To be or not to be a teacher of Basic Education in Brazil? The role of expected salary and other factors in the occupational choice of students in teacher training programs

In developed and in developing countries, there are frequent shortages of teachers – both in a quantitative perspective (shortage in certain subjects or locations) and in a qualitative one (not every teacher has the means to perform his or her tasks adequately). What are the main factors attracting or repelling potential teachers in Brazil? What role is carried out by short and medium term salary expectations? What is the profile of those who want to become a teacher? This paper contributes to the literature by providing elements of response to these questions through the estimation of occupational choice models. Data were collected in a survey with a representative sample of undergraduate students from various fields leading to the teacher profession. Results show that the future teacher has a disadvantaged socioeconomic profile, is risk-averse and generally is not among the best students. Women and those who live in the countryside are more prone to become a teacher at least in some of the estimated models, and the same is true for those who are enrolled in a private institution and those who do not study natural sciences. For some subsamples, having attended teacher training courses at the secondary school and taking part in activities at the university (such as teaching assistance) might mitigate the desire to give up the profession. Even controlling for well-known major determinants, including proxies for vocation, wage expectations in the short and medium term prove to be significant.