Skills & Hobbies

Skill

Careers that use communication

You explain things clearly and listen well. 19 of our careers use this skill, ranked below by how much it matters.

Match me, starting with this skill

A key skill in these jobs (3)

You will use this every day.

Hair, beauty and wellbeing

Barber

Cut and style hair with barbering techniques, shape beards and give shaves, working with every hair type in a busy, sociable barbershop.

£19,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced

Hair, beauty and wellbeing

Beauty therapist

Give facials, manicures, waxing, lash and brow treatments and more, helping clients look and feel their best in salons, spas or your own business.

£23,000 – £29,000 starter to experienced

Hair, beauty and wellbeing

Hairdresser

Wash, cut, colour and style hair, talk clients through new looks and build a loyal following in salons, spas or as a freelance stylist.

£19,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced

Used a lot (8)

An important part of the work.

Construction and trades

Carpenter or joiner

Turn timber into staircases, roofs, doors, kitchens and fitted furniture – on site or at the workshop bench.

£24,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced

Outdoors, land and animals

Dog groomer

Bathe, dry, brush and trim dogs of every breed, check their skin and coat, and advise owners, in a salon, a vet practice or your own mobile business.

£15,000 – £23,000 starter to experienced

Building services and energy

Gas engineer

Install, service and repair boilers and gas appliances safely – a trusted, legally registered trade with steady demand.

£25,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced

Construction and trades

Glazier

Measure, fit and repair windows, doors, rooflights and glass panels in homes and businesses.

£23,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced

Building services and energy

Heat pump installer

Help homes and businesses switch to low-carbon heating by installing, commissioning and servicing heat pumps.

£24,000 – £46,000 starter to experienced

IT and telecoms

IT support technician

Be the person who fixes it: solve hardware, software and network problems for computer users, in person and remotely.

£24,000 – £36,000 starter to experienced

Construction and trades

Plant operator

Drive the diggers, dumpers, dozers and cranes that shape building sites – ideal if you love big machines.

£25,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced

Outdoors, land and animals

Veterinary nurse

Care for sick and injured animals and support vets in surgery, X-ray and treatment. A registered profession you can train for through an apprenticeship.

£24,000 – £32,000 starter to experienced

Handy to have (8)

Helps, but not the heart of the job.

Food and hospitality

Baker

Make bread, cakes and pastries by hand or on production lines, in craft bakeries, supermarkets and food factories. Early starts come with the job.

£19,000 – £26,000 starter to experienced

Automotive and transport

Bicycle mechanic

Build, service and repair bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters - a friendly way into a trade if you love cycling.

£23,000 – £30,000 starter to experienced

IT and telecoms

Data centre technician

Keep the servers behind the internet running: install racks and hardware, fix faults and monitor systems in secure data centres.

No official salary figure

Building services and energy

Electricity distribution worker

Maintain and repair the overhead lines, underground cables and substations that carry power to homes and businesses.

£23,000 – £42,000 starter to experienced

Engineering and manufacturing

Engineering maintenance technician

Keep factory, production and transport equipment running by servicing and repairing motors, pumps, gearboxes and controls.

£27,000 – £48,000 starter to experienced

Automotive and transport

Motorcycle mechanic

Service, repair, tune and customise motorbikes, scooters and quad bikes - turn a love of bikes into a trade.

£25,000 – £40,000 starter to experienced

Automotive and transport

Rail engineering technician

Service, test and repair trains, carriages and other rolling stock to keep the railway running safely.

£30,000 – £45,000 starter to experienced

Construction and trades

Scaffolder

Build the safe working platforms every other trade relies on – a fit, outdoor, team trade with strong earning potential.

£25,000 – £51,000 starter to experienced

Other skills