Early career teachers' intentions to leave the profession: The complex relationships among preservice education, early career support, and job satisfaction

Abstract

This paper investigates the complex factors that lead to early career teachers (ECTs) deciding to leave the profession. It extends prior studies to show the associations that different elements of preservice education (PSE), early career support, and on-the-job satisfaction have with the intention to leave the profession. The study uses data from 2,144 Australian ECTs to explore these relationships. Results highlight the importance of teachers’ collegial relationships with their peers, and replicate prior findings showing the significance of mentoring and induction programs. Results show that elements of job satisfaction are strongly associated with intention to leave the profession, leading to a number of implications for achieving the twin goals of higher teacher retention and job satisfaction.

This research was partly supported by the Australian Government’s Collaborative Research Network (CRN) program, by the Queensland College of Teachers, and by the OLT project ‘Step Up’ MS13-3184.