Stay because I need to? Permanency and entrenchment in teacher careers within public education

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze how the permanence of teachers within public education is affected by entrenchment, according to the three dimensions of Carson, Carson, and Bedeian (1995). We describe the trajectory of teachers through their occupational embeddedness; investigate how the investments in the career made by the teacher help him or her to remain in the career; identify emotional aspects that may be related to career permanence; and analyze the possible alternatives of permanence in the teaching career. This research is characterized as qualitative and descriptive, conducted through semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers from basic education in the State of Ceará, Brazil. The results indicate that occupational embeddedness mainly stemmed from familiarity with the chosen discipline and the sense of vocation with the teaching work; the most significant investment that keeps individuals in the teaching profession is the security of holding a public office; the positive emotional aspect that stood out the most was the possibility of transforming the lives of the students, irrespective of negative situations experienced in the classroom. Finally, it was possible to conclude that teachers perceive several career alternatives within teaching and that, if they stopped teaching, it related to financial issues or educational reforms coming from political decisions.