Teacher placement, mobility, and occupational choices after teaching

Teachers’ initial placement has important implications for student achievement and the distribution of teachers among schools. This paper combines data from a US Baccalaureate and Beyond longitudinal study with school and school district information from the Common Core of Data to study the effects of initial school placement on teacher mobility. Multinomial logit hazard analysis shows that higher salaries may help retain teachers in the field and improved working conditions may help reduce teacher mobility within the profession. Teachers who change careers do not necessarily earn higher salaries; the occupation choice affects earnings in the new job.