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

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.