Parents have ranked the top 20 'family friendly' jobs – including counselling and childcare

Childcare and counselling careers are the most ‘family friendly’ jobs, according to parents.
Research of 2,000 working parents with children aged 2-17 revealed the industries most likely to ease the struggle of parenting, with popular benefits including flexible hours and working from home.
Other professions considered good for new parents include accounting, being a teaching assistant, health and safety or human resources.
It also emerged nearly half (48 per cent) of parents wish they could work in a more family-friendly environment.
And only 18 per cent feel their return to work after having a child was ‘seamless’.
The main factors new parents value most when heading back into the workplace was an understanding boss (34 per cent) and friendly colleagues (40 per cent).
A spokesperson for Open Study College, which offers adults the opportunity to study new qualifications from home, said: “As we pass milestones in life, our priorities and goals can change.
“For some people, having a family is the most important thing to them and they’re happy to let their careers take a back seat.
“For others, the exact opposite is true – they want to continue excelling in their careers and will let others help more in terms of raising the family.
“Of course, it is possible to have both, which is why being in the right career or even the right company is really key.”
Finding the right work-life balance
The study also found 44 per cent of respondents want an easy commute after returning to work post-child.
But 57 per cent claim their work priorities didn’t change after having their first child.
Of those whose life goals did shift, 48 per cent no longer wanted to work long hours, and 44 per cent were finished with working at weekends.
Nearly a third (31 per cent) changed career after returning to work after having children, with many moving into a