“Once hired, seldom gone”: The deliberation process of beginning teachers in Taiwan in deciding to stay in teaching

• Published in: Teaching and teacher education Vol. 37; pp. 108 - 118
• Main Authors: Wang, Hsiou-Huai, Fwu, Bih-Jen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Attrition; Beginning teachers; Coping strategies; Extrinsic factors; Intrinsic factors; Retention; Taiwan; Teachers; Teaching; Beginning teachers; Intrinsic factors; Retention; Extrinsic factors; Taiwan
• ISSN: 0742-051X; 1879-2480
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tate.2013.10.004

High attrition of beginning teachers is a long-standing issue for many countries. While in some countries, beginning teachers tend to be “hired today, gone tomorrow,” in societies such as Taiwan, they are more inclined to stay. This study investigated how beginning teachers in Taiwan deliberate on the pros and cons of teaching in making such a decision. The results showed that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors count for their retention. In the deliberation process, facilitative and discouraging factors are both taken into account and coping strategies are developed. Implications of these findings are further discussed within a broader international perspective. •Exploring how Taiwanese beginning teachers deliberate on the pros and cons of teaching in making the decision to stay.•Both intrinsic and extrinsic factors matter in contributing the “once hired, seldom gone” phenomenon.•Perceptions of the competitive entry into teaching serve as a buffer to prevent them from leaving.•Implications for mitigating the “hired today, gone tomorrow” trend include: raise teacher salary, build a centralized system with flexibility and raise the prestige of teaching.