Background and objectives. The teaching profession is considered a profession with high mental and emotional demands which not all teachers are able or willing to pursue until their retirement age. However, there are no well-founded and approved staff development strategies and career models for the teaching profession. This qualitative study examines the process of career change for teachers, starting from the first thought of a career change up to the actual change to a different professional activity. Methods. A total of 11 teachers who either wished a career change or had already changed profession were interviewed using semi structured expert interviews. The occupational demands of the teaching profession, motivation, and reasons for a career change were examined. In addition, a literature research was performed to identify job alternatives for teachers. Results. The main reason for a changing ambition is a high workload, followed by problems regarding the social climate, a lack of opportunities for personal development, and health problems. Success factors in the change process are finding job alternatives, self-initiative, and economic considerations. New fields of activity can be derived from the career matrix. Conclusions. A career change in the teaching profession is an individual process that only seems to be possible with increased self-initiative of the teachers due to the lack of job alternatives and additional qualification requirements. The early identification of alternative career paths allows the change to other occupational fields. Predominantly, career entrants are motivated to realize a change of career.
