Motivation to become a teacher of a foreign language

This study explored the reasons which influenced student teachers' decision to become a teacher of a foreign language. A sample of 83 student teachers of English in Morocco and a sample of 69 student teachers of French in the UK completed a questionnaire which asked them to rate the importance of 22 reasons in influencing this decision. Overall, the four reasons which received the highest ratings for importance were: ‘I enjoy the subject I will teach’, ‘I want to help children succeed’, ‘The language (English or French) is important to me’ and ‘I like the activity of classroom teaching’. In addition, however, a number of interesting differences also emerged between the two groups, which may reflect differences in the culture, values and circumstances that surround the work of teachers of a foreign language in these two countries.