Career motivations and perceptions of teaching of 16–19-year-olds in England and Wales

Abstract

The current study provides an understanding of career-related motivations of 16–19-year-olds in schools and A-level colleges in England and Wales. The 672 participants (62% women) were asked to complete a modified version of the Motivations for Career Choice and the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering scales and provide comments on their perceptions of teaching as a career. Results showed that participants were most interested in entrepreneurial and technology-related careers, although results varied by gender, ethnicity and subject area focus (i.e., STEM vs non-STEM). Mean interest in teaching was low (2.87 on a seven-point scale), with a teaching career rated as the least preferred career option (of eight options) by men, ethnic minorities and STEM students. Intrinsic motivations, such as matching personal interests and the potential for excitement, were the most important factors when choosing a career. The prospect of working with children and adolescents and the influence of friends were rated as the least important motivators for our sample. Our results suggest that young people's preferred career motivations do not often align with the motivations associated with a teaching career. We did, however, identify subsets of our sample where the motivations for teaching as a career were stronger. We conclude by offering recommendations about teacher recruitment interventions that dispel some of the misconceptions young people hold about teaching.