There are long-term and severe teacher shortages in England, particularly in the sciences. Current research in this area typically examines the teaching motivations of those already pursuing the profession. The existing literature thus provides insights into why some people teach but fails to tell us why others choose not to teach, or why those who identify as women and White British are most likely to teach. This thesis provides original contributions to understanding teacher shortages by studying the teaching trajectories of young people over a period of 11 years. This qualitatively led study draws upon primary data as well as secondary data from ASPIRES; a national research project tracking young people’s career aspirations from age 10/11 to 21/22. The empirical data analysed are:
1) 60,000+ survey responses from young people at six different ages, and
2) 146 interviews with 13 young people (and 17 of their parents) who had expressed an interest in teaching—five of whom specialised in science—and were longitudinally tracked through education and into the world of work.

This study found that young people surveyed at six ages between 10/11 and 21/22 reported being more open to teaching than is reflected in teacher recruitment data. Applying an ‘identities in practice’ theoretical framework (Holland et al., 1998), the reasons why some participants became teachers, whilst others did not, were found to be influenced by the ‘status’ of teaching (perceptions of whether teachers are professionals who use their gifts to benefit others), and the ‘safety’ of teaching (perceptions of whether teaching is a secure, accessible profession which enables a good lifestyle). How the ‘status’ and ‘safety’ of teaching influenced participants’ teaching trajectories was strongly influenced by their intersectional identities as well as the social and cultural norms surrounding teaching. This thesis ends with recommendations for improving teacher recruitment.