An exploration of the potential of the hidden reserve to return

Policies often focus on increasing teacher intake by promoting, for example, the lateral entry route and the pabo in order to reduce the teacher shortage. However, an underexplored possibility to increase the influx is to bring back the teachers who have already left, also called “the hidden reserve”. These former teachers already have experience and credentials that could be expected to make the process of intake both faster and easier than for new teachers. In addition, we know from the large outflow from the profession and several reports that this group is substantial. However, the big question is whether this group can be brought back into the classroom. Therefore, this project investigates how many former teachers return to the teaching profession and what factors (including personal characteristics, financial situation, qualifications) this return depends on. Based on these results, more insight can be gained into which groups within the hidden reserve have the most potential to return.

In order to answer these questions, CBS microdata will be used, containing information on the Dutch population with respect to personal characteristics, education and employment (status), among others. First, using this data, the characteristics of the hidden reserve will be identified. For example, we will look at what these former teachers are doing now: are they unemployed, incapacitated, have they changed their studies or found another job? Then we will look at how many teachers actually return and what teacher characteristics determine this. All analyses will be conducted for both primary and secondary education.

Currently, this is an ongoing study. Reports will both be written for the hidden reserve of the Netherlands and for the hidden reserve of Greater Amsterdam specifically. These will be published around March 2024.

Do you have questions about this research or would you like to contribute? Then send an email to p.k.de.vries@vu.nl