Major Career Changes from the Perspective of Experienced Teachers

The research study concerns the lives and careers of teachers in the late stages of their careers. The aim of the study is to describe the teacher’s careers, identify the major changes that occurred throughout and in their careers, and investigate how they perceive these changes. The research is based on unstructured and semi-structured interviews conducted with six practicing teachers ages fifty and older with at least twenty years of teaching experience. The research sample included teachers who teach different subjects at both lower secondary and secondary schools in the Czech Republic. It shows that the teachers often perceive changes that occurred throughout their careers negatively. However, in spite of their dissatisfaction in many areas, they are mostly very motivated and perceive their self-efficacy positively