Teacher named as one of the UK’s toughest jobs
by Educate Magazine June 18, 2025 · All News / Education News
Job Index reveals the toughest jobs in the UK
New research has revealed the UK’s toughest jobs – with teachers coming in ninth on the list.
With today (Wednesday 18 June 2025) marking #ThankATeacherDay, where the nation comes together to give thanks to the incredible work teachers do day-in, day-out to shape young minds and build brighter futures, this new research is more pertinent than ever.
The poll of 2,000 Brits found firefighters, paramedics, farmers and armed forces personnel were also cited as those who deserve recognition for doing the most physically and mentally draining work.
The findings also identified police officers (34%), fishermen (16%) and construction workers (15%) among the UK’s toughest workers.
What are the toughest jobs in the UK?
- Firefighter (45%)
- Paramedic (44%)
- Surgeon (44%)
- Nurse (37%)
- Police Officer (34%)
- Armed Forces Personnel (28%)
- Care Worker (22%)
- Farmer (20%)
- Teacher (20%)
- Social Worker (18%)
- Fisherman (16%)
- Construction Worker (15%)
- Agricultural Labourer (11%)
- Builder / Bricklayer (9%)
- Underground Utility Worker (9%)
- Scaffolder (6%)
- Mechanic (6%)
- Roofer (6%)
- Refuse Collector (Bin Worker) (5%)
- Train driver (5%)
Two thirds (62%) of Brits agree that tough jobs need more recognition in the UK saying that they play a vital role in keeping the country running (64%), often work long hours with little rest (46%) and face hazardous conditions daily (62%) as to why they deserve more recognition.
Almost half (46%) of Brits admitted they don’t feel like they have the resilience to take on a physically demanding role, a figure that dropped to 40% among men.
In contrast, 52% of women believe they have what it takes to handle roles that might require higher levels of emotional and mental capacity.
When it comes to younger generations, 61% of those aged 18–24 have considered taking up physically tough roles when exploring career options. This compares with just 11% of Boomers, who prefer to steer clear of jobs they’d deem tough.
Two in five (38%) agree there’s a misconception that physically demanding jobs don’t require robust technology.
The study was commissioned by Samsung to launch their latest Rugged device range which is designed to thrive in harsh work environments and was judged according to criteria including physical demands, danger and risk, and work environment.
