Public sector jobs in Leicester

Almost every large public employer in Leicester hires without a degree. The University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, the schools and East Midlands Ambulance Service all recruit at entry level. In 2026/27 those jobs start at £25,272 a year in the NHS (band 2) and £25,614 in councils (SCP 3). Qualified roles in nursing, teaching, social work and policing sit higher up the same scales.

Who the main employers are

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust runs the three main hospital sites: Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital. Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust provides mental health, learning disability and community health services across the city and county, and East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust runs 999 services.

Leicester City Council is the unitary authority for the city. Leicestershire County Council sits at County Hall in Glenfield, just outside the city boundary, and covers the rest of the county alongside district councils such as Blaby and Oadby and Wigston. Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service cover the city, the county and Rutland.

Entry-level jobs and what they pay

Most entry-level work is in the hospitals, council services and schools. Starting rates for 2026/27:

Job	Typical pay point	Annual pay
Healthcare support worker, domestic, porter	NHS band 2	£25,272
Senior healthcare assistant, admin assistant	NHS band 3	£25,760 to £27,476
Council customer service, refuse loader, care roles	NJC SCP 3 and up	from £25,614
Teaching assistant (term-time)	NJC spine, pro rata	depends on grade and weeks
Police constable	PP1	£32,255

Worked full time, all of these come out above the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The NHS band 2 rate is above that hourly figure too, which is worth knowing if you are comparing with private sector jobs that pay the legal minimum (National Living Wage and minimum wage rates).

NHS jobs you can get without a degree lists the roles that usually ask only for GCSEs or experience. Hospital applications are scored against the person specification, and showing the NHS values counts for as much as experience.

Training routes into qualified jobs

Leicester’s hospitals and community trusts run apprenticeships at several levels, from healthcare support worker up to nursing associate and registered nurse degree apprenticeships. You earn a salary while you train, though places are competitive and depend on each trust’s funding that year. NHS apprenticeships explains how they work.

Ambulance services train people from scratch too. An emergency care assistant works alongside paramedics and needs a suitable driving licence but no degree.

Teaching training is either university-led or school-led. Once qualified, the starting salary is £34,069 (M1) from 1 September 2026 outside London.

Council and school support jobs

Council and school support jobs are on the NJC pay spine, which rose by 3.3 per cent from 1 April 2026. Teaching assistants, midday supervisors and school cleaners are usually employed term-time only, so the annual amount is a percentage of the full-time salary. Adverts give both figures, the full-time equivalent and the actual pay, so read for both. Council staff get at least 23 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays and two extra days, and join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Qualified and senior roles

Registered nurses and allied health professionals start on band 5 at £32,073, rising to £39,043. Band 6 runs from £39,959 to £48,117, and band 7 from £49,387 to £56,515. Teachers on the upper pay range earn £49,134 to £52,835 from September 2026, and police constables reach £52,015 at PP7.

Applying

NHS jobs at the Leicester trusts are on NHS Jobs. The councils, police and fire service advertise on their own sites, and schools on Teaching Vacancies. Most public sector employers want a DBS check before you start. For jobs with children or vulnerable adults it is usually an enhanced check, which costs £41 from 5 October 2026 if the employer does not pay for it.