Abstract
People change careers for a variety of reasons. Career changers to the teaching profession are no different. This chapter explores career change teachers from the literature and studies that have been conducted so far, in terms of who they are, where they come from, what factors play a role in their career change decision, the attributes and characteristics they bring to teaching and the challenges they are likely to face as a career changer. Some of the difficulties associated with defining this cohort and gathering accurate data on their numbers are also discussed. The chapter also highlights the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the education sector and how career change teachers can contribute to improving the status of the profession beyond the pandemic.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Note Bureau of Labor Statistics defines a job as an “uninterrupted period of work with a particular employer” (2019, p. 2).
- 2.
Local here refers to Australia.
- 3.
Chapter 9 discusses the results of Varadharajan and Putter’s research, jointly conducted in Australia and in the Netherlands, on STEM career change teachers, where this group of teachers will be examined in detail.
- 4.
See Footnote 2.
References
Adams, N., Little, T. D., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory. In M. L. Wehmeyer, K. A. Shogren, T. D. Little, & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Development of self-determination through the life-course (pp. 47–54). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1042-6_4.
Alphabeta. (2019). Future skills: A report prepared by Alphabeta for Google Australia.
Altbach, P.G., Reisberg, L., & Rumbley, L.E. (2009). Trends in global higher education: Tracking an academic revolution: A report prepared for the UNESCO 2009 world conference on higher education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO.
Anderson, H., Fry, S., & Hourcade, J. J. (2014). Career changers as first-year high school teachers. The Clearing House, 87(4), 149. Education Database.
Anthony, G., & Ord, K. (2008). Change-of-career secondary teachers: Motivations, expectations and intentions. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 36(4), 359–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660802395865
Australian Financial Review. (2021, January 19). Job satisfaction no longer just about pay: Survey. Australian Financial Review. https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/careers/job-satisfaction-no-longer-just-about-pay-survey-20210119-p56v6d.
Bahr, N. M., & Mellor, S. (2016). Building quality in teaching and teacher education. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Bastian, D. (2020, July 23). Jump in number of students signing up to anxiety programs since Pandemic. Education Review. https://www.educationreview.com.au/2020/07/jump-in-number-of-students-signing-up-for-anxiety-program-since-pandemic/.
Bauer, C., Thomas, S., & Sim, C. (2017). Mature age professionals: Factors influencing their decision to make a career change into teaching. Issues in Educational Research, 27(2), 185–197. Education Database.
Baxter, J., & Tai, T. (2016). Inequalities in unpaid work: A cross-national comparison. In M. L. Connerley & J. Wu (Eds.), Handbook on well-being of working women (pp. 653–671). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9897-6_36.
Bimrose, J., & Barnes, S.-A. (2007). Styles of career decision-making. Australian Journal of Career Development, 16(2), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/103841620701600205
Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Ing, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., O’Brien, R., & Wyckoff, J. (2011). The effectiveness and retention of teachers with prior career experience. Economics of Education Review, 30(6), 1229–1241. ERIC. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2011.08.004.
Brindley, R., & Parker, A. (2010). Transitioning to the classroom: Reflections of second-career teachers during the induction Year. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 16(5), 577–594. ERIC.
Buchanan, J., Prescott, A., Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., Burke, P., & Louviere, J. (2013). Teacher retention and attrition: Views of early career teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.9.
Bullough, R. V., & Knowles, J. G. (1990). Becoming a teacher: Struggles of a second-career beginning teacher. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 3(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839900030201
Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor. (2019). Number of jobs, labour market experience, and earnings growth: Results from a longitudinal survey. (News Release USDL-19–1520). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/nlsoy.pdf#page=1&zoom=auto,-73,798.
Castro, A. J., & Bauml, M. (2009). Why now? Factors associated with choosing teaching as a second career and their implications for teacher education programs. Teacher Education Quarterly, 36(3).
Chambers, D. (2002). The real world and the classroom: Second-career teachers. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 75(4), 212–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098650209604935
Crow, G., Levine, L., & Nager, N. (1990). No more business as usual: Career changers who become teachers. American Journal of Education, 98(3), 197–223.
Cuddapah, J. L., Beaty-O’Ferrall, M. E., Masci, F. J., & Hetrick, M. (2011). Exploring why career changers leave teaching. New Educator, 7(2), 114–130. ERIC.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher education around the world: What can we learn from international practice? European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2017.1315399
Department of Education, United Kingdom. (2018). Initial teacher training (ITT) performance profiles for 2016–2017, England. Department of Education, United Kingdom. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728820/Initial_Teacher_Training_Performance_Profiles_2016_17.pdf.
Department of Education, Skills and Employment. (2021). Quality initial teacher education review discussion paper. Australian Government. https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-initial-teacher-education-review.
