A second career in teaching

Recruitment difficulties, changing career patterns and growing classroom diversity have prompted many OECD education systems to look beyond traditional initial teacher education to recruit experienced professionals from other fields. This working paper synthesises what is known about these second-career teachers (SCTs). It is structured around six questions: who they are, where they work, how they are prepared and supported, how they integrate into schools, what they contribute, and how they can be retained. Drawing on the international research literature, recent OECD data – including original analysis using a broader definition of SCT than the published TALIS measure – and policy examples from OECD systems, the paper identifies key aspects to support effective preparation, sets out the conditions that shape SCTs' integration and retention, and considers what governments, schools and researchers might do to support this growing share of the teacher workforce.