Professional trajectory of a teacher: skill competitions, mobility, polyvariability practices

Abstract

The attention of modern researchers of educational and professional trajectories is drawn towards increasing professional mobility, protean career, and career track flexibility. The participants of pedagogical mastery competitions are mostly young and active teachers who strive to move in the profession. Therefore, the concept of teacher's professional trajectory as a set of various professional statuses and roles becomes relevant. The teacher can be in different roles simultaneously or consequently. The study reveals groups of factors that influence the movement of a teacher within the profession. Most often teachers name the following factors: salary, personal desire and aspiration, availability of free time, self-education and self-development, work experience. Pedagogical mastery competitions have a certain place among the institutional factors influencing the change in teacher's career trajectory. At the same time, for younger teachers, they are among the top five reasons that can affect the career track. Also, during the study, it was found that the trend towards professional mobility is very relevant to the finalists of federal competitions, but not for randomly selected teachers from three regions of the Russian Federation. Two-thirds of the teachers surveyed in three regions state that they have not changed their professional track over the past five years. However, only a tenth of the competitors give a similar answer. In addition, the teachers who have patisipated taken part in competitions are much more likely to agree that competitions can influence the professional trajectory. For them, this is primarily an opportunity for personal and professional growth, new experience and professional development, an opportunity to reconsider values and change priorities. The competitors also indicate that competition is the opportunity to be heard and an application for recognition. All this, according to the finalists of federal competitions, has an impact on changing the teacher's professional trajectory.