Why choose teaching? A matter of choice : Evidence from the field

Significant federal government policy -driven reform of initial teacher education in Australia is currently underway. Broadly speaking, the reforms bring together a dual focus on standards, evidence and the impact of initial teacher education on student learning. It is in this crucible of change that a project was commissioned by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) to investigate the motivations for choosing teaching as a first or subsequent career, satisfaction with teaching and intentions for continuation in the profession, the key influences on decisions to enter teaching, and career aspirations of teachers . In order to inform recruitment strategies, participants were also asked to identify reasons for people to consider teaching as a career in Queensland. The report presents previously unavailable empirical evidence of what teachers in Queensland have to say in response to a key question: Why choose teaching? The analyses and discussion make available new insights into the factors that influence the choice of teaching as a first or subsequent career. The report provides a foundation for a longitudinal investigation of who chooses to enter teaching, the impacts on the choice, and trends in the status of teaching over time. The authenticity of the report is rooted in its close connectedness to the workplace and workforce, focusing on currently registered teachers in Queensland, Australia. A starting proposition for the investigation was that quality education in schooling and teacher workforce planning are interconnected . A related proposition is that there is potential benefit in focus sing directly on practising teachers’ voices to inform workforce planning and efforts to promote teaching as a career of choice