Teachers told BBC News Online theirs was one of the toughest professions, while non-teachers were mostly unsympathetic, saying "get out into the real world".

So is teaching any more stressful than other jobs?

Well, despite the doubters, it seems there is evidence which suggests it is.

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Now of course this survey was based on people's self-evaluation of stress. So some of the more sceptical non-teachers among you might say it proves nothing except that teachers complain more than others.

But while it would be impossible to prove which job category is the toughest, even the doubters must admit that if teachers are complaining in large numbers they must be unhappy about their work. And it is perception that counts when discussing stress.