Although several studies have confirmed the importance of teaching commitment for (beginning) teachers’ retention in the profession, research on the factors that enhance pres-ervice teacher education graduates’ teaching commitment is scarce. The present research adds to the knowledge on teacher retention by investigating it from another angle, that which delineates the attributes of teacher education graduates with low (LTC) versus high levels of teaching commitment (HTC). Results of a first study (see Rots, 2007) – based on discriminant analysis – indicated that graduates with HTC were more likely to look back more positively at their teacher education programme in terms of faculty support, mentor support, and preparation for teaching. In a second study, the identified differences among LTC and HTC graduates will be related to contextual, experiential, and biographical factors that might influence the professional characteristics of these newly qualified teachers. Therefore, this second study focuses on student teachers’ subjective perception and experience of teacher education in terms of their changing teaching commitment. Interpretative data analysis will provide contextualized accounts of student teachers’ (critical) experiences in teacher education and how these have influenced their self-understanding as a teacher, their teaching commitment and ultimately their intention to (not) enter the teaching profession.