TEACHING used to be a respected profession, pupils would look up to its practitioners, parents would listen to them, and everyone was happy.

But the 21st Century has seen a dramatic turn of events. Teachers are packing their bags and looking to work abroad or leave the profession completely, rather than teach in the UK.

The weekly Times Educational Supplement is testament to the problems facing British education.

An increasing number of job vacancies in the teacher's newspaper has seen the size of the paper expand three-fold. In last week's edition, alone, more than 8,000 vacancies appeared.

We hear stories of a headteacher teaching a class of 90, schools operating a four-day week and of teachers being suspended for hitting children.

All of this, and much more, has led to many teachers rethinking their career plan and turning their back on British schools.

But what has left one of the oldest professions in such desperate times?

One Worcestershire primary teacher says that, although teaching's "a fantastic" profession, she has made the decision to leave for foreign shores.

Michelle Smith - her name has been changed for personal reasons - says her colleagues are becoming suffocated by bureaucracy and losing their enthusiasm for the job. They feel constantly knocked and unappreciated by society.

"If you have a teaching profession that's working 60-hour weeks and getting completely stressed-out, how are they going to enthuse the children?" she said. "The bulk of your energy should be going into the children, not meaningless paperwork."

Teachers at primary level have to complete records for every pupil in every subject. Records, says Michelle, that largely go ignored.

"There has to be record-keeping and assessment, but it should be the dog that wags the tail," said Michelle. "Record-keeping's endemic in this society. It's becoming the tail that wags the dog.

"The only people who look at these records are inspectors. The records go up to secondary school, but they're ignored. Teachers are spending so much time on paperwork that they don't have time to be enthusiastic in class."

Michelle's leaving her county primary school at the end of the summer term to embark on a different career path.

She's abandoning the British education system in favour of one that respects the profession.

"Teachers in other countries are treated with more respect but, in this country, there's a culture of greed and celebrity. Teachers are never going to fit into that.

"It's a crying shame that public service is becoming increasingly less respected. Why go into teaching when everyone slags it off?

"You always get kids who leave school with nothing and make something of themselves, but civil society is built on knowledge. We live in a society obsessed by celebrity and with material wealth.

"The low status of teaching reflects the general decline of a strong moral society and Christian values.

"Hard work, learning and knowledge are not respected. What is respected is fast deals and quick riches - just look at the appeal of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"

Michelle is leaving for Australia to embark on a personal journey of development. She has spent the past five years teaching, but feels that she'll end up stuck in a rut if she stays much longer.

"Worcestershire's a nice place to live. I can't knock it, but you have to give yourself new challenges and move on. In all professions, certainly in teaching, it's easy to fall into a rut and become stale.

"When I think of what makes me smile and makes my heart go faster, it's the travelling experiences I've had. It's only when you leave Britain that you can appreciate it."

There's no doubting that Michelle will return to teach in the Britain, but how many other teachers who are leaving will return?

Last week's TES suggested that half of the profession will have given up teaching within 16 years. Half!

Young staff, like Michelle, are quitting and others retire once they hit 50. Statistics suggest that more than 40,000 teachers, aged under 40, left teaching between 1993 and 1999.

The Government's on a massive recruitment drive, offering "golden hellos" and advertising in all mediums. But these are unlikely to solve the crisis.

"Teaching's an extremely demanding job, juggling all the different skills," said Michelle. "To do it well is not easy at all. People who can teach really stand out.

"Recruitment gimmicks are purely gimmicks. What people want to see is a decent wage.

"The sad thing is that, in public service, they'll always try and pay as little as possible.

"That's why a lot of the good teachers are leaving.

"London schools can't recruit because people can't afford to live there. If you make teaching work for you, it's the most fantastic job because kids are brilliant. You have such an impact on their lives, and most kids love school.

"If you go to the school gates and talk to parents, most are very happy with what's going on in school. But the papers love to knock teaching. You hardly ever read a bad article about nursing. But, in teaching, it's all doom and gloom, and that lowers esteem."