School authorities in many countries are facing widespread and persistent teacher shortages due in large part to high teacher attrition rates (Ingersoll et al., 2018; Sutcher et al., 2019). To address teacher shortages, some countries offer alternative pathways into the teaching profession that allow individuals without a traditional teaching degree to become teachers. This group of teachers is often referred to as alternatively certified teachers (AC teachers). Although increasing numbers of AC teachers are becoming part of the teaching force, little is known about what distinguishes them from traditionally certified teachers (TC teachers). The present study aims to address this gap in previous research. Using data from a large teacher survey conducted in Germany, we first compared AC and TC teachers’ motives for teaching using the “factors influencing teaching choice” (FIT-Choice) framework developed by Watt and Richardson (2007), a detailed, validated model explaining why individuals chose teaching as a career. Second, we investigated differences in AC and TC teachers’ occupational well-being (Aldrup et al., 2018) and their intention to stay in the profession (Watt & Richardson, 2007). The present study is one of the first comparing AC and TC teachers in their motives for teaching, occupational well-being, and intention to stay in the profession. The findings provide insights into how in-service AC teachers experience their work. The study shows that AC teachers do not possess less favourable characteristics than TC teachers. Based on our findings, we believe that AC teachers can enrich the teaching force.

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