Apprenticeships and entry level jobs: how to get started in the UK

7 minute read · Updated 2026-08-26

Apprenticeships and entry level jobs are the two realistic doors into UK employment when you have little or no experience, and they work in different ways. An apprenticeship pays you while you gain a recognised qualification over at least a year. An entry level job pays more immediately but leaves the training to you. This guide explains how each works, what the pay actually is, and how to choose.

How apprenticeships work in the UK

An apprenticeship is a real job with training attached. You are an employee with a contract, holiday entitlement and the same statutory rights as your colleagues. The training is delivered by a college or training provider and is paid for by the employer and government, not by you.

They run at levels that map onto familiar qualifications:

Level 2 (intermediate): roughly GCSE level. Common in care, hospitality, warehousing, retail and some trades.
Level 3 (advanced): roughly A level. This is where most trades qualifications sit, along with business administration, engineering technician and early years.
Levels 4 and 5 (higher): roughly foundation degree level, common in engineering, construction management, accountancy and healthcare science.
Levels 6 and 7 (degree apprenticeships): a full degree with no tuition fees for you, in fields such as nursing, quantity surveying, civil engineering, digital and chartered management.

There is no upper age limit. Adults change career through apprenticeships routinely. In England an apprenticeship must last at least twelve months, includes a minimum of six hours a week of off the job training, and ends with an independent end point assessment. Scotland runs Modern, Technical and Graduate Apprenticeships, Wales has its own framework, and Northern Ireland uses ApprenticeshipsNI, so check the scheme for where you live.

What apprentices get paid

There is a separate apprentice rate of the National Minimum Wage, but it applies more narrowly than people assume. You are entitled to the apprentice rate only if you are under 19, or in the first year of your apprenticeship. After that, or if you are 19 or over and past year one, you must be paid at least the normal minimum wage rate for your age.

The apprentice rate was £7.55 an hour in 2025/26 and rose again in April 2026, alongside increases to the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over. Rates change every April, so check the current figures on GOV.UK before you accept an offer, and check your payslip against them afterwards.

In practice many employers pay well above the minimum, particularly for adult apprentices and in engineering, construction and utilities. Ask three questions before you sign: what the rate is now, what it becomes after year one, and what the rate is on qualifying.

Entry level jobs that do not need experience

If you need money sooner, these routes hire consistently with little or no prior experience, and most provide their own training:

Warehouse and distribution: picking and packing, goods in, loading. Employers train and licence forklift drivers internally, and a counterbalance or reach licence is usually the fastest pay increase available at this level.
Care: care assistant and support worker roles include induction to the Care Certificate. You will need an enhanced DBS check, which the employer arranges and usually pays for, and many roles ask for a driving licence.
Hospitality and retail: kitchen porter, front of house, sales assistant. Flexible hours, and a route into supervision within a year or two for reliable people.
Construction labouring: a green CSCS labourer card requires a Level 1 health and safety award plus the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test, and both can be done in a matter of days.
Security: door supervision requires an SIA licence, which is a legal requirement rather than a preference, so holding one immediately separates you from other applicants.
Driving: van and multi drop work needs only a category B licence, and several hauliers now fund HGV training in return for a commitment period.
Contact centres and administration: structured training, clear progression, and useful experience for almost any office career.

How to actually get taken on

Employers hiring at entry level are buying reliability, not skill. Make that easy to see. Apply early in the week, keep your CV to one page, and be specific about your availability, your transport and how far you can travel. If you can drive and have your own vehicle, put it near the top, because for care and multi site roles it is often a hard requirement.

Say yes to interviews quickly, turn up ten minutes early, and bring photo identification along with any certificates. If you have no work history at all, our guide to writing a CV with no experience shows what else counts as evidence, from volunteering to caring responsibilities.

Beware of anyone charging you for a job. Legitimate employment agencies in Great Britain cannot charge a work seeker a fee for finding them work, and being asked to pay upfront for a role, a uniform deposit or a mandatory course sold as a guarantee of employment is a warning sign worth checking before you hand over money.

Next step: browse our entry level and apprenticeship vacancies, upload your CV so employers can approach you directly, and read more in the advice section if you are weighing up training against going straight into work.