Until three years ago, I was an academic in a "new" British university. I left to pursue better pay and conditions in the private sector, but was dismayed at the loss of quality of life. So I came back into academia, only this time to the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.

Here, senior lecturers get paid only up to £30,000, but also receive free housing or an extra 30 per cent of salary.

In addition, the university provides a 10 per cent pension contribution on top of the academics' 5 per cent and there is subsidised medical insurance. Academics also receive a £500 book grant and £2,000 a year for attending conferences.

New appointments receive support for research and the teaching load is considerably below that which I experienced in the UK, at eight hours' contact time a week.

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There are no heating bills and petrol is 30p a litre.

If even developing nations can afford better pay and conditions for academics than Britain can, what hope is there of stopping the brain drain?

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Tony Ward
Senior lecturer in psychology
University of the West Indies