British teenagers would rather work for the NHS than tech giants Apple, Google and Tesla, poll finds

British teenagers would rather work for the NHS than any other employer, including tech giants Apple, Google and Tesla, a major survey reveals.

Young people consider medicine to be the “most important” sector: “doctor” ranks first in the ranking of professional preferences and “nurse” ranks fifth.

One in ten (9 per cent) of the 4,017 13 to 16-year-olds surveyed for BBC Bitesize said they would most like to be a doctor.

They were followed by engineer (7 percent), teacher (6 percent), lawyer (4 percent) and nurse (4 percent), showing that traditional roles still have wide appeal among young people.

Veterinarian, soccer player, artist, police officer and builder completed the top ten.

About 33 percent said they believed medicine is the most important sector, followed by education, engineering, science and law.

Happiness was the factor that students took into account most 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 most allowed them to prioritize free time.

The NHS emerged as the top job choice among teenagers, eclipsing tech giants such as Apple, Google and Tesla, as well as football body FIFA. Meanwhile, 44 percent want a job where they can work outdoors, 37 percent in an office and 19 percent from home.

Students say they want an employer that offers good training and development opportunities, good pay, flexible hours and strong commitments to climate change and sustainability.

However, there are large differences between socio-economic groups, with poorer children less confident in getting the role they want.

More than two in five teenagers from wealthier backgrounds said they felt “very confident” about achieving the career they wanted, while less than a third (28 per cent) from less privileged backgrounds shared the same level of confidence.

For teens in both demographic groups, the top reasons for not feeling confident about achieving their highest position were “educational challenges” (30 percent), “difficult access” (20 percent), and “lack of confidence” ( 12 percent). ).

This suggests that, regardless of their social demographics, teenagers do not have the confidence to obtain the qualifications needed to work in their chosen profession.

Dr Ranj Singh, TV doctor and star of Strictly Come Dancing, who has produced content for the BBC’s careers advice site, said: “Hearing today’s teenagers choosing a career in medicine as their first choice, along with with the recognition of the NHS as their employer of choice, it is truly encouraging.

‘I was about eight years old when I made the decision to become a doctor. I always had a fascination with science and wanted to do something to help people.

“It is an incredibly rewarding career and it is important that all teenagers feel they can achieve their career goals, regardless of their background.”