Burnt-out and demoralised: mid-career attrition from the teaching workforce

Abstract

Teacher shortages are not new but have been exacerbated by recent local and global conditions. Challenges with attracting and retaining teachers are widespread. Policies and initiatives that respond to attrition often focus on improving teacher preparation and providing support for early career teachers, with minimal attention to the issue of retaining mid-career teachers. This paper draws on theories of burnout and demoralisation to examine issues mid-career attrition. Using data from three surveys of over 16,000 Australian teachers, findings show that mid-career teachers are the least likely to report intending to stay in the profession until retirement. Workload is the most common reason for intending to leave and factors of burnout and demoralisation are evident. This is significant as mid-career attrition results in an expertise deficit in schools which diminishes the capacity of the profession to prepare new teachers, staff middle leadership roles, and supply future leaders of schools and systems.