Young people hope to be earning £35,000 as writers or actors by the time they turn 30 - but often end up manning checkouts.

The grim conclusion emerged in analysis of evidence on how the aspirations of teenagers match up to the reality.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compared findings on the top five jobs 16-21 year-olds wanted to do in 2011-12, with what jobs 22-29 year olds were doing last year.

Teaching was the only dream job that a significant proportion of young people managed to achieve.

Nearly 9 per cent said they wanted that to be their career, and 4.5 per cent ended up working in the profession.

The chart shows the percentage of young people who wanted to be in various job categories in 2011-12 - and where they ended up working later

But while 11 per cent had expressed a wish to work in the arts, literary sphere, or media, just 1.4 per cent realised that goal.

Some 8.1 per cent wanted to be health professionals, such as doctors or vets. However, by last year just 1.7 per cent did.

The most common job people ended up doing was sales assistant or retail cashier, on 6.2 per cent.

The ONS article also highlighted a gap between the salary expectations of young people and the reality.

Half of 16 to 17-year-olds expected to be earning £35,000 a year by the age of 30 if they had secured a degree.

Some 5 per cent thought they could be raking in £80,000 or more by the time they turned 30.

But official data suggests the average salary of a 30-year-old is £23,700. And just 2 per cent earned £80,000.

Almost half of 16 to 21-year-olds in 2015-2016 thought it was very likely they would go into higher education.

In reality, 38 per cent 22-29 year-olds had a degree as their highest qualification last year.

Shadow minister for young people Cat Smith said: 'The younger generation have been disproportionately hit by austerity, from a tough jobs market to struggling with the high cost of housing and rising student debt.

'This Government has no plans to address the challenges they face. The Tories are failing young people across the country.

'Labour will stand up for young people and build a fairer society where every young person has the opportunity to succeed.'