No Experience Jobs in the UK 2026: Where to Start

You can start work in the UK with no experience and no qualifications. These jobs hire beginners, train you on the job and pay from £12.71 an hour — here is where to look first.

This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Check GOV.UK before you apply or pay anyone. ukjobly.com publishes guides only and cannot promise you a job, a visa, or sponsorship.

What no-experience jobs are

A no-experience job is one where the employer does not ask for previous work in that role, or for qualifications. The employer trains you on the job, and what they look for instead is reliability, a willingness to learn, and the personal qualities the job needs — for example, patience in care work or good communication in customer service.

That is different from a job that asks for a licence or a check before you start. Security work needs an SIA licence and care work needs an enhanced DBS check, but neither of those is work experience — they are permissions, covered in the licences section below. An apprenticeship is different again: a job with training built in, and the main route from no experience into skilled work, covered in its own section below.

Expect entry-level pay. Most no-experience jobs start at or near the National Living Wage, and a first job buys you a work history, a reference, and a way into better-paid work.

The best no-experience jobs in the UK

These are the roles that UK employers actually hire beginners into.

• Care worker / support worker — helps with personal care, meals, medication prompts and daily living, in care homes or people’s own homes. No formal qualifications are needed to start; employers train you on the job. You need an enhanced DBS check with the adults’ barred list before starting, and a driving licence is useful for home care roles. See our guide to Social Care Jobs in the UK for the full detail on this role.
• Warehouse operative — picking, packing, sorting, loading and unloading goods in a warehouse or distribution centre. No set qualifications to start; employers train on the job and may ask you to take a practical-skills assessment. Some roles ask for a forklift licence — check the advert.
• Retail / sales assistant — serving customers, working tills, restocking shelves, handling payments. No qualifications are needed to start; employers train on the job.
• Hospitality — bar staff, waiting staff, kitchen porter — serving food and drink, clearing tables, washing up and keeping the kitchen running. No qualifications are needed to start; employers train on the job.
• Cleaner — cleaning offices, houses, schools or hospitals. No set entry requirements; apply directly to cleaning companies or organisations that employ their own cleaners. There is also a Cleaning Hygiene Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship for hospital and care-home cleaning. See our guide to cleaner jobs in Kingston upon Hull for what this work looks like in practice.
• Delivery driver / courier — delivering parcels and food. Most driving jobs need a full UK driving licence — check the advert. Van driver roles may also ask for a clean licence.
• Customer service assistant — answering customer questions by phone, email, webchat or in person; taking orders, handling complaints, updating records. Routes in are a college course, an apprenticeship, or applying directly. Employers look for some GCSEs including English and maths, good communication and IT skills. Many customer service roles are remote — see our guide to Remote Jobs in the UK for the remote entry roles.
• Admin assistant — handling enquiries, typing letters and reports, updating records, setting up meetings. Routes in are a college course, an apprenticeship, temporary work through an agency (which can lead to a permanent job), or applying directly. Employers may look for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 including English and maths. Some admin roles are also remote — see our guide to Remote Jobs in the UK.
• Security officer — patrolling premises, monitoring CCTV, checking staff and visitors in and out. You must be over 18, pass enhanced background checks, and hold a front-line Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence for agency and contractor jobs — first you complete an approved licence-linked qualification with an approved training provider. A Professional Security Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship is another route in.

What no-experience jobs pay

Most no-experience jobs start at or near the National Living Wage. From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The National Minimum Wage is £10.85 an hour for ages 18 to 20, and £8.00 an hour for under-18s and apprentices. Rates change every 1 April, so check GOV.UK for the current figure. At 37.5 hours a week, £12.71 an hour is £24,784.50 a year before tax.

The National Careers Service gives these ranges (starter to experienced, checked November 2026):

• Care worker: £20,000 to £25,000 a year, typical hours 35 to 45 a week.
• Senior care worker: £24,000 to £29,000 a year.
• Care home manager: £30,000 to £65,000 a year.
• Admin assistant: £21,000 to £28,000 a year.
• Customer service assistant: £20,000 to £30,000 a year.
• Financial services customer adviser: £25,000 to £31,000 a year.
• IT support technician: £24,000 to £36,000 a year.
• Cleaner: £19,000 to £25,000 a year.
• Security officer: £20,000 to £35,000 a year.

Be honest with yourself about the low ends. The admin assistant starter of £21,000 is below a full-time National Living Wage salary of £24,784.50 a year on a 37.5-hour week, so that figure only works for part-time hours or younger workers. Do not read £21,000 as a normal full-time salary for a worker aged 21 or over.

For warehouse operative, retail assistant, hospitality roles and delivery driver, no pay range could be verified on a live National Careers Service profile when this guide was checked — the warehouse operative, retail assistant and delivery driver profiles return 404. Say it plainly: these roles usually pay at or near the National Living Wage. Compare the figure in the advert with the National Living Wage before you apply.

Licences and checks you may need

Most no-experience jobs need nothing in advance. Two roles do need something first.

