Get inspiration from our survey of the top 200 employers that school students in the UK say they’d most like to work for, as featured in our publication TARGETcareers Guide to your future.
TARGETcareers Guide to your future gives straightforward explanations of the different options for students when they leave school, including university, apprenticeships, professional qualifications and more. It contains more information on the top 200 employers for school leavers listed below, as well as the stories of school leavers already working there.
1
NHS
Last year: 3
up
2
BBC
Last year: 2
same
4
ITV
Last year: 7
up
5
Apple
Last year: 4
down
6
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Last year: 11
up
7
Channel 4
Last year: 18
up
8
Microsoft
Last year: 5
down
10
Police
11
Teach First
Last year: 17
up
12
Barclays
Last year: 37
up
13
GlaxoSmithKline
Last year: 122
up
14
Aston Martin
Last year: 9
down
15
Ubisoft
Last year: 6
down
16
MI5 - The Security Service
Last year: 34
up
17
Civil Service Fast Stream
Last year: 78
Business, Public sector and charity
up
18
KPMG
Last year: 43
Management consulting, Finance, IT and technology
up
19
HM Revenue and Customs
Last year: 61
up
20
Jaguar Land Rover
Last year: 10
Engineering, Finance
down
22
British Airways
Last year: 12
down
23
Amnesty International
Last year: 44
up
24
Penguin Random House
Last year: 57
up
25
The Royal Air Force
Last year: 40
up
26
Cancer Research UK
Last year: 25
down
27
The Army
Last year: 29
Engineering, IT and technology, Public sector and charity, Armed forces
up
28
Dyson
Last year: 32
up
29
Airbus
Last year: 28
Engineering, Finance
down
30
BMW Group
Last year: 26
down
31
J.P. Morgan
Last year: 63
up
32
AstraZeneca
Last year: 21
down
33
Mercedes-Benz
34
Samsung
Last year: 13
down
35
Rolls Royce plc
Last year: 16
Engineering
down
36
HSBC Bank Plc
Last year: 23
Finance, Investment management, Banking
down
38
Deloitte
Last year: 60
Finance, Investment management, Banking, Accountancy
up
39
PwC
Last year: 65
Business, HR, Management consulting, Marketing, Finance, Investment management, Insurance and actuarial, Banking, Accountancy, IT and technology
up
40
Oxfam
Last year: 41
up
41
Local Government – NGDP
Last year: 101
up
42
John Lewis Partnership
Last year: 30
down
43
Sony
Last year: 14
down
44
The Royal Navy
Last year: 53
up
45
Amazon
Last year: 58
up
46
Lloyds Banking Group
Last year: 48
Finance
up
47
Harrods
Last year: 38
down
48
Heathrow Academy
Last year: 90
up
49
Intel
Last year: 20
down
50
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Ltd
Last year: 19
down
51
Virgin Media
Last year: 62
IT and technology
up
52
Volkswagen Group UK
Last year: 55
up
53
Boots
Last year: 22
Business, HR, Marketing, Engineering, Finance
down
54
Bentley
Last year: 27
down
55
Hilton Worldwide
Last year: 64
up
56
Debenhams
Last year: 42
down
57
EY
Last year: 81
Business, Management consulting, Finance, Banking, Accountancy
up
58
Pfizer
Last year: 39
down
59
Abercrombie & Fitch
Last year: 46
down
60
Lloyd’s
Last year: 33
Finance, Insurance and actuarial
down
61
Adidas group
Last year: 49
down
62
TUI
Last year: 91
up
63
Environment Agency
Last year: 93
up
64
National Audit Office
Last year: 117
Finance, Accountancy, Public sector and charity, Central and local government
up
65
GCHQ
Last year: 100
up
66
IBM
Last year: 56
Business, IT and technology
down
67
Starbucks
68
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Last year: 163
up
69
American Express
Last year: 83
up
70
Allen & Overy LLP
Last year: 110
up
71
Bank of England
Last year: 94
Finance, Banking, Public sector and charity
up
72
National Grid
Last year: 84
Engineering
up
73
British Council
Last year: 92
up
74
Nationwide
Last year: 66
down
76
Marks & Spencer
Last year: 59
Retail, buying and fashion
down
77
Merlin Entertainments plc
Last year: 74
down
78
Morgan Stanley
Last year: 87
up
80
Last year: 45
down
81
Santander
Last year: 35
Banking
down
82
Next
Last year: 103
up
83
Slaughter and May
Last year: 73
down
84
Irwin Mitchell
Last year: 72
Law
down
86
Deutsche Bank
Last year: 86
same
87
L'Oreal
Last year: 50
down
88
Tesco
Last year: 79
Retail, buying and fashion
down
89
Coca Cola European Partners
Last year: 106
up
91
Whitbread Group
Last year: 181
up
92
Nestlé
Last year: 156
up
93
Sainsbury's
Last year: 115
up
94
Financial Conduct Authority
Last year: 145
Finance
up
95
Travelodge
96
Ford
Last year: 51
Engineering
down
97
Transport for London
Last year: 68
Engineering
down
98
Visa
Last year: 24
down
99
Network Rail
Last year: 71
