The majority of the public believes that workload and workplace pressures are driving teachers to leave the profession.

But fewer than one in five thinks that concerns over salary are causing teachers to reconsider their career choice, a new survey shows.

The poll, of 4,251 members of the public, found that 71 per cent think that increasing numbers of teachers are leaving the profession because of workload and workplace pressures.

Government figures show that, for the second year in a row, the number of teachers leaving the classroom has been greater than the number entering the profession.

‘Not the profession it used to be’

Fourteen per cent of those surveyed think that bureaucracy is forcing teachers to leave.

But only 15 per cent believe that salary concerns are forcing teachers to consider a new career. This is despite the recent news that teachers will only receive a 1 per cent pay rise this year.

The survey was carried out by financial services company Wesleyan. Vicki Wentworth, Wesleyan’s chief customer and strategy officer, said: “Many of those who responded to the survey said teaching wasn’t the profession it used to be.”

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