‘Elite’ career‐changers in the teaching profession

Abstract

Evidence linking teacher quality and the ‘performance’ of education systems has led to a widespread emphasis on improving the quality of entrants to teaching. In the USA and UK particularly, policymakers have encouraged entrants who have been highly successful in other careers to switch to teaching, on the assumption that they bring distinctive attributes/competences that will not only enable them to become successful teachers, but to improve leadership and management cultures in schools. This study analyses the numbers of ‘elite’ career‐changers entering initial teacher education (ITE) in England, and compares their completion rates with those of first‐career entrants. In addition, through semi‐structured interviews, it examines the experiences of career transition of 24 ‘elite career‐changers’. Theoretically underpinned by notions of motivation, self‐efficacy, and professional identity development, the findings suggest that career‐changers are primarily influenced by altruistic and intrinsic motivations, and consider previously acquired attributes to be significant positive influences on their self‐efficacy. While they report high levels of resilience in adapting to contrasting professional cultures and to the demands of teaching, they also report significant levels of frustration with a perceived lack of acknowledgement from colleagues and school leaders of the potential ‘added value’ contribution they could make at a wider institutional level. These findings are discussed in the context of the presumed system‐wide benefits of attracting elite career‐changers into teaching, arguing that while previously acquired attributes are enabling them to become successful classroom practitioners, the schools may not be capitalising on potential contributions at a leadership and management level.

‘Elite’ career-changers and their experience of initial teacher education

“…The discourse of exceptionalism is explored in this study of 'elite career-changers' in ITE, for although studies have noted the 'added value' second-career teachers bring to the classroom (Mayotte 2003;Tigchelaar et al 2010), there is no compelling evidence of their impact on institutional practice or leadership culture from studies carried out in a wide range of contexts. The study reported here builds on an earlier study (hereinafter referred to as ECC1) of professionals who had successfully made the transition into teaching (Wilkins and Comber 2015). The most striking finding of this previous study was that despite strong evidence that resilience is a key attribute of career-changers, they are significantly less likely to complete their ITE programmes than 'first career' entrants.…”

“…The small number of studies focusing specifically on the motivation of individuals who have changed career to become teachers suggest they are similarly driven by social utility and intrinsic emotional satisfaction Some research has found a relationship between teacher recruitment levels and conditions in the wider economy (so impacting on graduate-level job security (Borman and Dowling 2008); the perception of teaching as a career that is virtually immune to economic context means that both recruitment and retention levels are increased during economic downturns. However, there is little or no indication in previous studies that this is a significant 'push' factor for career-changers; they are overwhelmingly 'pulled' by the perceived attractiveness of teaching as a career (Powers 2002;Anthony and Ord 2008;Wilkins and Comber 2015)…”

“…This follow-up study (hereinafter referred to as ECC2), therefore, focuses on the experiences of career-changers as they undertake ITE programmes and their perceptions of the distinctive positive attributes that they bring to the profession and the challenges they may face in transitioning between professional cultures. It also explores further issues from previous studies, such as the generally negative perceptions of in-school induction and mentoring (Long et al 2012;Hobson and Ashby 2012; Comber 2015) and career changers' perceptions that their 'transferable' attributes were underutilised, leading to a lack of wider impact on school leadership cultures (Chambers 2002;Mayotte 2003;Wilkins and Comber 2015). In order to do this, this study set out to reveal further insights into the process of both 'becoming' and 'being' a teacher and the complex identity construction involved in making the transition between often contrasting professional cultures.…”

“…Although this was primarily an ideologically-based drive to rebalance ITE, to shift the focus away from universities towards a more skills-based 'apprenticeship' approach (Furlong 2013), part of the rationale was that more 'practically-focused' training programmes would be attractive to career-changers than traditional university-led postgraduate ones (Taylor 2013). Proponents argued that attracting skilled and motivated professionals to teaching would not just bring the benefits of 'accumulated wisdom' to the classroom (Tigchelaar et al 2010;Wilkins and Comber 2015), but have a positive impact on schools' leadership and management practices (Freedman et al 2008). Whilst not always explicitly articulated, the implicit message lying behind this is a perception that the private sector values that career-changers can supposedly bring to teaching will bring about improvements to public sector leadership and management practices (Wilkins and Comber 2015).…”

“…Proponents argued that attracting skilled and motivated professionals to teaching would not just bring the benefits of 'accumulated wisdom' to the classroom (Tigchelaar et al 2010;Wilkins and Comber 2015), but have a positive impact on schools' leadership and management practices (Freedman et al 2008). Whilst not always explicitly articulated, the implicit message lying behind this is a perception that the private sector values that career-changers can supposedly bring to teaching will bring about improvements to public sector leadership and management practices (Wilkins and Comber 2015). This focus on 'transferable professional assets' is also evident in schemes to bring ex-military personnel into teaching (the US T3 and UK Troops into Teaching programmes [Tipping 2013]).…”