A scoping review of factors that influence career changers’ motivations and decisions when considering teaching

Abstract

Ongoing shortages of quality teachers has prompted policy interest into career changers as potential solutions. Although Initial Teacher Education (ITE) comprises one-third career changers, little is known about this group. This paper presents a scoping review of career changers’ motivations/decisions to choose teaching as a career. Themes from inductive thematic analysis are deductively synthesised using Margaret Archer’s theories on emergent properties. Knowledge of the profession, time, and career conditions enabled decisions to teach, while the status of teaching, beliefs about teaching, and money could enable but often constrained. Recommendations are suggested for attracting quality career changers into teaching; these include further research, increased flexibility in ITE, teaching taster pathways, and raising respect for the profession.