How do pre-service and qualified teachers define ‘teacher wellbeing’?

There is a lack of conceptual consensus around how teacher wellbeing is defined. In addition, there is a need for qualitative research exploring the lived experience of teachers around how they themselves define teacher wellbeing. Qualified (n = 10) and pre-service (n = 12) teachers were interviewed. They were asked how they define teacher wellbeing and what it means to them. Three themes were identified: boundaries, support, and sense of purpose. There were no substantial differences found between how qualified and pre-service teachers conceptualised teacher wellbeing. This finding suggests that, whilst teachers at different career stages may experience wellbeing differently, they may draw on similar conceptual frameworks to articulate their definitions of the concept.