Fame tempts pupils from school

Some British students prefer reality TV to hard work


One in 10 young people would drop out of school for a shot at fame on reality television and 16 per cent believe they will actually become famous, a British survey showed.

The survey, by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), polled more than 700 teenagers in England, ranging in age from 16 to 19 years old.

Young people often don’t understand that the odds of being selected for a reality TV show such as Big Brother (the popular show in which a group of strangers live together for two months) and continuing to be famous afterwards are very slim, the LSC said.

Almost one in ten said they thought celebrity was a great way to earn money without skills or qualifications. More than half of respondents who said they wanted to become famous cited money and success as the principal reason.

However, research shows that people without five GCSEs or the equivalent were more likely to earn low pay in later life. The LSC said the best way to ensure a good salary is to finish school.

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