Banking 'top student job choice'

City jobs appealed to many undergraduates

Investment banking is the most popular future career for university students, a survey suggests.

The publisher GTI found that 20% of the 20,000 undergraduates and recent graduates it interviewed would like to work in this area.

Accountancy and professional services, and advertising and marketing were the next most popular choices. The least popular were building and retailing.

Researchers found 40% of students had made no effort to investigate careers.

Competition for students

When asked what was important in choosing between employers, more undergraduates and recent graduates cited training and development opportunities than starting salary.

GTI's UK publishing editor, Chris Phillips, said: "Competition for the best graduates remains as intense as ever, which is why employers spend so much each year to build and maintain their profiles on campus."

In a study published last month, Hay Group management consultancy found graduate starting salaries for the public sector averaged £21,445 - £1,400 more than the average wage in private companies.

The overall average graduate starting salary this year was £20,306, it added.

Meanwhile, the Training and Development Agency for Schools found graduates entering teaching were the least likely to be bored at work.