No. 4/2021 Mobility of novice teachers

Abstract

This paper examines the propensity for graduates from teacher education to work as a teacher in the home region after graduation. We use Norwegian administrative register data and present descriptive statistics and results from regression models. On average, those returning to a teacher position in the home region tend to have lower measured academic ability from higher education than others. Females and parents without higher education are also associated with a higher probability to work as a teacher in the home region. This propensity is not significantly associated with the localization of teacher education in the home region, but strongly related to the population of the region. The results suggest that the types of teachers often believed to be underrepresented in schools have the lowest attachment to their home region and the teacher profession.