THE JOB most students dream of when they finish their education is teaching, a City amp; Guilds survey has found.

Of 1,000 16- to 25-year-olds questioned, public service jobs beat other career choices. More than one in eight want to work in education, with healthcare coming a close second.

Jobs in the creative and cultural arts, accountancy and business, advertising and public relations were also popular in the exam board’s aspiration index, compiled from a YouGov poll, while manufacturing and the oil, gas and petroleum industries were the least attractive.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds of under-25s had a clear idea of their dream job, half were studying towards it and nearly a quarter were already working in their ideal career.

Lynne Oliver, education specialist at City amp; Guilds, said: “For those wanting to travel the world, education provides a good opportunity to take skills abroad, while the industry’s justly deserved reputation as a good employer is clearly encouraging young people to see it as a career of choice.”

She said television shows such as Waterloo Road and Teachers had an impact by presenting education as a fun career. That claim will surprise some teachers, who have criticised both series for portraying schools as failing institutions with incompetent leaders.

And the industry’s reputation as a good employer is put into doubt by figures from the College and University Support Network, which runs a helpline for lecturers. It says excessive workload and low pay are the biggest concerns.

The survey suggests teacher training colleges need not prepare themselves for a flood of applications yet. Nearly 1,500 adults aged 45 to 65 were asked about their career aspirations when they were younger and they also put health and education near the top of the list, though many of them ended up in very different fields.