This research examined men, in contrast to women, who decided to retrain as teachers for a second career. The research goals were to examine the motives provided by these men for their choice and to analyze their perceptions regarding family, career, gender-roles and the teaching profession.

The research employed a mixed-methods research design and was conducted in a large, centrally-located teacher-college in Israel. As part of the qualitative research, open-ended interviews, seeking participants' life-stories, were conducted with 14 men studying to become teachers. As part of the quantitative research, a self-report questionnaire was filled-in by 30 men and 21women retraining as teachers.

Findings indicated that the primary motives for both groups in choosing a teaching career were internal.

Men, as opposed to women, received higher levels of appreciation from their immediate social circle regarding their choice. Their decision was perceived as more courageous, different and challenging of societal norms.

Both the men and the women considered the teaching profession to be appropriate for men, and expressed innovative attitudes regarding family, gender-roles, career and teaching. The innovative aspect was expressed in the priority they gave to the choice of a profession that enabled them to fulfil their familial and parental roles over a profession that was prestigious and high-paying. The findings indicated that these men perceived themselves as having 'feminine' qualities such as sensitivity, compassion, empathy and gentleness. Men were more open to experiencing a variety of roles that are free of a gender-label.

Publicizing the phenomenon of men choosing teaching as a second career may encourage more men to seek employment in other helping-professions and in doing so to improve their public image. This may signal a conceptual change that could paint women's professions in new colors and breach the existing binary nature of perceptions about men and women's professions.

Choosing a second career in one's life is no longer considered nowadays as a rare act. This change, which often requires new and additional training as well as further academic studies, has become a known and growing phenomenon (Sullivan, 1999). This research examined men, in contrast to women, who had decided to retrain as teachers for a second career.

The goals of the research were to examine and analyze, in the context of teacher education, the reasons and motives provided by men for pursuing the teaching profession as a second career. The research aimed at analyzing the perceptions and conceptions of these men re-training as teachers regarding family, career, gender roles and the teaching profession.

The research employed a mixed-methods research design and was conducted in a large centrally-located teacher-college in Israel.

The qualitative research took place in 2003-2004 and included 14 men with university degrees, selected from the retraining student population studying at the time at the teacher-college in various school-subjects. Open-ended interviews were conducted, during which the interviewees told their life stories in detail (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), described turning points and significant people who had influenced them to retrain for teaching and explained how they perceived the change and their new role. Their narratives were analyzed using 'axil coding' (Strauss & Corbin, 1990).

The quantitative research was conducted in 2005-2006 and included 30 men studying in the retraining program. A group of 21 women served as a control group. The mean age of the men (37.7) was significantly higher than that of the women (32.2). 59% of the participants were married with a mean of 1.96 children.

The research instrument consisted of a six-part self-report questionnaire. The first four parts (1-5 Likert scale) explored the following dimensions: agents of influence (7 items); motives for choosing teaching (50 items); conceptions about career and gender-roles (19 items); teaching as a masculine career (11 items). The fifth part, a BSRI (Bem Sex Role Inventory) questionnaire (1-7 Likert scale) (Bem, 1981), examined participants' perceptions of masculinity and femininity (21 items). The last part was a background questionnaire and comprised a personal, educational and employment profile. About 20 items of this questionnaire were based on the qualitative research.

The findings indicated that the primary motives for both men and women in choosing a teaching career were internal (DeCorse & Vogtle, 1997; Montecino & Nielse, 1997) and were prompted by a desire to make a contribution to individuals and society as well as the need to develop intellectually in an environment that encourages innovation, creativity and initiative. A significant difference was found between men (M=2.58) and women (M=1.75) in the level of appreciation and esteem which they receive from their immediate social circle with men receiving higher levels of appreciation as their decision is perceived as more courageous, different and challenging of societal norms. Both the men and the women in the study considered the teaching profession to be appropriate for men (M=3.78).

Both men and women expressed attitudes of innovation regarding their new career (men, 3.8; women, 3.86) and their families (men, 4.42; women, 4.46). The innovative aspect is expressed in the priority they gave to the choice of a profession that enabled them to fulfill their familial and parental roles over a profession that was prestigious and high-paying. Findings also showed that both men and women did not attach any importance to which one of the couple was the primary bread winner as long as their career provided satisfaction, pleasure and the maximal utilization of personal abilities.

An additional expression of these findings can be discerned in the detailed life stories of the men that emphasized their wives' major role in initiating, encouraging and supporting their decision to become teachers in spite of the financial sacrifice involved.

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The male participants in this study can further be described as possessing an innovative outlook regarding sex roles. The findings indicated that these men perceived themselves as having 'feminine' qualities such as sensitivity, compassion, empathy and gentleness (M=5.12) to a degree similar to that which women perceive themselves to have (M=5.45). In addition, more men (31%) than women (20%) perceived themselves as having 'androgynous' roles. In this respect, it was found that men were more open than women to experiencing a variety of roles that are free of a gender label.

This research bears significance for both teacher-training and the teaching profession in general. Its publication may encourage additional men to choose teaching as a second career and in doing so, strengthen the educational system, which is now primarily female. This direction is in line with continuous efforts to increase the number of men in the educational system as recommended also by the Holmes Group (1995), which sought ways to improve the quality of teachers and recommended greater diversity regarding age, sex, ethnic origin and life experience. Therefore, publicizing the phenomenon of men courageously choosing teaching may encourage more men to seek employment in other helping professions and in doing so to improve their public image. Moreover, this phenomenon may signal a conceptual change that could paint women's professions in new colors and breach the existing binary nature of perceptions about men and women's professions.

Bem, S.L. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing source. Psychological Review, 88, 354.

Cladinin, D.J. Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitayive Research, San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

DeCorse, C.J. & Vogtle, S. P. (1997). In the complexs voice: The contradiction of male elementary teachers' career choice and professional identity, Journal of Teacher Education, 48 (1):37-47.

Holmes Group (1995). Tomorrow's Schools of Education. East Lansing, MI: Holmes Group.

Montecinos, C. & Nielse, L. E. (1997). Gender and cohort differences in university students' decisions to become elementary teacher education majors. Journal of Teacher Education. 48 (1): 47-54.

Strauss, A. & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of Qualitative Research, Sage, Newbury.

Sullivan, S.E. (1999). The changing nature of careers: A review and research agenda, Journal of Management, 25 (3): 457-484.