This study focused on the intrinsic motives that account for teachers leaving their profession. Former teachers in the Haifa area of Israel participated in interviews, giving reasons for leaving teaching that correlated with those found in a study of the literature. The most frequently mentioned reasons for leaving teaching were: (1) burnout and the need for renewal; (2) lack of encouragement for initiative; (3) low professional status of teachers; (4) lack of autonomy; and (5) lack of promotional opportunity and few challenges. Other sources of dissatisfaction included a sense of the gap between what is expected of teachers and what the teacher is able to achieve and lack of appreciation by parents and pupils. The results of a questionnaire administered to 190 elementary and secondary school teachers showed that their readiness for leaving their jobs depended on background variables and such factors as professional identity, work satisfaction, and autonomy. It is suggested that teacher turnover might be lessened if administrators are sensitive to teachers' desires for more personal autonomy, their need for greater satisfaction in their work, and a higher professional identity. (JD)