Despite such practical realities as suicide bombers and long periods of intensive training and enforced separation from loved ones, Britain's Armed Forces have come joint second in a survey of 1,000 workers who were asked how satisfied they are with their current choice of employment.

According to the fifth annual City & Guilds Happiness Index published recently, financial rewards are not the answer to job satisfaction.

Instead, having an interest in what you do for a living is the number one factor for ensuring on-the-job contentment, with 'happiness levels' remaining constant regardless of salary.

While beauty therapists came out on top - brushing hairdressers off the top spot in the 2008 Happiness Index - and at the other end of the scale builders and bankers were the least happy with their working lives - army, navy and air force personnel are joint second in the happy poll.

According to Air Commodore Tim Winstanley, Director Training and Education within the Ministry of Defence, it's not a great surprise that the nation's military personnel profess to be happy in their work: "Individuals join the armed forces for a huge variety of reasons. Like all occupational areas, there are issues which cause our people to be dissatisfied. However, the evidence we gather indicates that it is the variety, the job satisfaction and excitement of military service that provides overall contentment with the roles they perform.

"What comes through very clearly is that they are proud of what they do, with 91% of our most recent survey indicating a belief that the UK Armed Forces are the best in the world."

(BMcC)