Many sixth-formers will be questioning whether heading off to study this autumn is really the right choice when they pick up their A-level results on Thursday.

A third of people now believing university is no longer worth the cost as fees spiral.

And crucially, a university degree is not the only path to a well-paid career - a growing number of employers are dropping degree requirements for top-paid jobs.

There are plenty of opportunities to earn a good salary without going to university.

From the police force and HSBC to Octopus Energy, employers are recruiting for trainee and entry-level roles.

They are offering paid training, the chance for successful applicants to earn recognised qualifications and salaries of up to £42,210 a year.

These vacancies offer the added bonus that you won't end up saddled with student debt.

Here, we take a look at some of the best-paid entry-level jobs that employers are currently recruiting for...

1. Metropolitan Police Service

Job: Police officer

Salary: £42,210 a year

Location: London/Kent

Click here to view the job posting

The Metropolitan Police is recruiting police officers to help prevent crime and protect communities across London.

There are two routes into the role: the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) and the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP).

The Met protects around nine million people across 32 boroughs of London

The first is the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) which takes three years and includes a fully funded undergraduate degree in professional policing practice.

The Met covers all qualification fees so there's no cost to you. The course provides a mix of on-the-job street duties with regular university-style academic assignments and essays.

Meanwhile, the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) lasts for two years and focuses primarily on practical training and development equivalent to a non-degree professional qualification.

Considering which to choose? Your decision should be based on whether you want a formal, paid university degree with an extra year of study alongside practical work, or a shorter probation period which focuses more on hands-on learning than university-style writing.

While the starting pay is £42,210, fully qualified police constables earn £59,994. One of the perks includes an Oyster travel card for personal and professional use and 25 days' holiday, increasing with service.

2. Hays

Job: Recruitment

Salary: £32,000 to £40,000 a year

Location: London

Click here to view posting.

Recruitment company Hays is looking for entry-level recruitment consultants to join its business support team in London, with salaries ranging from £32,000 to £40,000.

The role involves helping businesses find suitable candidates, building relationships with both clients and jobseekers, sourcing and interviewing candidates, managing the recruitment process and working towards targets.

Hays is looking for people with strong communication and people skills, a desire to build a career in recruitment and the confidence to work in a fast-paced, target-driven environment.

The position is designed for candidates at the start of their careers, so previous recruitment experience is not essential.

3. British Gas

Job: Female Apprentice Gas Service & Repair Engineer

Salary: Starting at £19,307 before jumping to £47,303 after successfully completing the training programme

Location: Flexible

Click here for female job posting and here for general/male job posting

British Gas is recruiting gas service and repair engineers, who will help provide heating for homes by diagnosing, servicing and repairing a wide range of gas heating systems.

The unusual quirk in this role is that you can either apply to the female position, or the 'general/male' position. British Gas says its goal is to 'inspire women' by having a targeted job advert. No experience is required as you will have hands-on teaching on the job.

From older installations through to modern, energy-efficient tech, you'll learn how to keep systems running safely and at their best, bringing older systems back to life and making smart upgrades that boost performance.

With the support of experienced engineers, British Gas says workers will build the confidence, capability, and know-how to make a real difference from day one.

British Gas says: 'You'll be out in the community, meeting customers, solving problems, and keeping homes safe and warm.

'No two days are the same - from fixing faults and restoring heating, to helping customers run their systems more efficiently and reduce energy use.'

All you need is four GCSEs (or Scottish Nat 5s) at grade C/4 or above, ideally including maths and English, or an equivalent qualification. You'll also need a full UK driving licence with no more than six points as you'll often be on the move.

Foxtons specialises in residential property sales, lettings, management and financial services

4. Foxtons

Job: Trainee Estate Agent

Salary: £32,000 and uncapped commission

Location: Watford

Click here to view job posting.

Estate agency Foxtons is looking to train eager beavers how to sell and let property in Hertfordshire.

You'll get a Foxtons MINI Cooper for your sole use (including outside office hours), fully taxed and insured.

And if you reach your performance and sales targets, and you could be driving a BMW in your first year.

Over 100 hours of training will be provided in your first six months and you'll have access to a Foxtons iPhone and laptop.

