‘A teacher’s work is many things, but one thing it is not is easy’: pre-service teachers’ conceptions of teachers’ work

To prepare for their future profession, pre-service teachers need to develop an understanding of the realities of teachers' work during initial teacher education. In this study, we examined narratives written by 22 pre-service subject teachers to identify their conceptions of teachers' work today. The narratives highlighted key conceptions, including the multifaceted nature of teachers' work requiring a multiskilled professional, the responsibility for students' socialisation and wellbeing, and the demanding and burdensome yet rewarding aspects of teachers' work. The findings suggest that pre-service subject teachers hold sophisticated conceptions that align with in-service teachers' portrayals of the current nature of teachers' work, extending beyond narrow views that confine teachers' work to their respective subject domains. In the face of global challenges in the teaching profession, this study concludes that conceptions of teachers' work importantly contribute to the extensive array of conceptions and deserve a place in both teacher education research and practices.