Abstract

Although the teaching profession is generally regarded as being a respected, even “sacred”, career in many societies, there is no doubt that it is also highly demanding and challenging. The difficulties involved in teaching are causing a significant number of teachers worldwide to either leave, or consider leaving, the profession. Teachers resigning before reaching retirement, but after having taught for at least one year, is called ‘teacher attrition’. These high numbers of resigning teachers is having profound implications, including financial costs, human resource challenges, and disruptions to learning and instruction, making a comprehensive examination of the phenomenon essential. The aim of this study is to contribute to this examination by exploring how teachers who have left and in-service teachers perceive the reasons of teacher attrition. The study also investigates when teacher attrition occurs and leavers’ career trajectories after leaving teaching. By employing a phenomenological research design, the study considers 27 leavers and 15 in-service teachers, selected through snowball and maximum variation sampling methods. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews developed by the researchers. Content analysis revealed three primary themes within the reasons of teacher attrition: (a) pre-service education, (b) work-life experiences, and (c) career dissatisfaction and alternative opportunities. Key triggers of attrition included the quality of pre-service education, the lack of mentorship, relationships with administrators and colleagues, excessive workload, the status of the teaching profession, low salaries with insufficient compensation, and alternative job opportunities. The results also indicated that attrition is most prominent in the first three years of teaching, but gradually declines as teachers approach retirement. Furthermore, the results showed that many leavers transition to other careers, both within and outside the education sector, while others exit the workforce entirely.

Keywords: Teacher attrition, Leaving teachers, Reasons of teacher attrition, Timing of teacher attrition, Phenomenology

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How to cite

Gökten Bayrak, Ö., & Ok, A. (2025). Teacher attrition: why do teachers leave the profession?. Education and Science, 51(225), 119-153. https://doi.org/10.15390/ES.2026.2504