Recruiting and Retaining Teachers: Understanding Why Teachers Teach

This book is a culmination of several research studies (Cockburn, 1993, 1994, 1996a, 1996b, 1997, 2000; Haydn, Cockburn and Oliver, 2000) and examines why people embark on teaching as a career and their reasons for remaining or leaving the profession. A range of research strategies were used with a concentration on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Data were accumulated from over 2000 respondents. The research provides new insight into what job seekers desire from their careers and why teachers remain in teaching despite the increasing challenges. The book is of particular value at a time when large numbers of teachers are experiencing high levels of stress and leaving the profession prematurely as it provides new insight into both what motivates teachers and what demoralizes them. The book proposal was refereed prior to acceptance for publication. Cockburn wrote half of the book and undertook 75% of the research.