Change‐of‐career secondary teachers: motivations, expectations and intentions

Abstract

In New Zealand there is an increasing trend for people with prior occupational experiences to enter secondary teaching. At a time when the media is continually questioning the status and capability of the teaching profession, we explore what or who motivates people to change their occupational paths and enter the teaching profession. Our sample of 68 newly qualified change‐of‐career teachers reported multiple factors related to their decision to pursue teaching. The matrix of reasons involved a range of “push and pull” factors related to previous work and family experiences, values and task expectancies. Three cluster groups of teachers – “Looks Good”, “Time is Right” and “Teaching is Me” – were developed to illustrate the relative influence of different combinations of reasons. We looked at how these teachers' motivations and prior experiences impacted on early and long‐term career expectations and intentions.

Keywords:

• career change
• induction
• recruitment
• retention
• secondary teachers

Acknowledgements

The research reported in this paper was supported by the NZCER Teaching and Learning Research Initiative fund. The Making a Difference project team members are Ruth Kane, Beverley Bell, Philippa Butler, Ronnie Davey, Sylvie Fontaine, Mavis Haigh, Susan Lovett, Ruth Mansell, Brian Prestidge, Susan Sandretto, Cheryl Stephens and the authors. We are extremely grateful to the teachers who participated in this study and to the insightful reviewer feedback.