Discovering old values: a professional trajectory story of a mid-career English teacher

The career of English teachers has attracted significant attention from scholars worldwide. With the introduction of the life course approach, a new stream of research on teacher career trajectories has emerged to explore their complexity and the forces that shape them. This study, following this approach, aimed to investigate how a university English teacher shaped her mid-career trajectory. Using narrative inquiry, life story interviews, and narrative frames, the study revealed three main themes: the tension between teacher agency and the school environment; the rejection of management and the pursuit of enjoyment; and the search for professional belonging and a future career self-concept. These themes depicted her mid-career trajectory, transitioning from a manager role at a university language center to part-time teaching, and finally to full-time teaching at different higher education institutions. The interaction between her teacher agency and contextual factors heavily influenced this trajectory. The findings emphasize the importance of support from policymakers, schools, and teacher educators to help teachers explore various career pathways and sustain their presence in the profession.