A charity is launching a survey to find out the top jobs teenagers around the world aspire to, following the success of a similar study of 7- to 11-year-olds.

The charity Education and Employers is surveying pupils aged between 14 and 18 around the world about the jobs they plan to do, as well as what factors might influence their choices.

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Questions on the survey include “Which of these best describes the sector you want to work in?” with options ranging from education to finance to agriculture and fishing.

It also asks pupils about their dream job at the age of 30, how confident they feel in pursuing this ambition and why they wish to pursue this job.

The survey asks pupils to consider who may have influenced their choices, with options such as social media, parents or careers advisers available to choose. Participants can also opt to write a letter or record a brief video giving further detail about their ideas.

The new online survey of 14- to 18-year-olds is supported by OECD Education, with results due to be published in a report, Facing the Future, in January 2020 in Davos.

The NAHT headteachers’ union, UCL Institute of Education and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) have all agreed to support the project.  

It aims to explore how young people view the world of work, and “find out more about the issues that matter most to young people, their career aspirations and concerns about the future”.

“We are asking them why they want the jobs that they do, who has inspired them into wanting those jobs and how confident they feel about getting them,” the charity said in a statement.

The survey follows the success of the charity’s 2018 project Drawing the Future, which asked 13,000 children aged 7-11 to draw a picture of their dream job as an adult and say whether they knew anyone who did that job.

The survey aimed to unpick the factors that might shape or limit children’s aspirations, for example gender stereotypes.

The data showed that gender stereotyping about careers was in place by the age of 7, with hairdresser, nurse and fashion designer featuring highly in girls’ choices, while boys opted for jobs such as mechanic, engineer and airline pilot.

The survey for older pupils takes three minutes to complete, and can be accessed here.