Career change teachers: pragmatic choice or a vocation postponed?

Author: Laming Madeleine Mattarozzi  

Publisher: Routledge Ltd

ISSN: 1470-1278

Source: Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, Vol.19, Iss.3, 2013-06, pp. : 326-343

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

For the last decade, international bodies have warned of a teacher shortage and sought to find ways of attracting more applicants to the profession. This article reports on a pilot study undertaken at one Australian university which asked why some applicants to preservice teaching courses had given up existing careers in order to become teachers. It then asked if their career change had been successful. Using open-ended questions and interviews, this paper recorded the view of 35 teachers who had been in teaching for 2-5 years. The findings suggest that reasons for selecting teaching as a second career are more complex and nuanced than existing research suggests, combining pragmatic, deeply personal and spiritual elements. It also found a significant connection between career change teachers' satisfaction with their new occupation and the status of their occupation, indicating that further study of career change teachers' experiences and personal beliefs is warranted.