Construction and property, Insurance and actuarial
down
100
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Last year: 54
down
103
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Last year: 97
down
104
Balfour Beatty
Last year: 119
Construction and property, Civil and structural engineering, Construction and building services engineering
up
105
Cisco
Last year: 98
down
106
EE
Last year: 109
IT and technology, Retail, buying and fashion
up
107
Reed Smith
Last year: 76
down
108
Addleshaw Goddard
Last year: 171
up
109
Nissan
Last year: 36
down
110
Allianz
Last year: 104
down
111
Bloomberg
Last year: 118
up
112
EDF Energy
Last year: 125
up
113
TJX Europe
Last year: 137
Retail, buying and fashion
up
114
Telefonica
Last year: 89
down
115
HP
Last year: 69
down
116
BP
Last year: 158
Engineering, IT and technology, Science
up
117
Shell
Last year: 127
up
118
Asda
Last year: 136
up
119
Unilever
Last year: 124
Business, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, IT and technology, Science
up
120
Marriott International
121
Kennedys
Last year: 75
down
122
McDonald's Restaurants Ltd
Last year: 70
Business, Hospitality and travel, Retail, buying and fashion
down
123
BAM
Last year: 105
Civil and structural engineering, Construction and building services engineering, Engineering
down
124
ARM
Last year: 169
up
125
Roche
Last year: 47
down
126
DSTL
Last year: 80
Engineering, Public sector and charity, Science
down
128
Aldi
Last year: 135
Business, Retail, buying and fashion
up
129
AECOM
Last year: 186
Construction and property, Civil and structural engineering, Construction and building services engineering, Surveying, Engineering
up
130
BNP Paribas
Finance
131
Bird & Bird
Last year: 131
same
132
Ashfords
Last year: 172
up
133
Dentons
Last year: 173
up
134
Great Western Railway
135
Mott MacDonald
Last year: 151
up
136
Citi
Last year: 166
up
137
Arup
Last year: 147
Construction and property, Civil and structural engineering, Engineering
up
138
Capgemini
Last year: 188
Business, Management consulting, IT and technology
up
139
Vodafone
Last year: 99
Business, IT and technology
down
140
Credit Suisse
Last year: 167
up
141
Pinsent Masons
142
Zurich Insurance
143
Aviva
Last year: 140
down
144
Co-operative Group Ltd
145
Atkins
Last year: 148
Civil and structural engineering, Construction and building services engineering, Surveying, Engineering
up
146
Herbert Smith Freehills
Last year: 176
up
147
Eversheds Sutherland LLP
Last year: 133
down
148
Linklaters LLP
Last year: 177
up
149
RSM
Last year: 139
Business, Finance, Accountancy
down
150
Mars
Last year: 123
down
151
M&G Investments
Last year: 129
down
152
Arcadia Group
Last year: 182
Retail, buying and fashion
up
153
WSP
Engineering
154
Hogan Lovells
155
Capital One
Last year: 142
down
156
Lidl
Last year: 102
down
157
Bosch
Last year: 161
up
158
Reckitt Benckiser
Last year: 138
down
159
Barratt Developments
Last year: 120
down
160
SSE
Last year: 128
Construction and property, Engineering, IT and technology
down
161
Travis Perkins
162
Mencap
Last year: 146
down
163
Frontline
164
Alfa
Last year: 189
up
165
Procter & Gamble (P&G)
Last year: 157
down
166
Burger King
Last year: 183
up
167
Mayer Brown LLP
Last year: 134
down
168
HS2
169
Baker McKenzie LLP
Last year: 130
down
170
Co-operative Bank
Last year: 144
down
171
Laing O’Rourke
Last year: 121
Construction and property, Civil and structural engineering, Construction and building services engineering, Engineering, Science
down
172
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Last year: 175
up
173
Thales
Last year: 164
Engineering, IT and technology
down
174
DLA Piper LLP
Last year: 174
same
175
Fujitsu
Last year: 170
down
176
Toyota
Last year: 85
down
177
Womble Bond Dickinson
Last year: 132
down
178
BlackRock
Last year: 165
down
179
InterContinental Hotels Group
180
Direct Line
181
Norton Rose Fulbright
Last year: 179
down
182
Mondelez International
Last year: 195
up
183
Smith & Williamson
Last year: 82
Finance
down
184
Leonardo
Last year: 162
down
185
Arvato
186
WPP
187
AXA
Last year: 141
down
188
Mercer
Last year: 191
up
189
Morrisons Plc
Last year: 114
Business, Retail, buying and fashion
down
191
Hargreaves Lansdown
192
Scottish Power
Last year: 126
down
193
Kier Group
Last year: 150
down
194
Thames Water
Last year: 196
Engineering, Science
up
195
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Last year: 184
down
196
Iceland
Last year: 113
down
198
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
199
Bain & Company
Last year: 187
down
200
McKinsey & Company
Last year: 190
down