Teachers entering the profession from other fields often less satisfied

There is a shortage of teachers not only in Germany, but in many countries around the world. For this reason, people without formal teaching degrees are often brought in from other fields to teach in schools. Yet according to a new study, they are often less satisfied in their new jobs than their colleagues who trained to become teachers. "This can become a problem because job satisfaction can be related not only to personal well-being, but also negatively to the quality of teaching," says the study's lead author, Tim Fütterer of the Hector Research Institute of Education at the University of Tübingen. The results have been published in Teaching and Teacher Education . Teachers' dissatisfaction with their work can be associated with lower teaching quality and can ultimately have a negative impact on the students- learning. "In addition, satisfied teachers stay in the job longer," Fütterer said, adding that this is an important goal given the ever-worsening staffing shortages in schools.