Of the 2,000 employees polled, 27% were unhappy with their working life, and almost half said they were considering setting up their own business. Participants cited job satisfaction, financial independence, a better work/life balance and flexible working as the main advantages of becoming self-employed.

Despite such a high percentage of workers wanting to set-up their own business, many were discouraged for three main reasons: a lack of funding, confidence and financial knowhow.

The survey, not surprisingly, revealed the usual number of ‘hate work’ signs, ranging from dreading work on a Sunday night to killing time in the office, to having long unexplained breaks from your desk during working hours to offering to fetch frequent rounds of tea and running unnecessary errands for colleagues.

Feeling unnoticed professionally was an issue for many, with 16% confessing to feeling overqualified, and 13% saying their ideas are constantly ignored. Not fitting in with colleagues was also shown to be a reason to hate work; a fifth confessed they ‘don’t fit in’ while 16% admitted to coming up with excuses to avoid work related social events.

Mark Farrar, chief executive of AAT said: ‘Working for yourself can be an exciting and exhilarating experience. Indeed, many AAT students go on to successfully work for themselves across a diverse range of sectors from the arts, design and technology, to running their own business from home.’

Lindsey Dove started her own candle shop from home after being diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome. The AAT qualified entrepreneur and mum loves working for herself.

'I love the creative aspect,' said Dove. 'Being able to produce something that utilises my technical aptitude and artistic skill is very fulfilling. The feedback from my customers has been overwhelming; this really makes all the hard work worthwhile.'

For anyone who is thinking about leaving their current job to set up a business or find a new job, the following AAT survey results shows the most common reasons people cite for hating your job. 

 10 signs you hate your job

• You get anxious about work on a Sunday night
• You have lunch on your own to get away from colleagues
• You work the minimum number of hours required
• You are constantly looking at the clock
• You often moan about your job to friends and family
• You take extended toilet breaks
• You dread going into work in the morning
• You feel you don’t fit in within the office
• You find any excuse to get out of the office
• You have perfected the ‘looking busy’ look