Security — SIA licence. You need a front-line Security Industry Authority licence for agency and contractor security jobs. Before applying you must complete an approved licence-linked qualification with an approved training provider — the qualification depends on the type of security work, such as guarding, CCTV or cash in transit. You must be over 18 and pass checks on your personal and work history, including your criminal record. The licence application fee is £204 from 1 April 2026. Check the SIA site before you pay anything.

Care — DBS check. Most care roles need an enhanced DBS check with the adults’ barred list before you start work, because personal care is regulated activity. Your employer arranges it.

Driving licence. Most delivery driver jobs need a full UK driving licence — check the advert. A driving licence is also useful for home care roles that involve travelling between clients.

Apprenticeships: the best way in with no experience

An apprenticeship is a job with training built in, and it is the best no-experience route into skilled work. As an apprentice you are an employee, earning a wage and getting holiday pay, and you get at least 20% of your normal working hours for training and study.

Apprenticeships take from 8 months to 6 years to complete, depending on the type and level. The levels are:

• Foundation and Intermediate — Level 2, equivalent to GCSEs.
• Advanced — Level 3, equivalent to A levels.
• Higher — Levels 4, 5, 6 and 7, equivalent to foundation degree and above.
• Degree — Levels 6 and 7, equivalent to a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

To start an apprenticeship you must be 16 or over, living in England, and not in full-time education. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own apprenticeship systems.

Foundation apprenticeships are for ages 16 to 21 (or 22 to 24 with an education, health and care plan, care experience or prison experience) and need no specific qualifications or experience.

Pay: the apprentice rate from 1 April 2026 is £8.00 an hour if you are under 19, or 19 or over and in your first year. Once you are 19 or over and have completed the first year, you must be paid at least the minimum wage for your age — £10.85 an hour at 18 to 20, £12.71 at 21 and over.

Apply through the GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship service. There are 3 steps: search, sign in or create an account, complete and submit the application.

How to write a CV with no experience

A CV should include a section for your contact details, an introduction, your education history, your work history and references.

Put your education history after the introduction if you are early in your career or do not have much work experience. Include the names of your qualifications, the school or college, and the dates.

If you are applying for your first job, focus on skills you learned through projects, work experience or volunteering. You can also include interests and hobbies that show some of the skills you have — for example, captaining a sports team shows leadership and organisation.

In the work history section, include any work placements, volunteering and paid jobs, most recent first, with what you did in 2 to 3 lines using the STAR method.

Tailor your CV to each job: read the advert and highlight the skills it asks for.

Do not include your age, date of birth, whether you are married or your nationality.

The Department for Work and Pensions has a free CV builder tool. For the full detail, read our guide on how to create a UK-style CV.

How to build experience fast

You do not need a paid job to start building experience.

Volunteering. Volunteer with an organisation that supports vulnerable people, like a care home, charity or hospice. Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in care work. Find opportunities through the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do IT.

Temporary work. You can start as an admin assistant on a temporary contract through a recruitment agency, which can often lead into a permanent job. The same applies to temporary warehouse and hospitality work.

Work experience and caring. Time spent caring for someone you know counts as experience in a caring role.

Training while you work. Most no-experience employers train you on the job — care workers complete the Care Certificate’s 15 standards after starting, with the employer’s support.

Where to find no-experience jobs

• GOV.UK Find a job — the government’s own job search service. It is free to use and you never pay to apply. Search with the job title and your area, and set up alerts.
• Employer careers pages — supermarkets, care providers, warehouses and hotels advertise on their own sites and often hire directly.
• NHS Jobs — for NHS healthcare assistant and support worker roles, many of which need no experience.
• GOV.UK Find an apprenticeship — the official apprenticeship vacancy service.
• Recruitment agencies — for temporary warehouse, admin and hospitality work that can lead to a permanent job.

Once you find a role, read our guide on how to find a job in the UK and our interview tips for UK jobs before you apply.

References when you have no work history

You can include a references section if someone has agreed to give you one. This could be your current or previous employer, a teacher, or someone respected in your community.

Do not put someone else’s contact details on your CV. Instead, write “references are available on request”.

Ask the person first before naming them.

Scams to avoid

Never pay anyone for a job offer, training, equipment or a background check. A genuine employer never asks you to pay at any stage.

Check the employer before you apply: search the company on Companies House and check the job is also listed on the employer’s own careers page. A real company has a real website, a registered office and a phone number.

Be suspicious of adverts that promise £1,000s a week for a few hours with no experience, interviews by text or WhatsApp only, or pressure to pay or send documents today.

If you spot a scam, do not send money or documents. Report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre. Forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and forward scam texts to 7726. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• GOV.UK — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
• GOV.UK — Become an apprentice
• GOV.UK — Find a job
• National Careers Service — Care worker
• National Careers Service — Admin assistant
• National Careers Service — Customer service assistant
• National Careers Service — Cleaner
• National Careers Service — Security officer
• National Careers Service — How to write a CV
• GOV.UK — Apply for an SIA licence
• Action Fraud
• NHS volunteering

Sources checked November 2026.