Teacher Career Choices. Timing of Teacher Careers Among 1992-93 Bachelor's Degree Recipients. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report

摘要

Teachers' career choices reflect personal decisions about the relative benefits of teaching versus working in other occupations. These benefits include compensation, as well as less tangible benefits such as good working conditions and personal satisfaction. Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, when combined with positive and negative working conditions, may influence college graduates' decisions to enter teaching, stay in teaching, and leave teaching. Furthermore, teachers' individual career choices in the aggregate have implications for teacher supply and educational policy. To the extent that high-quality teachers choose to enter and stay in the profession, schools will have fewer vacant teaching positions and a larger pool of qualified applicants to fill those positions. This report examines the timing of teaching careers of 1992-93 college graduates at three points during the 10 years after graduation. It answers questions about the characteristics of graduates who enter and leave teaching, focusing specifically on their demographic characteristics, academic preparation, teacher working conditions, and compensation.