Who Considers Teaching and Who Teaches?

Who Considers Teaching and Who Teaches? First-Time 2007–08 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients by Teaching Status 1 Year After Graduation, examines the teaching status of 2007-08 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients one year after graduation. Among these recent graduates, the analysis compares four groups with respect to their teaching experiences or interest in teaching: those who taught either before or after receiving their bachelor’s degree, those who prepared to teach but had not taught, those who considered teaching, and those who did not consider teaching.

The study is based on data from the 2009 Baccalaureate and Beyond longitudinal study (B&B:09) of bachelor’s degree recipients conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Key findings:

• College graduates who considered teaching were more often male than students who taught before or after earning their bachelor’s degree or who prepared to teach. The representation of Black and Hispanic graduates was higher among those who considered teaching than among those who taught before or after earning their bachelor’s degrees.

• STEM majors account for a higher proportion of those who considered teaching than those who prepared to teach or taught before or after earning their bachelor’s degree. The highest proportion of STEM majors, however, was found among graduates who did not consider teaching.

• Regardless of when they taught, college graduates who taught before or after earning their bachelor’s degree earned higher median annual incomes in 2009 than those who were not teaching but considered or prepared for teaching. No measurable difference was found between the median incomes of those who taught and did not consider teaching.

• Also regardless of when they taught, college graduates who taught before or after earning their bachelor’s degree reported higher overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with compensation than those who prepared for or considered teaching but had not taught. Those who taught also reported higher overall job satisfaction than graduates who did not consider teaching.