Recruiting foreign language teachers: An international comparison of career choice influences

In response to the critical shortage of foreign language teachers internationally, school districts around the world are employing a variety of recruitment strategies, including conducting international searches. While these strategies may help to fill foreign language teacher vacancies, they lack a strong research base, as little is known about what motivates someone to pursue a career as a foreign language teacher, and how these motivational influences vary across nations. To address this void in the research, and to guide and inform recruitment initiatives, the researchers used a mixed methodology to investigate and compare the motivational influences and perceptions that drew pre-service foreign language teachers in the United States, Germany, and China to the profession. The findings contribute to an emerging consensus with respect to motivational influences for all teachers, while also pointing out unique motivational draws associated with foreign language teaching. School administrators, teacher recruiters, and foreign language stakeholders should consider these motivational influences when determining where to focus their recruitment effort, time, and funds