RIS ID
3365
Abstract
Contemporary beginning teachers have a diverse mix of ages and prior experiences and many are seeking teaching work beyond their own state in a rapidly changing national and international market. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to investigate the employment experience and changing aspirations of a cohort of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who entered the teaching workforce in 2003 in a ‘tight teaching labour market’. The case study commenced with a sample of 174 beginning teachers from a regional Australian university. The purpose of this paper is to report on their employment experiences two years on and changes in their contemporary and medium term aspirations. The paper initially explores the current employment status and professional roles held of the 40 beginning teachers who responded to the second survey. Changes occurred in the two years in their preferred employment aspirations and their realistic expectations for the type, sector and location of teaching work. The second survey identified mentoring and a variety of experiences as a casual teacher promoted their confidence and effectiveness as a teacher. Student grow and interest in learning, positive relationships with staff and community gave the most satisfaction. Finally the paper reports that family, travel and undertaking further qualification were the most influential factors on beginning teachers’ medium term professional aspirations.
Publication Details
Booth, E. O. & Runge, J. (2005). Factors influencing the employment experience and aspirations of a cohort of beginning teachers: Two years on. In M. Cooper (Eds.), Teacher Education: Local and Global, 33rd Annual Conference of Australian Teacher Education Association (pp. 62-69). Brisbane: Centre for Professional Development, Griffith University.