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Who wants to be a Teacher? The Impact of Age, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexual Orientation on Teachers’ Career Aspirations

This article reports the results from a 12-month study of teachers’ careers in schools in England and the ways in which a sample of headteachers and teachers perceive that age, disability, ethnicity, gender and, to a limited extent, sexual orientation influenced their decisions to enter teaching and their subsequent career aspirations. Respondents report a diverse range of motives for entering the profession. Overall these relate more to personal circumstances and ambition than to age, disability, ethnicity or gender, either individually or in combination. Family and friends also play an important role, as do changing national priorities. The authors suggest that typologies developed around teachers’ motives for joining the profession may not be sustained at later stages of their development. This is because teachers’ career choices appear to be influenced by a complex mix of factors unique to each individual. Finally, some implications for teacher recruitment in Scotland are highlighted.