Ten years ago, if you asked a child what they wanted to be when they grew up, answers would have been predictable. Footballers and pop stars have always been classic career aspirations, closely followed by lawyers, doctors and teachers.

But as our 21st-century world explodes with unimaginable technology and expands into industries such as artificial intelligence, genetic modification and virtual reality, pupils’ hopes for the future have evolved.

To gain an insight into what our pupils of today dream of for tomorrow, charity Education and Employers, Tes, the NAHT heads’ union and the UCL Institute of Education, with the support of the OECD, launched an international drawing survey. 

Primary pupils were encouraged to draw the jobs they want to do when they grow up - and schools from all over the world responded in their thousands.

The response was overwhelming, with more than 3,000 entries from China to Switzerland and Pakistan to Australia.

The aim of the project is to get a better understanding of children’s aspirations and how they are influenced by their social background, who they know and the media.

And, to maximise the breadth of the competition, the deadline has now been extended until 10 November.

“When you tell children to write a description of themselves, some can’t verbalise what that should be. It may not be a perfect piece of art, but because everyone draws in their own quirky way, it reveals something about each student’s personality,” says teacher Lucy Richards.

Schools can download information about how to submit an entry from the Education and Employers website.

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and Instagram, and like Tes on Facebook