Poor workload, long hours and bureaucracy pressures drove 1,300 Kent teachers from their jobs last year.

These are the main reasons expected to be given by teachers who have left their posts in an anonymous online questionnaire commissioned by Kent County Council.

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John Walder, the Kent branch secretary of the NUT stresses inadequate pay rises are to blame for teachers leaving the profession for better-paid jobs.

He said: "Some teachers for example, who do maths and physics find jobs elsewhere in industry and enjoy considerable pay rises.

"Finding a headteacher is also a major problem in primary and secondary schools. You can't find the people with the right calibre to be one."

Steve Wood, the KCC's recruitment and retention manager for schools, said: "We wanted something quick and easy that would give people an opportunity to tell us about their working lives and highlight particular issues."

To find out more about teaching in Kent visit www.kent-tech.com

The survey was developed by employee specialist TalentDrain.