Fast-track career progression is based on your performance, knowledge and attitude, not just your length of service. All you need to apply with is a driving licence and 'excellent' communication skills.

Since this is a commission-focused role, you must be prepared to work hard and to face customers everyday. The salary starts at £32,000 with uncapped commission.

5. British Transport Police (BTP)

Job: Police Officer

Salary: £32,472 rising year-on-year to £50,256 after five years

Location: Reading and Truro

Click here to view job posting.

BTP is recruiting police officers to patrol and protect Britain's rail network. No previous policing experience is required, as successful candidates receive full training and ongoing support.

The job listing says officers need to be confident handling a range of situations, remain calm under pressure and be able to make decisions in challenging circumstances.

The role offers opportunities to move into specialist areas including the criminal investigation department, counter-terrorism and county lines investigations.

You must have the right to work in the UK and hold a full UK driving licence.

The recruitment process includes an online application and situational judgment test.

This test presents you with realistic policing scenarios where you must decide how to respond and takes 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Starting salaries are £32,472, rising to £50,256 after five years. Officers based in Reading can also receive a £3,000 South East allowance.

Benefits include a police pension scheme, free travel benefits including an Oyster card and high street discounts.

6. HMRC

Job: Customer service adviser

Salary: £28,016 a year

Location: Leeds

Click here for job posting

HM Revenue and Customs is currently hiring advisers to speak with members of the public over the phone, email and webchat and give them advice and assistance on how to pay their taxes.

On the listing, HMRC says this role is open to those with 'can-do' attitudes and a desire to help people.

Don't worry if you don't have previous customer service experience, you will be fully trained.

Training lasts between six and 12 weeks, when you have to work Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

Once fully trained, you can choose to work flexible hours each week, with a variety of shifts between 7.45am and 8pm.

In the job, you will have to help taxpayers with any queries they have, take payments over the phone and create customer records and keep them up to date.

There are no formal requirements for the role but applicants should have basic abilities in maths and English and people skills.

However, it's important to feel comfortable speaking over the phone, given the nature of the job.

Applicants must sit an online assessment called the Civil Service Customer Service Test, which assesses your ability to handle public interactions and manage difficult customer scenarios.

Guidance and details on the test will be provided before you take it. Those who are successful will then sit a video interview.

7. Coca-Cola

Job: Merchandiser

Salary: £27,492 plus a quarterly bonus

Location: Harrogate & York

Click here to view job posting.

Coca-Cola is looking for a merchandiser to ensure its product range is consistently available in store, with a strong focus on stock availability and high quality presentation on the shop floor.

No experience is required but you must have a full driving license and right to work in the UK. Each day you'll be using pump trucks to move pallets and setting up displays in shops.

You'll be trained on the go but its important you can work well with others, are savvy with tech and happy lifting heavy goods.

Coca-Cola says a typical career progression at the company would be to start as merchandiser before being promoted to field sales representative, accounts executive and eventually to sales manager.

The salary starts at £27,492 with a quarterly bonus and a range of benefits such as private healthcare and an iPad and iPhone.

Betfred is one of the largest independent bookmakers in the UK

8. Betfred

Job: Engineering Apprentice

Salary: £27,000 per year

Click here to view posting

Location: Cheshire, Manchester

Gaming giant Betfred is hiring an 'associate conversion rate and experience optimisation (CRXO) engineering apprentice' to help improve the company's online customer experience.

The successful applicant will work with Betfred's CRXO team, developing and maintaining website features using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, helping run A/B and multivariate tests, analysing customer behaviour and experiment results. They will also assist with testing, debugging and documenting changes.

This job is aimed at someone looking to start a career in technology and applicants are expected to have GCSEs in English and maths at grades 4 to 9.

Previous professional experience is not required, although familiarity with HTML, CSS or JavaScript would be an advantage.

The two-year apprenticeship pays £27,000 a year, with potential for an annual pay review.

9. Post Office

Job: Pay Services Administrator

Salary: £25,758 a year plus potential annual bonus of £1,200 (paid quarterly)

Location: Sheffield

Click here to view job posting.