Donaldson, M. L. (2012). The promise of older novices: Teach for America teachers’ age of entry and subsequent retention in teaching and schools. Teachers College Record, 114(10).
Education Council. (2020). Looking to the future: Report of the review of senior secondary pathways into work, further education and training June 2020.
Education Services Australia. (2020). National initial teacher education pipeline: Australian Teacher Workforce Data Report 1. Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/atwd/reports/new-pipeline-report/2020_aitsl-atwd_pipelinereport.pdf.
Eifler, K., & Potthoff, D. E. (1998). Nontraditional teacher education students: A synthesis of the literature. Journal of Teacher Education, 49(3), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487198049003004
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). W.W. Norton &Co.
Evans, L. (2011). The motivations to enter teaching by age related career stage and certification path. Sociological Spectrum, 31(5), 606–633. https://doi.org/10.1080/02732173.2011.589786
Gonzales, A., Jones, D., & Ruiz, A. (2014). Toward achievement in the “Knowledge economy” of the 21st century: Preparing students through T-STEM academies. Research in Higher Education Journal, 25, 1–14. ERIC.
Grier, J. M., & Johnston, C. C. (2009). An inquiry into the development of teacher identities in STEM career changers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 20(1), 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-008-9119-2
Grier, J. M., & Johnston, C. C. (2012). STEM professionals entering teaching: Navigating multiple identities. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(1), 19–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-011-9260-1
Gross, J. (2018). Can immigrant professionals help reduce teacher shortages in the U.S.? In World education services (2228670447; ED592605; pp. 1–36). World Education Services, Bowling Green Station, PO Box 5087, 10274; ERIC. https://login.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F2228670447%3Faccountid%3D12763.
Hanington, L. M. (2018). Transitions into teaching:Experiences of career-change teachers in Singapore. AsTEN Journal of Teacher Education, 3(1).
Hunter-Johnson, Y. (2015). Demystifying the mystery of second career teachers’ motivation to teach. The Qualitative Report, 20(8), 1359–1370. Education Database.
Johnson, S. M. & Project on the Next Generation of Teachers. (2007). Finders and keepers: Helping new teachers survive and thrive in our schools. Jossey-Bass.
Keck Frei, A., Kocher, M., & Bieri Buschor, C. (2021). Second-career teachers’ workplace learning and learning at university. Journal of Workplace Learning, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-07-2020-0121.
Korthagen, F. A. J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 77–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.10.002
Laming, M. M., & Horne, M. (2013). Career change teachers: Pragmatic choice or a vocation postponed? Teachers and Teaching, 19(3), 326–343. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2012.754163
Lee, D. (2011). Changing course: Reflections of second-career teachers. Current Issues in Education, 14(2), 1–19. ERIC.
Lee, D. & Lamport, M. A. (2011). Non-traditional entrants to the profession of teaching: Motivations and experiences of second-career educators. Christian Perspectives in Education, 4(2). https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cpe/vol4/iss2/3.
LinkedIn. (2021). Jobs on the rise in Australia 2021. https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/resources/talent-acquisition/jobs-on-the-rise-au.
Manuel, J., & Hughes, J. (2006). ‘It has always been my dream’: Exploring pre-service teachers’ motivations for choosing to teach. Teacher Development, 10(1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530600587311
Maranto, R., Carroll, K., Cheng, A., & Teodoro, M. P. (2018). Boys will be superintendents: School leadership as a gendered profession. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(2), 12–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721718803563
Marinell, W. H. (2008). Math and science mid-career entrants to teaching: Well skilled but “working in a void”. Harvard Graduate School of Education. http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=hgse_pngt.
Marinell, W. H. (2009). Will mid-career entrants help avert a teacher shortage, reduce racial and gender imbalances and fill vacancies in hard-to-staff subjects and schools? Paper Prepared for the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, April 15, 2009. https://projectngt.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-projectngt/files/marinell_aera_2009.pdf.
Mayotte, G. A. (2003). Stepping stones to success: Previously developed career competencies and their benefits to career switchers transitioning to teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 19(7), 681–695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.03.002
McKenzie, P., Weldon, P., Rowley, G., Murphy, M., McMillan, J., & Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). (2014). Staff in Australia’s schools 2013: Main report on the survey.
Newman, E. (2010). “I’m being measured as an NQT, That Isn’t Who I Am”: An exploration of the experiences of career changer primary teachers in their first year of teaching. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 16(4), 461–475. ERIC.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) (2009). Creating Effective Teachingand Learning Environments: First results from TALIS. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/43023606.pdf.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) (2011). Teachers matter: Attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers: Pointers for policy development. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/education/school/34990905.pdf.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). (2019). OECD employment outlook 2019: The future of work. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/9ee00155-en.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). (2020). Education at a glance 2020: OECD indicators. OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en.
