The Modern Language Journal / Retention and attrition in early-career foreign language teachers in Austria and the United Kingdom

The issue of early-career teacher attrition is a pressing concern across a variety of educational settings. Re- search in predominantly anglophone contexts has shown that rates of foreign language teachers leaving the profession are particularly high. Noting the important role that well-being plays in fostering teacher retention, this study examines factors affecting the well-being of early-career foreign language teach- ers in the United Kingdom and Austria, and the subsequent possible consequences for their decision to leave or remain in the profession, drawing a comparison across the 2 settings. In-depth, semistruc- tured interviews were conducted with 14 early-career foreign language teachers at secondary schools in Austria (n = 6) and the United Kingdom (n = 8). Inductive data analysis revealed an interplay among intrapersonal, societal, and contextual factors in relation to well-being, which might contribute to shap- ing participants’ decision to remain or leave the profession across the 2 settings. These factors include perfectionism, self-efficacy, work–life spillover, self-regulation, relationships within the school, and for- eign language teacher status. Our findings suggest the need for systematic approaches toward improving teacher well-being, not only for surviving in the profession but also for flourishing and thriving in the long term. Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29 Version of record