Within the UK there are grave concerns about retention and attrition rates within the teaching profession, particularly in challenging schools. These are compounded by worries about the gap that will be left as long-serving teachers reach retirement age. This article is about the working lives of long-serving teachers in three high-poverty urban…

Individuals moving from job to job are argued as a feature of reflexive modernity. This trend is reflected in the increasing number and diversity of "career changers" or "second career teachers" recruited to teaching. Having recruited teachers, retaining them in the profession is recognised as a considerable challenge. In terms…