Omar, M. K., Self, M. J., & Cole, K. M. (2018). Teaching job satisfaction of career-switchers in career and technical education school system. International Research Symposium Series (IRSS)
Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc. (2010). Career changers in the classroom: A national portrait. In Woodrow wilson national fellowship foundation (1312421462; ED536873; pp. 1–47). Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, P.O. Box 5281. ERIC. https://login.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F1312421462%3Faccountid%3D12763.
Powers, F. W. (2002). Second-career teachers: Perceptions and mission in their new careers. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 12(3), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/09620210200200095
Price, M. (2019). From troops to teachers: Changing careers and narrative identities: JET JET. Journal of Education for Teaching, 45(3), 335–347. Education Database. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2019.1599502.
Priyadharshini, E., & Robinson-Pant, A. (2003). The attractions of teaching: An investigation into why people change careers to teach. Journal of Education for Teaching, 29(2), 95–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260747032000092639
Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. M. G. (2005). ‘I’ve decided to become a teacher’: Influences on career change. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(5), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.03.007
Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. (2006). Who chooses teaching and why? Profiling characteristics and motivations across three Australian universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
Rowston, K., Bower, M., & Woodcock, S. (2020). The lived experiences of career-change pre-service teachers and the promise of meaningful technology pedagogy beliefs and practice. Education and Information Technologies, 25(2), 681–705. ERIC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-10064-8.
Sabar, N. (2004). From heaven to reality through crisis: Novice teachers as migrants. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(2), 145–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2003.09.007
Salyer, B. A. (2003). Alternatively and traditionally certified teachers: The same but different. NASSP Bulletin, 87(636), 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/019263650308763603
Serow, R. C., & Forrest, K. D. (1994). Motives and circumstances: Occupational-change experiences of prospective late-entry teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 10(5), 555–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(94)90006-X
Teach for Australia. (2020). Impact Report 2020: Eleven years of Teach for Australia. https://teachforaustralia.org/our-impact/impact-reports/.
Tigchelaar, A., Brouwer, N., & Korthagen, F. (2008). Crossing horizons: Continuity and change during second-career teachers’ entry into teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(6), 1530–1550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.03.001
Unisen, A., & Polat, H. (2016). From the pulpits to the boards: A study on prospective second career teachers in Turkey. International Education Studies, 9(9), 170–181. ERIC.
Varadharajan, M. (2014). Understanding the lived experiences of second career beginning teachers. [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Technology Sydney]. http://hdl.handle.net/10453/29255.
Varadharajan, M., & Schuck, S. (2017). Can career changers be game changers? Policy, research and practice concerning career changers. In J. Nuttall, A. Kostogriz, M. Jones, & J. Martin (Eds.), Teacher education policy and practice (pp. 83–95). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4133-4_6.
Varadharajan, M., Buchanan, J., & Schuck, S. (2018). Changing course: The paradox of the career change student-teacher. Professional Development in Education, 44(5), 738–749. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2017.1423369
Varadharajan, M., Buchanan, J., & Schuck, S. (2020). Navigating and negotiating: Career changers in teacher education programmes. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 48(5), 477–490. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2019.1669136
Veale, N., Dobbins, N., & Kurtts, S. (2013). Career changers in special education: A collaborative direction in teacher preparation for school systems and institutions of higher education. Issues in Teacher Education, 22(2), 107–116. ERIC.
Wagner, T., & Imanel-Noy, D. (2014). Are they genuinely novice teachers?: Motivations and self-efficacy of those who choose teaching as a second career. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(7), 1–28. ERIC.
Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002
Watters, J. J., & Diezmann, C. M. (2015). Challenges confronting career-changing beginning teachers: A qualitative study of professional scientists becoming science teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 26(2), 163–192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-014-9413-0
Weldon, P. R. (2015). The teacher workforce in Australia: Supply, demand and data issues.2015. Policy Insights, Issue 2.
Williams, J. (2013). Constructing new professional identities: Career changers in teacher education. SensePublishers.
Williams, J., & Forgasz, H. (2009). The motivations of career change students in teacher education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660802607673
Wilson, E., & Deaney, R. (2010). Changing career and changing identity: How do teacher career changers exercise agency in identity construction? Social Psychology of Education, 13(2), 169–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-010-9119-x
Wilson, R. (2020). The profession at risk: Trends in standards for Admission to teaching [Commissioned report]. NSW Teachers Federation. https://www.nswtf.org.au/files/20042_theprofessionatrisk_digital.pdf.
Workforce Singapore. (2020). Professional conversion programmes (PCP) for individuals. Programmes and Inititaives. https://www.wsg.gov.sg/programmes-and-initiatives/professional-conversion-programmes-individuals.html.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Varadharajan, M., Buchanan, J. (2021). Career Change Individuals in the Teaching Profession. In: Career Change Teachers. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6038-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6038-2_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-6037-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-6038-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)