Outclassed?: Undergraduates’ Perceptions of the Competition for Primary Teaching Jobs in England and Wales

Andrew Morrison

Sociological Research Online, 2013, vol. 18, issue 3, 63-73

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a mixed-methods investigation into undergraduates’ perceptions of the competition for Newly Qualified Teacher positions within the primary sector in England and Wales. The study sample was a cohort of final-year Education Studies undergraduates at a post-1992 university in Wales. All of the participants aimed to become primary school teachers. The study's rationale lies in evidence that teaching is becoming more competitive while offering less security. The study revealed that the students had a realistic view of the labour market for NQT positions, showing awareness of the increasing demands placed upon the cultural, social and material resources of potential entrants. Although this knowledge did not deter the students, it is concluded that developments within teaching may ultimately deter working-class students. This has worrying implications for the composition of the teaching profession and, in turn, for wider issues of social justice within education.

Keywords: Class; Gender; Teaching; Employability; Higher Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socres:v:18:y:2013:i:3:p:63-73

DOI: 10.5153/sro.3056

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