The Post Office is recruiting a pay services administrator to join its payroll team, helping maintain employee records and process payroll information.

The role involves managing data, checking records and supporting payroll processes for more than 100 colleagues within the pay services team.

You do not need a degree but should be detail-focused, confident working with data and comfortable using Excel. Strong numerical and communication skills are also required.

Previous experience working with regulations and following strict processes would be useful.

The role offers a salary of £25,758, plus the opportunity to earn a quarterly bonus worth up to £1,200 a year. Benefits include a good pension and enhanced maternity and paternity pay.

10. HSBC

Job: Customer service adviser

Salary: Starting from £25,000 with two fixed pay increments of £750 each in your first year.

Location: Birmingham

Click here to view job posting.

Banking giant HSBC is recruiting customer service advisers to help customers with queries and provide support across its services.

The role involves communicating with customers, solving problems and handling enquiries while delivering a high standard of service.

You need just one year of work experience in customer service and strong communication skills, resilience, problem-solving ability and confidence using technology.

This means anyone who has held a part-time job working in retail could qualify.

The salary starts at £25,000 for a 35-hour working week, with two fixed pay increases of £750 available during the first year, subject to completing probation and a competency assessment.

Benefits include 25 days' paid holiday plus bank holidays, employee discounts, pension and healthcare schemes, an on-site gym and a 'lunch on us' scheme.

Other banks, including Metro Bank and Barclays, are also advertising customer service roles.

11. Octopus Energy

Job: Venue Sales Representative

Salary: £26,300 in Milton Keynes or £29,300 in London (both with unlimited commission)

Location: Milton Keynes and London

Click here to view job posting.

Octopus Energy is recruiting a venue sales representative to speak with customers and promote energy tariffs and low carbon technologies.

The role is customer focused and you'll need to speak with people face to face.

The job listing says you'll need a 'positive attitude' and need to feel confident discussing solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles.

That said, applicants don't need any sales experience to apply as they will be trained up during the job.

Customer service experience is really useful but most importantly, you need to be comfortable representing the brand, approachable and attentive, Octopus says.

The salary starts at £26,300 a year in Milton Keynes or £29,300 in London with unlimited commission.

This means there is no cap on bonus earnings. The more green energy sign-ups you secure at public venues or events, the more money you make on top of your fixed salary.

For example, in London you can earn an additional £10,000 a year off commission.

Other perks include flexible working and free breakfast. It is also important you have a driving licence when applying for the position.

12. South East Water

Job: Customer Service Apprentice

Salary: £19,067.06 rising to £25,948.87 over 24 months

Location: Snodland, Kent

Click here to view job posting.

Water company South East Water is recruiting customer service apprentices for a 24-month training programme, combining classroom learning with practical experience.

The role involves supporting customers while developing communication, problem-solving and administrative skills through workshops, individual training and on-the-job learning.

Previous experience is not essential but you should be comfortable speaking to customers, working as part of a team and using computers.

You also need GCSEs in maths and English at grade 4/C or equivalent.

The salary starts at £19,067.06 and rises to £25,948.87 during the apprenticeship.

Benefits include up to a 10 per cent employer pension contribution, five weeks' holiday plus bank holidays, rising to six weeks with length of service.

How can I sell myself without a degree?

Finding the vacancy is only the first step. For those without a degree, the challenge is showing employers the skills and experience you can bring.

We asked experts from CV Library and Indeed how these candidates can make their applications stand out.

Lee Biggins, of the CV Library, said: 'School leavers are stepping out against a tough hiring backdrop, with the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) recently hitting a record high.

'But tougher conditions reward those who are proactive, tenacious and a go-getter, not necessarily those with good grades.'

Matt Price, of jobs site Indeed, said: 'You don't necessarily need a degree to impress an employer. Focus on the skills you've built through previous jobs, apprenticeships, volunteering or even personal projects.

'Think about real examples that show how you've solved problems, worked as part of a team or dealt with customers, as these can be just as valuable as formal qualifications.

'More employers are looking beyond qualifications and placing greater value on practical skills and potential - they want to know what you can bring to the job, regardless of how you got there.'