In this guide
- What is the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification?
- What jobs can you get with AWS Cloud Practitioner?
- How much demand is there for it in the UK?
- Azure AZ-900 vs AWS Cloud Practitioner: which should you take?
- What should you add to make the certificate count?
- How should you put Cloud Practitioner on your CV?
- Is AWS Cloud Practitioner worth it?
- How Experiencely can help
AWS Cloud Practitioner jobs in the UK are mostly support and operations roles: cloud support associate, IT support analyst at an AWS shop, junior cloud operations, and technical sales or pre-sales. The certificate on its own won't land you a cloud engineer job. It's a good first step, and a weak last one.
What is the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification?
It's Amazon's entry level cloud certificate. AWS says there are no prerequisites and that it's aimed at people new to cloud, including people without an IT background.
The practical details, from AWS: the exam costs 100 US dollars plus any foreign exchange costs, lasts 90 minutes and has 65 multiple choice or multiple response questions. You can sit it at a Pearson VUE test centre or online. It's valid for three years.
It covers cloud concepts, core AWS services, security basics, and billing and pricing. Notice what that list doesn't include: building anything. That's the gap employers see.
What jobs can you get with AWS Cloud Practitioner?
Here's my honest list of where the certificate actually helps.
Cloud support associate or cloud support engineer. You'll answer tickets about AWS services and accounts. Cloud Practitioner shows you know the vocabulary. You'll still need to show troubleshooting ability. Our cloud support engineer guide covers what these roles involve.
IT support or service desk at a company that runs on AWS. The certificate gives you a reason to be put on cloud-related tickets.
Junior cloud operations or monitoring analyst. Watching CloudWatch alarms, following runbooks, escalating incidents. Good grounding.
Technical sales, pre-sales and customer success. AWS partners and resellers like sales staff who understand what they're selling. This is the one area where Cloud Practitioner alone carries real weight.
Project coordination on cloud programmes. If you're coming from admin or project support, the certificate helps you follow technical conversations.
What it won't get you, on its own, is a cloud engineer, DevOps engineer or solutions architect role.
How much demand is there for it in the UK?
Less than you'd hope. ITJobsWatch counted 40 permanent UK adverts citing AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner in the six months to November 2026, down from 149 in the same period of 2025. Too few adverts quoted a salary to give a reliable figure.
Compare that with AWS as a skill. ITJobsWatch counted 6,998 permanent adverts citing AWS over a similar period, with a median salary of about £72,000. Employers want AWS skills. They just don't search for the entry certificate.
So treat Cloud Practitioner as something that helps you learn, not something that gets you filtered in.
Azure AZ-900 vs AWS Cloud Practitioner: which should you take?
People ask this constantly. For most UK beginners, I'd take AZ-900 first.
The reason is market share in job adverts. ITJobsWatch counted 10,269 permanent UK adverts citing Azure in the six months to November 2026, against 6,998 for AWS. A huge number of UK businesses already run Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, so Azure is their natural next step. That's where a lot of junior and support roles sit.
The exams themselves are similar in level. Microsoft's AZ-900 is a 45-minute exam covering cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and management and governance. Microsoft says the price depends on the country where you sit it, so check Pearson VUE for the UK fee. AWS Cloud Practitioner is longer at 90 minutes and priced at 100 US dollars.
| AZ-900 | AWS Cloud Practitioner | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 45 minutes | 90 minutes, 65 questions |
| Price | varies by country | 100 US dollars |
| UK permanent adverts citing the platform (6 months to Nov 2026) | Azure: 10,269 | AWS: 6,998 |
| Natural next step | AZ-104 | AWS Solutions Architect Associate |
When should you pick AWS first? If you're applying to startups, software companies or digital agencies, many lean AWS. Look at ten adverts you'd love to get and count. Let the employers decide for you.
Don't do both fundamentals exams back to back. That's two entry certificates and no depth. Pick one platform and go to associate level.
What should you add to make the certificate count?
Three things turn a fundamentals certificate into interviews.
An associate-level certificate. For AWS that's usually Solutions Architect Associate or SysOps Administrator Associate. For Azure, AZ-104. These prove you can configure things, rather than simply name them. Our Azure certification path lays out a sensible order.
Real project work. Hiring managers ask "tell me about something you built and what went wrong". If your only answer is a tutorial, you'll lose to someone who set up backup and monitoring for a real organisation, even a small one.
Basic scripting and networking. Python or Bash for AWS, PowerShell for Azure. Subnets, routing, security groups, DNS. These come up in nearly every junior technical interview.
How should you put Cloud Practitioner on your CV?
List it under certifications with the date. Don't make it the headline. Your headline should be what you've done.
For example, "AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, 2026" sits quietly in the certification section, while the experience section says something like "Set up CloudWatch alarms and an S3 lifecycle policy for a live project, cutting storage costs". Specific, measurable and real beats a list of badges every time.
Be ready to talk about it at interview. A common question is "why did you take Cloud Practitioner, and what did you do next?" A good answer shows a plan: it gave you the foundations, then you moved on to an associate exam and real project work.
If you're coming from a non-technical job, connect the dots in your profile. A customer service background plus Cloud Practitioner suggests cloud support. A sales background plus Cloud Practitioner suggests pre-sales.
Is AWS Cloud Practitioner worth it?
Yes, if you're new and you need structure. It forces you to learn the vocabulary and the pricing model, which you'll use in any cloud role. It's cheap compared with most IT certificates.
It also helps you work out whether you like cloud before you spend more. Plenty of people sit Cloud Practitioner, find the billing and architecture questions interesting, and go on with real motivation. A few find it dull and change direction early. Both are good outcomes for a 100-dollar exam.
No, if you already work in IT and understand cloud basics. Skip it and go straight to an associate exam. The same goes for AZ-900 if you've been administering Microsoft 365 for a year.
How Experiencely can help
Experiencely's cloud engineering programme focuses on Azure. Training covers Cloud Essentials+, Network+, Security+, Cloud+, AZ-900 and AZ-104, so you go past fundamentals to an associate-level Azure certification. You're also placed on a live remote cloud project within 48 hours, working about an hour a day for three months, which gives you real, recent work to describe on your CV. The programme costs £2,495. If you're not hired within 60 days of finishing, and you've met the conditions, you get your money back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a job with just the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification?
Rarely on its own. It's a foundational certificate aimed at people new to cloud, so employers treat it as a sign of interest rather than proof of skill. Paired with support experience, an associate-level certificate and some real project work, it becomes much more useful.
How much does the AWS Cloud Practitioner exam cost?
AWS lists the Cloud Practitioner exam at 100 US dollars, plus any currency conversion costs. It's a 90-minute exam with 65 multiple choice or multiple response questions, taken at a Pearson VUE centre or online. The certification is valid for three years.
Should I take AZ-900 or AWS Cloud Practitioner first?
For most UK beginners, AZ-900. Azure appeared in more UK permanent job adverts than AWS in the six months to November 2026, and many UK employers already run Microsoft 365. Choose AWS first only if the employers you're targeting clearly use it.
What jobs ask for AWS Cloud Practitioner in the UK?
Mostly cloud support, junior operations, technical sales and some IT support roles where the employer uses AWS. ITJobsWatch counted only 40 UK permanent adverts citing the certification in the six months to November 2026, so don't rely on it to filter you into roles.
Sources
Figures are taken from the sources below. Salary ranges are indicative and individual offers vary. Last checked 9 November 2026.