Careers with a CIPD Qualification

Most people who are looking to build a long-term career in Human Resources or Learning & Development invest in a CIPD qualification.

Offered by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), one of the UK’s most widely-regarded professional membership organisations, CIPD qualifications are often used as a benchmark by which employers assess whether candidates applying for their vacancies have the right skills that they need.

What careers can you expect to get when you’ve studied a CIPD qualification though? And what do the salaries look like when it comes to the UK? In this blog, we explore everything you need to know about careers with a CIPD qualification.

Salary data

To begin, here’s a note about our sources. We’ve taken our data from the Hays Salary Guide – probably the UK’s best guide to salaries in the UK economy. It provides detailed information on the typical salaries that you can expect to find for certain roles in different sectors, across different industries, in the countries and regions that make up the UK.

CIPD Level 3 Careers

CIPD Level 3 qualifications are designed for professionals at the very start of their career in Human Resources or Learning & Development. They’re best suited to people who have little to no knowledge or experience of HR or L&D, so they’re the perfect qualification to study if you’re transitioning into those fields, or you’re looking for your first professional role in the area. They are essentially the first qualification you should study if you’re looking to build a career in HR or L&D.

Having a CIPD Level 3 Certificate can open up a lot of early-stage career opportunities for you, as the qualification is often viewed as a benchmark for employers to assess the skills and experience of people transitioning into the field.

Career Path

A CIPD Level 3 qualification is entry-level. This means it’s aimed at people who are coming into the field for the first time and don’t have much in the way of prior knowledge or work experience. After completing the CIPD Level 3, most people either head straight into an entry-level HR or L&D role, or complete further study on the CIPD Level 5 qualification to try and achieve a more intermediate position.

A typical career path after studying a CIPD Level 3 qualification usually goes two ways:

1. You gain your qualification, apply for an entry-level HR or L&D role and work in an organisation in a junior position
2. You gain your qualification and study the next, recommended qualification: in this case, the CIPD Level 5 Diploma.

People can, and do, mix the two pathways together.

A lot of people choose to invest in further study as a means of speeding up their career development. Whilst it’s perfectly realistic to work in a HR role and develop your career through practical experience, some people find that studying and gaining higher qualifications can speed up their journey and allow them to win better roles, faster.

CIPD qualifications are designed to be studied in sequence, allowing you to gradually build up your skills and experience before progressing to a higher level. This makes it relatively easy to ‘follow your way’ up the ladder, completing the next qualification that’s relevant to the level of skills that you currently have, in sequence.

Jobs you can do with a CIPD Level 3 qualification

Here are some of the typical jobs that professionals who’ve gained their CIPD Level 3 are qualified for, along with their average salaries across the country:

HR Assistant

Private sector

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

HR Administrator

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

Public sector

HR Assistant

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

HR Administrator

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

CIPD Level 5 Careers

An intermediate-difficulty qualification, the CIPD Level 5 HR or L&D qualification is aimed at professionals who have some prior experience of working in HR or some knowledge of the field, who are looking to take their skills to the next stage and who are aiming for a more advanced role. A CIPD Level 5 will hone your existing skills and make them more appropriate for advanced roles, like managers and advisors, where your professional expertise and initiative plays a much bigger part in your role.

Career Path

After studying a CIPD Level 5 qualification, professionals will usually be presented with the same two options as if you’ve completed a Level 3 qualification. You can either try and find a job with your new qualification in your skillset, or you can continue learning, progressing to the CIPD Level 7 qualification.

The option you choose is generally dependent on the budget that you have at your disposal, and your external commitments. 

Jobs you can do with a CIPD Level 5 qualification

The following of some of the most popular jobs that people who have studied a CIPD Level 5 go on to work in:

HR Coordinator

Private sector

London

Average salary range: £27,000 to £35,000

Average salary: £33,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £26,000 to £32,000

Average salary: £28,000

HR Advisor

Average salary range: £33,000 to £45,000

Average salary: £42,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £30,000 to £42,000

Average salary: £36,000

Public sector

HR Coordinator

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £30,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

HR Advisor

Average salary range: £30,000 to £44,000

Average salary: £37,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £30,000 to £40,000

Average salary: £36,000

CIPD Level 7 Careers

CIPD Level 7 courses are some of the most challenging HR and L&D qualifications that you can study.

They are equivalent to postgraduate study when it comes to difficulty and they are the most senior CIPD qualification that you’ll be able to take. CIPD Level 7 study is aimed at seasoned HR and L&D professionals, who already have significant experience under their belts, and who want to work in senior positions.

CIPD Level 7 differs from Level 5 and Level 3 in the fact that it focuses on strategic skills and critical decision-making. It’s ultimately designed to develop your ability to think strategically about Human Resources and Learning & Development so that you can lead teams to the best of your ability. As a result, you might find that it’s much more intense than the previous levels. Usually, you’ll need to demonstrate either considerable experience working in a HR or L&D role, a degree in the subject, or senior managerial experience.

Career Path

After you’ve finished studying a CIPD Level 7, you’ll be eligible to apply for some of the most senior positions in HR and L&D. Most professionals who come this far find that they ultimately end up working as senior leaders in their organisations. Many go on to become respected leaders in their specialism.

A CIPD Level 7 can open up a range of possible careers for you, from leadership and director roles through to teaching, mentoring and consulting.

Jobs you can do with a CIPD Level 7 qualification

The following of some of the most popular jobs that people who have studied a CIPD Level 7  go on to work in:

Private sector

HR Manager

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

Head of HR

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

HR Director

London

Average salary range: £25,000 to £30,000

Average salary: £28,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £23,000 to £27,000

Average salary: £26,000

Public sector

HR Manager

London

Average salary range: £40,000 to £50,000

Average salary: £50,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £45,000 to £60,000

Average salary: £50,000

Head of HR

London

Average salary range: £55,000 to £75,000

Average salary: £72,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £55,000 to £80,000

Average salary: £75,000

HR Director

London

Average salary range: £80,000 to £120,000

Average salary: £95,000

Outside of London

Average salary range: £75,000 to £100,000

Average salary: £90,000

CIPD Qualifications: a huge range of careers to choose from

With a huge variety of different CIPD qualifications to choose from, across different levels, there really is a type of course out there that’s suited to your career needs, no matter where you are in your development. We hope this blog has helped to explain some of the different types of careers you can get with a CIPD qualification and has given you a better idea of the salaries you could expect to receive with them.

Climb the career ladder with a professional online HR qualification that you can study 100% online. Download your free CIPD course guide today.