Teacher

Motivation
…and retention

Ross Thorburn
April 2017
 Teacher motivation – the most
important issue in TEFL?
• Teachers are most important in-school factor in student
learning
• Half of all teachers quit the profession within 5 years of
joining
• Teachers get better at teaching the longer they do it
• If we could motivate and retain teachers it would improve
learning outcomes for students
me
Left because I didn’t
like the managers or
the work
 Didn’t like the managers or the work.

Took a
teaching job to
live in China
Stayed for a
second year
because I loved
teaching
Stayed for a third /
fourth year for career
opportunities /
promotion
Stayed for several
more years because I
liked the people I
worked with
Left because I
disagreed with a lot
of the company
policies

March 1st 2017

 What about you? What’s your story?
What has motivated you to make career decisions?
 “the desire to travel and live and work in
different countries and cultures is often a
strong motivating force [for teachers]”

The biggest motivators for teachers are

respect, salary, peers, interesting work,
meaningful work, self-development.

“most teachers I have talked to have no

great interest in becoming managers”
 Factors in Motivation

achievement
career advancement
company policies
growth
recognition
relationships with peers
relationships with supervisors
responsibility
salary
supervision
the work itself
Frederick Herzberg
work conditions
Motivation Factors Factors Hygiene Factors

achievement
career advancement
company policies
growth
recognition
relationships with peers
relationships with supervisors
responsibility
salary
supervision
the work itself
work conditions
 Go to www.menti.com
Use the code 15 91 79
Which factors do you think are most important in
making teachers stay / leave?
Career Opportunities

“[I have] opportunities to get

involved in different projects
apart from teaching and to
learn new skills through
these projects.”

“Once you have proven

yourself as a teacher I believe
the door opens up… and you
can be put forward for
different opportunities”
Growth, Training &
Development

“There are links with Trinity

and qualified, knowledgeable
trainers.”

“I wanted to finish my
DipTESOL and actually
apply what I learned to
students.”
Effect of training on teacher retention
88%
of teachers who
voluntarily study a
training course renew
their contracts

34%
of all teachers
renew their
contracts

58% of teachers who renew their contracts are interested in taking a paid-for accredited training course
78% of teachers who renew their contracts are interested in taking a training course
Teaching

“I've taught for 6 years and it

is a job that I love doing.”

“I enjoy the job of teaching

and love the students that I
teach”
Location ☺
“Living in China is a fun
experience”
“I enjoy the opportunity to
enhance my knowledge of
China and its people.”
Location 
“Beijing has been difficult to
live in. I am constantly
coughing and often feel sick.”
“China is very difficult to
navigate as a foreigner”
Working Conditions
Working conditions
“I didn't want to work
weekends anymore.”

“Most centers are

grindhouses with negative
management and
unforgiving workloads.”
“I didn't want to work weekends anymore.”
“I wish we could take unpaid
leave for attending training
“[I have] unsocial working hours”
sessions instead of using our
annual leave.” “I wish we could take unpaid leave for
attending training sessions instead of using
our annual leave.”
“Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million
but I was just as happy when I had $48 million”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Relatively well-paid samples of individuals are only

trivially more satisfied than relatively poorly paid samples”
- Judge, Piccolo, Podsakoff, Shaw & Rich (2010, p. 162).
Teachers expect career advancement, growth, training and
development.

Expatriate teachers need help adjusting to a new environment.

Free-time is important to teachers.

Salary is less important than you think.

How does this affect you?
What are the implications?
Help teachers adapt to a new environment
Draw the career ladder
Be flexible with holidays
Offer lots and lots of training and development
More information

or go to
www.tefltraininginstitute.com/reserach
 Teacher
Motivation
…and retention

Ross Thorburn
April 2017