Our research showed that those teachers who were still teaching 10, 15 or 20years into their careers had learnt what really motivated them most. They had also worked out what they still didn’t like or found challenging.
And these were all different things. So, for some teachers, it was a particular part of their topic which they really enjoyed teaching, or working at a particular level or with a particular year group. For others, it was working in a school where children were really polite, whilst others really liked the buzz they got from working with young people who were more challenging. Some of our teachers were motivated by having extra responsibility, including as a new teacher, and some liked to challenge themselves with extra courses or qualifications. Many of the teachers in our research had not started off wanting to be a teacher, but had found that there were particular parts they really enjoyed.
What matters is thinking about what it is that really matters to you, and how you might help your leaders to understand this. What are the best bits of your job?
What would you like to do more – or less- of? Understanding this will help you to know what to say yes to, as well as what kind of school or department you most want to be in.
This might also involve trying some different things and talking to others to get ideas. Would you like to lead a new initiative? Or take an extra qualification? Or work with a particular group of students or topic? Trying new things can help you to work out what you like, and what you don’t.