Five well-paid vacancies that don't require qualifications
All over the country, teenagers are sitting their GCSEs, convinced that they'll end up with no exam passes at all. Unfortunately for some of them, it will be true. Even more older people lack formal qualifications.
There's no doubt that a string of exam successes makes it far easier to nab a well-paid job. But there are still careers out there where aptitude is more important than qualifications: we look at a few jobs you can apply for right now.
Poultry workers
Last year, it was widely reported that there was a shortage of chicken sexers, who were being paid up to £40,000 a year. Pay seems to have fallen since, if this current ad is anything to go by, but jobs in the poultry industry generally can pay very well, with management jobs like this one paying £30,000 or more.
Games tester
OK, so you'll be starting on minimum wage - but who wouldn't like to get paid for playing computer games? Jobs, such as this one, generally look for fluency in a foreign language, but no formal qualifications are required, and senior staff can earn a lot more.
Firefighter
Firefighters have to pass a series of physical tests, and need to live within four minutes of a fire station - but they don't need any formal qualifications. The starting salary is just £21,583, but those that work up to become an area manager can make more than £50,000. You can apply here.
Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers - also known as penetration testers - test company networks to try and find vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed. Formal IT qualifications help, but it's skills that matter, and many penetration testers have no qualifications at all - indeed, some are former criminal hackers. This job, in London, pays up to £48,000.
Member of Parliament
Much of the cabinet may have breezed from Eton to Oxford, but the fact remains that, in theory, MPs don't need any qualifications at all. All you need to do is to find ten people in your constituency to nominate you, and pay a £500 deposit - there's details on becoming a candidate here. You'll also have to persuade people to vote for you, of course...
