Abstract
Migrants consider South Africa to be a country of greener pastures in a sub-region blighted by political and economic instability. In South Africa’s education system, Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the social and professional needs of migrant Zimbabwean teachers and their advice to prospective migrant teachers. Fifteen migrant Zimbabwean teachers in public high schools or combined schools (private schools) took part in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The data were analysed qualitatively using open coding. The findings of the study revealed that these migrant teachers need support to overcome difficulties in classroom management, in acquiring legal documentation, and in dealing with the issues of safety and xenophobia. The findings also revealed that the teachers were in need of induction, professional development, and social and financial support. In spite of their many needs, the migrant teachers’ advice to prospective migrant teachers was that they should try their luck in South Africa.
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Notes
Kwerekwere is the derogatory term used by Black South Africans to describe non-South African blacks. It refers to Black immigrants from the rest of Africa.
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Acknowledgements
The research for this article was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, under Grant N00400 (project number 85840) but solely reflects the views of the authors. We are grateful to all interviewees who shared their experiences. We also acknowledge the valuable comments that were obtained from the reviewers, which helped to shape this paper.
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de Villiers, R., Weda, Z. Zimbabwean Teachers in South Africa: their Needs and Advice to Prospective Migrant Teachers. Int. Migration & Integration 19, 299–314 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0558-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-018-0558-0