Most Korean elementary schoolers want to be athletes, government survey finds

Teacher, which had been the No. 1 dream job among elementary students in 2015, was taken over by athlete in 2020 and 2025, though it remained the top choice for middle and high schoolers.

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Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the MLS match against Sporting Kansas City at BMO Stadium on July 25 in Los Angeles, California.
Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the MLS match against Sporting Kansas City at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on July 25.

Athlete was the No. 1 dream job among Korean elementary school students last year, but teacher remained the top choice for middle and high schoolers, a new government survey found.

Teacher, which had been the top choice among elementary students in 2015, was taken over by athlete in 2020 and 2025, according to the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute survey published on Sunday.

Doctor came in second. Content creator ranked third. 

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Among middle and high school students surveyed last year, teacher ranked first, a position that it has held for 12 consecutive years since the career education survey became a nationally approved statistic in 2015.

Athlete ranked second and doctor third for middle schoolers. 

For high schoolers, nurse ranked second. Biologist and researcher ranked third — a sharp rise from seventh place in 2024.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

korea jobs teacher dream job career athlete social affairs

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