Teachers - do you have a preference for state or private jobs?

[Dancergirl]

With all the budget cuts in state secondary schools, is there an impact on state schools not attracting the best teachers?

We have friends who have just gone through the 11+ process with their dd. They opted for a private school over a (very good) partially selective state school as they were concerned about lack of funding, teacher shortages and so on.

If you're a teacher, ARE there benefits of working in the independent sector?