- Teenagers say becoming an NHS doctor is the ‘most important’ job, a BBC survey has found
- Traditional roles such as teacher, lawyer and nurse are in the top 10 desirable jobs
British teenagers would rather work for the NHS than any other employer – including tech giants Apple, Google and Tesla, a major poll has found.
Young people believe that medicine is the ‘most important’ sector, with ‘doctor’ claiming first place in the ranking of career preferences and ‘nurse’ fifth.
One in ten (9 percent) of the 4,017 13 to 16-year-olds surveyed for BBC Bitesize said they would ideally like to become a doctor.
This was followed by engineer (7 percent), teacher (6 percent), lawyer (4 percent) and nurse (4 percent), showing that traditional roles still have strong appeal among young people.
Veterinarian, footballer, artist, police officer and construction worker completed the top ten.
One in ten (9 percent) of 4,017 13 to 16 year olds surveyed for BBC Bitesize said they would prefer to be a doctor
About 33 percent said they believe medicine is the most important sector, followed by education, engineering, science and law.
Happiness was the factor students were most likely to consider when choosing a job (27 percent), followed by the need to feel good about what they do (25 percent) and money (20 percent).
Only 4 percent said they would choose the job that would allow them to most prioritize their free time.
The NHS emerged as the top choice for teenage employment, overshadowing tech giants such as Apple, Google and Tesla, as well as football organization FIFA. Meanwhile, 44 percent want a job where they can work outside, 37 percent in the office and 19 percent from home.
The students say they want an employer that offers good training and development opportunities, good pay, flexible hours and a strong commitment to climate change and sustainability.
However, there are large differences between socio-economic groups, with poorer children feeling less confident that they will get the role they want.
More than two in five teenagers from wealthier backgrounds said they were ‘very confident’ in achieving their desired career, while less than a third (28 percent) from less privileged backgrounds shared the same level of confidence.
For teens from both demographics, the top reasons they lacked confidence in reaching their top job were “educational difficulties” (30 percent), “difficulty gaining weight” (20 percent) and “lack of confidence” (12 percent) . ).
The NHS emerged as the top choice for teenage employment, overshadowing tech giants such as Apple, Google and Tesla and even FIFA
This suggests that teenagers, regardless of their social demographics, lack the confidence to achieve the grades needed to work in their chosen profession.
TV doctor and Strictly Come Dancing star Dr Ranj Singh, who has produced content for the BBC’s career advice site, said: ‘It’s really encouraging.
‘I was about eight years old when I decided to become a doctor. I have always had a fascination with science and wanted to do something to help people.
‘It’s an incredibly rewarding career and it’s important that all teenagers feel they can achieve their career goals, regardless of their background.’