Teaching for life? Midlife narratives from female classroom teachers who considered leaving the profession

Authors: Cooper, Helen¹; Mackenzie Davey, Kate²

Source: British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Volume 39, Number 1, February 2011 , pp. 83-102(20)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $50.43 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

Career decision-making research has focused primarily on occupation change as a discrete event and emphasised occupational mobility. Not all of those who consider changing occupation do so though, and this study explored the narrative accounts of nine female teachers who had considered leaving the profession, but remained teaching at midlife. Narrative plotlines illustrated how this decision-making process evolved across the career span and revealed individual experiences ranging from reconciliation to on-going disaffection with teaching. Thematic analysis identified factors associated with occupational embeddedness in understanding why these women stayed and the potential for embedding issues to constrain women's occupational mobility. Implications for career counselling include exploring occupational decision-making across the career span, recognising the impact of embedding forces on women's teaching careers and supporting those who feel unable to leave this demanding occupation.

Keywords: occupational embeddedness; teaching; narrative plotlines; career decisions; women's careers

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2010.531386

Affiliations: 1: Career Counsellor, Helen Cooper Associates, Colchester, UK 2: Department of Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London, UK

Publication date: 2011-02-01

More about this publication?