Recruitment and selection practices of pre-service teachers: a case study of selected Colleges of Teacher Education in Ethiopia

This study explores the recruitment and selection practices of preservice teachers in Ethiopian Colleges of Teacher Education to understand actors’ experience and interpretation. The study employed a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected from 28 participants using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and document review involving two Colleges of Teacher Education. The findings revealed a tension between policy-driven recruitment that aimed at ensuring teacher supply, equity and linguistic alignment, and professional ideals that emphasise recruitment based on merit, motivation and long-term workforce development. Amid this tension, Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) are left with limited autonomy over recruitment and selection decisions; on the one hand, they are required to implement policy directives, while on the other hand, their professional responsibility to uphold standards of candidate quality is significantly constrained. Overall, the findings revealed that teaching has become a last-resort career option, highlighting the dominance of policy-driven recruitment and selection practices over professional ideals.