Pathways into the profession of older adult educator in the non-formal education sector

This article addresses the underexplored issue of professional trajectories among educators of older adults within Poland’s non-formal education sector. Based on a qualitative analysis of 17 in-depth interviews, three distinct entry models into the profession were identified: adaptive, pragmatic, and mission-driven. The trajectories of the educators proved to be diverse, non-linear, and often shaped by external factors, chance events, or personal experiences, rather than long-term career planning. The study also highlights the absence of formal qualifications, fragmented institutional support, irregular employment conditions, and ambivalences regarding professional identity. It expands the existing knowledge about this group and points to the need for establishing frameworks of support, training systems, and formal recognition of this profession within educational policy, particularly in the context of an aging society.