ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the issue of teacher shortages and the reasons why people choose, or do not choose, teaching. Perceptions of teaching as a career choice are also explored. Although there has been much research conducted on this topic, there is considerable inconsistency in the quality of the research. Unlike other reviews, this one considers the weight of the evidence of each study. Only the strongest work is discussed. As literature indicates that teachers of different nationalities may be influenced towards or away from teaching for different reasons and perceptions may differ, the results are compared by region and whether an individual has made the decision to teach yet, or not.
