COLLEGE lecturers are quitting their jobs in droves for better pay and working hours in the region's schools, it has been revealed.

Union leaders say scores of fed-up staff are defecting after years of watching their sal-aries being eroded, teaching hours increased, and the number of holidays gradually reduced.

Joyce Harris, the regional support officer for the North-East office of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (Natfhe), said: "Just going around the region and talking to people you can see there are an awful lot leaving to work in schools.

"The other thing is that people are going back into industry because they can earn far more and have better terms and conditions.

"The Government came in with an agenda in education and they've done a lot for schools, but they need to show that support for further education."

The pay gains for college staff defecting is considerable, with an average wage of £21,000 rising to £25,000 in a school.

Sidra Rizvi, 35, is to leave her post teaching business studies at Newcastle College to start work at Durham Sixth Form Centre after the summer. Her wage will be boosted by £4,000.

"I'm compelled to leave as the pay and conditions I'm being offered is way beyond those in the further education sector," she said.

"On top of that, I'll have less hours teaching, five weeks extra holiday a year, and no chance of teaching evenings or weekends.

"I would rather stay in further education as I love the students and the teaching, but harsh realities have made me change to the school sector."

Jon Bryan, a sociology lecturer at Newcastle College who is a national executive council member for Natfhe, said five lecturers had left his college last year and all but one defected to the school sector.

"At the moment, we've just been offered a 1.5 per cent pay rise while teachers have been offered 3.5 per cent.

"One of the problems is about moving up the scale. After five years, teachers can get £26,000, but a college lecturer only gets £21,000.

"A lot of colleges also have a bar which you can't get through unless you take on more responsibility, such as managing a course or leading a team. Darlington College has a bar of £20,665."

The defections disclosure comes at a time when members of Natfhe have voted in favour of strike action over pay and conditions.

The action has been branded "premature" by David Gibson, chief executive of the Association of Colleges.

"We greatly regret the decision of Natfhe nationally to strike over pay, especially at this time of the year when exams are about to take place," he said.

"Colleges will do everything necessary to ensure that despite this action, students' education is not put at risk."