantage when seeking a sales and marketing job.
Advertising and Public Relations Directors
Median salary £64,641.
To join most organizations, you need a degree in marketing, communication, or public relations. Nevertheless, you will have to work your way to the top before qualifying for the director’s job or applying for the role at the senior management level.
Roles include organizing advertising campaigns, exhibitions, and conferences to promote your organization’s interests.
Medical Practitioners
Median salary £64,504.
Besides the pleasure of saving lives, a medical practitioner earns a high salary. This broad term represents doctors, pediatricians, radiologists, anesthetists, general practitioners, etc.
For example, General practitioners earn between £62,268 to £93,965.
To become one, you need a Medical degree, which takes six years, followed by a foundation course of two years, and specialist training.
Financial Managers and Directors
Median salary £64,384.
A financial-related degree will boost your chances of securing this role, though a master’s degree might be necessary for a senior position. The salary rises as you climb up the career ladder.
The responsibility of Financial managers and directors is to take care of the organization’s finances. They plan and manage how the company handles finances to remain profitable or increase profitability.
Highest paying jobs in London without a degree
You don’t have to be a degree holder to build a high-paying career in London. There are opportunities that you can try out even if you don’t possess a degree. Here are some with decent salaries:
Personal trainer
Average salary: £27,000.
A personal trainer helps clients achieve their fitness goals through exercise programs and dieting instructions. With fitness being in immense demand, an excellent personal trainer has high chance of securing a job in London’s best gyms.
Estate Agents
Average salary: £21,500.
With an Estate agent & personal development training or an Estate agent diploma, you can start a well-paying career selling or renting residential or commercial property.
While a degree might give you an edge over other applicants, a diploma or certification in an estate agency will also qualify you for this career. You can find estate agent courses at most institutes of Further and Higher Education.
Construction Manager
Average salary: £49,000.
A construction manager is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of construction projects from start to finish. With experience in the construction industry, you could become a construction manager with an average salary of £49,000.
You don’t need a degree to become a construction manager, but you will need to have experience in the construction industry and some relevant qualifications. You can find construction management courses at most Further and Higher Education institutes.
Nutrition Coach
Average Salary: £26,797.
You only need to complete a level 3 nutrition course to become a nutrition coach, also known as a nutrition advisor. The central role is to offer guidance and advice on food and drink-related topics.
This career is in high demand due to the current obesity epidemic, so a nutrition coach with some experience and qualifications can expect to earn a decent salary. You will be surprised at the number of institutes that offer nutrition courses – so there’s no excuse not to get started.
Recruitment Consultant
Average salary: £23,000.
Being a recruitment consultant entails finding employment for job seekers willing to work for recruitment agencies. You only need to have management skills, excellent communication skills, and a bit of background knowledge in the particular job market.
When starting out as a recruitment consultant, you can expect to earn an average salary of £23,000. With experience, this salary can go up to £30,000. Many institutes offer recruitment consultancy courses, so there’s no excuse not to get started if this is the career you want to pursue.
Pilates Instructor
Average salary: £25,000.
A level 3 diploma in Mat Pilates is the entry-level requirement to become a Pilates instructor. This will equip them with familiarity and skills in the anatomy and physiology of the core and the spine. After that, you can run classes in a gym, studio, or carry out one-on-one sessions as a pilates instructor.
In cases where you have a Pilates instructor qualification, you can command an income of £25,000 or more. There are many Pilates instructor courses available, so there’s no excuse not to get started if this is the career you want to pursue.
Firefighter
Average salary: £30,027.
The job entails preventing and putting out fires, educating the community about fire prevention and safety, and offering support during floods and road accidents. This is a highly sought-after career, so you will need to pass several fitness and psychometric tests.
Firefighters don’t necessarily need a degree, but they need to pass many fitness and psychometric tests.
With experience, firefighters can earn an average salary of £30,027. Many institutes offer firefighter courses, so there’s no excuse not to get started if this is the career you want to pursue.
Police Officer
Average salary: £29,310.
This is a very demanding and challenging career, but it’s also highly rewarding.
Police officers don’t necessarily need a degree, but they do need to pass a number of fitness and psychometric tests. With experience, police officers can earn an average salary of £29,310.
There are many institutes that offer police officer courses, so there’s no excuse not to get started if this is the career you want to pursue.
Train and Tram Driver
Train drivers are in high demand in London and are also highly paid. Freshly qualified can earn a salary of £25,000 and, with experience, whopping £81,000. For a job with no degree, these are very high numbers for the UK and London.
In fact, while working on London Underground as a train driver, you will earn between £55,000 and £58,000.
Moreover, here are some of the salaries reported by the main operators of trains and trams working in the UK:
- Great Western Railway: £48k to £81k
- Southeastern Railway: £48k to £56k
- London Underground: £55k to £58k
- Arriva Group: £45k to £65k
- Govia Thameslink Railway: £53k to £64k
- London Overground: £55k to £62k
- South Western Railway: £51k to £65k
- Transport for London: £28k to £59k
- Crosscountry Trains: £29k to £66k
- ScotRail: £48k to £54k
- East Midlands Trains: £50k to £63k
- Northern Rail: £40k to £55k
- Abellio: £31k to £52k
Source: thesun.uk
To become a train driver, you will need to go through a special training program at the company you are planning to work for.
Best paying companies to work for in London
McKinsey & Company
- Median Total Compensation: £85,160
- Median Base Salary: £84,000
- Industry: Consulting
When looking for a job in consulting, you probably have stumbled upon McKinsey. It’s a massive employer in London that offers some of the most competitive compensations in this field.
Salesforce
- Median Total Compensation: £100,000
- Median Base Salary: £73,038
- Industry: Tech
Kearney
- Median Total Compensation: £90,661
- Median Base Salary: £83,917
- Industry: Consulting
Spotify
- Median Total Compensation: £83,500
- Median Base Salary: £72,914
- Industry: Tech
VMware
- Median Total Compensation: £85,625
- Median Base Salary: £75,000
- Industry: Tech
UBS
- Median Total Compensation: £79,000
- Median Base Salary: £75,000
- Industry: Finance
SAP
- Median Total Compensation: £90,000
- Median Base Salary: £66,000
- Industry: Tech
