Bringing a Global Teacher Education Model to Scandinavia: Examining Teach First in Norway

Abstract

Teach For All (TFAll) represents a unique private–public partnership model of fast-track teacher education. This chapter explores TFAll’s expansion to the Scandinavian countries and uses Teach First Norway (TFN) as the context for examining this employment-based route into teaching, focusing on individual participant perspectives. Contemporary career choices can be understood as fluid and negotiable, which has implications for the design of programmes that aim to effectively recruit competent professionals. Traditionally, research on the motivation for choosing teaching as a profession has been based on the assumption that people will commit to teaching as a long-term career. The relevance of this analysis may be decreasing, as many people seem to consider and pursue a range of career possibilities. This study used a multi-method approach to examine TFN participants’ initial motivations for entering the programme and the development of their professional identities throughout. The findings show that the motivations for participating are complex, and the programme is perceived by many as an opportunity for self-development and resume-building. Participation in TFAll programmes might be viewed as part of a self-development project in which the candidates are given the opportunity to ‘try out’ teaching.