A KS2 PSHE and careers activity for Y4/Y5/Y6. Rank 9 jobs by responsibility, training, pay. Sparks real debate about why some earn more than others.

This cut-and-arrange Diamond 9 gives pupils nine illustrated job cards and a simple three-round structure: rank by responsibility, rank by training required, then research typical salaries and rank by pay. The results rarely match fully, but pupils will see some obvious correlations between pay and responsibility and/or pay and the amount of training a job requires.

Comparing a nurse, a CEO, a cleaner and a delivery driver through all three lenses opens up genuinely rich discussion about how society values different kinds of work, why pay and worth aren’t always the same thing, and what factors influence what jobs pay.

Supports KS2 PSHE (careers and financial capability) and links naturally to oracy and debate objectives. Works equally well as a standalone lesson starter or a guided paired task.

This activity is one of hundreds of resources on the Tykeoons primary financial education platform.

This resource contains:
9 illustrated job cards (Headteacher, Nurse, Police Officer, Company CEO, Chef, Delivery Driver, Teacher, Family Doctor/GP, Cleaner). Print one sheet per pair

Suggested activity sequence:

• Round 1: Rank the 9 jobs by responsibility (consider what the consequences of making a big mistake in that job might be)
• Round 2: Re-rank by training required (pupils could research this online)
• Round 3: Research typical pay for the different jobs online, and then rank by salary, then compare all three diamond arrangements