Maths A-level plus 6 years equals £25k
...that’s a salary £6k higher than history pupils
SIXTH formers who take further maths A-level earn an average of £25,500 by the age of 24 – just over £6,000 more than if they had studied history, data shows.
other high- earning subjects include physics and computing, while lower rewarded ones include geography, English literature and biology.
And some less academic subjects such as physical education, design and technology and business studies lead to higher salaries than the humanities.
For the first time, government analysis has shown how pupils’ subject choices aged 16 can affect their earnings years later. Further maths produces an average annual salary of £25,500 by the age of 24, but the highest-flying students – those in the upper quarter – can earn up to £31,500 at that age.
By contrast, a history A-level produces a median average salary of £19,400, or an upper quartile salary of £24,200, and geography produces a median of £20,900, or £25,900 for the upper quartile.
Those who study biology earn £20,600 on average, while those who study English literature earn £19,200. Subjects with the lowest average earnings include urdu producing £13,900; Arabic with £14,600; and dance with £16,300.
yesterday, social mobility charity the Sutton Trust said it hoped the data would help pupils make more informed choices for sixth form.
Chairman Sir Peter Lampl said: ‘This includes knowing the prospects and financial rewards for studying certain subjects and degrees. But it is important that this is part of a broad careers offering that starts early in school. This is particularly crucial for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may not have access to the same networks and advice as their middle-class classmates.’
The figures, from the Department for Education, draw on tax data to reveal what people in England who took their A-levels in 2010/11 were earning in 2016/17.
It examined what average earnings were for all those taking each subject. While similar analysis has been done with degree subjects, this is the first time A-level choice has been linked with earnings.
Most pupils take three A-levels, but the study only looked at average earnings for individual subjects, it didn’t examine how different subject combinations might change the average.
It showed that some subjects which are usually seen as less academic led to better salaries than some science and humanities subjects. Business studies produced earnings of £21,000; physical education £20,400; and design and technology £20,100. It may be that students taking these subjects were less likely to go to university, and so had more years to build up earnings by the age of 24.
Professor Tom McLeish, of the Royal Society’s education committee, said: ‘This research shows why it makes sense to give more young people an educational experience that keeps [maths and science] options open to them for longer.’
But Suzie Longstaff, headmistress of girls- only Putney High School in London, warned youngsters not to take on subjects they do not enjoy simply for the higher pay. She said: ‘An A-level in maths or economics may be highly prized in terms of pay in the short term, but is there any point in doing it if you don’t enjoy it? Anyway, historians make great accountants.’