Mobility of novice teachers

Abstract

Teacher recruitment is a persistent challenge, particularly in small and rural communities. This paper examines the probability that newly qualified teachers enter a teaching position in their home region and a range of individual and regional factors. Using rich longitudinal data from Norwegian administrative registers, we find that several individual and local characteristics matter for the mobility of novice teachers. On average, entering teaching positions in the home region is most common for females, individuals with low-educated parents, and individuals with relatively low grade point averages from their academic studies. Moreover, the probability of entering a teaching position in the home region is positively associated with the region’s population, but independent of whether a teacher education institution is located in the home region. Overall, the results suggest that the types of teachers that are underrepresented in schools have the lowest attachment to the teaching profession and their home region.