Understanding the Career Transitions of Teachers and Leaders in Australian Schools – Providing the Evidence Base to Sustain the Profession

Teacher retention and viable leadership pipelines are significant challenges facing schools and systems worldwide. This mixed-methods study investigated the nuances and personal narratives of teachers’ career trajectories as they transition into leadership roles. Sequence analysis with optimal matching analysis was used to cluster career patterns based on 800 survey responses from Australian teachers. Reflexive thematic analysis was then used to describe leadership pathways based on 37 interviews with teachers across the clusters. We argue that the application of these findings is essential to inform policy and practice and support systems and schools to find ways to address this urgent problem.