Revealed: The Most Common Reasons Why Teachers Quit

After recent figures showed that a record 50,000 teachers quit the profession, their actual reasons for leaving the classroom for good have been revealed.

The number one bone of contention for hardworking teachers in 2015 was the sheer volume of workload, with an astonishing 61% of them labelling it the main reason for throwing in the towel.

Not far behind was seeking a better work/life balance (57%) as teachers attempted to fit in lesson planning and marking in their day alongside actual teaching.

Third in the list, that was put together by data from polling company YouGov and the Government, was unreasonable demands from managers (44%) while just 11% said that they were quitting to get a job with higher pay.

The results come just three months after it was revealed that an extra 160,000 teachers were needed over the next three years to halt a potential staffing crisis.

Stress: The number one cause of teachers quitting was the volume of workload (Rex/posed by model)

Teaching applications in 2015 fell by 21,000 compared to the previous year while primary and secondary school numbers are set to surge to 582,000 by 2020.

The number of teachers who quit in the 12 months leading up to November 2014 increased by 3,840 to 49,120 - more than the 48,900 who applied to become a teacher.

Reasons given by teachers for quitting the classroom in 2015:

Volume of workload (61%)

Seeking better work/life balance (57%)

Unreasonable demands from managers (44%)

Retiring from the profession (34%)

Rapid pace of organisational change (33%)

Mental health concerns (23%)

Student behaviour (22%)

Physical health concerns (15%)

Seeking higher pay (11%)

Top pic: Rex/posed by models