Peter Mallinson, 24, explains why he turned his back on teaching in the UK to start a new life overseas.

“I STARTED out in teaching at a school in Hull, which is now in special measures.

“It was pretty rough and teachers would often be threatened by the pupils and be subjected to verbal abuse.

“Pupils would often tell me they were going to hit me. It was not nice.

“I did a year and that was enough for me. It was not a fun place to work.

“The kids would threaten to hit me. They would often say they would get me when I was out of school and do all kind of things to me.

“I tried not to take any notice, but obviously some teachers took it more seriously.

It really shook them up.

“There is not a lot a teacher can do about it, and kids pretty much get away with it. You give them detention and ring their parents, but they are often just as bad. You would get all kinds of threats from the parents – that is obviously where the kids were getting it from.

“When you start teaching, you have to complete a year in school before you get the full qualification. A lot of people I knew just couldn’t hack it – they ended up leaving.

“You do lose confidence. A good teacher should have confidence in what they are doing, but it is hard when you have to put up with constant abuse.

“I was there for a year, and that was part of the reason why I moved abroad. I did not want to teach in Britain for any longer than I had to.

“I am teaching in Sweden now. Over here, the kids do not see me as the enemy, and they have respect for the fact that I am trying to help them. It is very different to the UK, and I think it is a lot to do with the way the children are brought up.”