Turnover of teachers is an issue in many countries, and Iceland is no exception (Björnsdóttir et al., 2019; Björnsdóttir & Jóhannsdóttir, 2020; Eyjólfsson & Jónsson, 2017; Federičová, 2021). The interest in examining teacher turnover primarily stems from research indicating that teacher retention is crucial for maintaining effective practices and enhancing student learning (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Ronfeldt et al., 2013; Sorensen & Ladd, 2020). According to Grissom et al. (2015) and Nguygen et al. (2020), the main concepts used in these studies are ‘stayers’, ‘movers’, ‘mobility’, and ‘stability’. Typically, turnover studies analyze personnel from one year to the next, calculating the ratio of employees retained to those who leave, thereby illustrating workforce mobility or stability over a specified timeframe.

According to the SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe), conducted across 19 European nations, teacher turnover is notably high yet exhibits significant variation between countries (Federičová, 2021). The turnover rate is higher in Northern Europe, such as Sweden and Switzerland, and lower in Southern Europe, including Greece, Portugal, and Italy. Carver-Thomas and Darling-Hammond (2019) state that teacher turnover in the United States averaged around five percent but has risen in recent years to approximately eight percent. They also highlight considerable variability in turnover rates based on geographic regions, subject areas taught, and school characteristics.

The insufficient number of teachers in compulsory schools has been an ongoing issue in Iceland for decades. Between 1998 and 2007, an average of 16.8% of teachers lacked formal teacher education. The figure decreased to 6.9% during the period from 2008 to 2017 but has since risen, reaching 18.7% in 2023 - the highest in twenty-five years. Eyjólfsson and Jónsson (2017) attribute this shortage to an insufficient number of university students graduating with teaching certificates and the high number of certified teachers opting not to work in schools. Björnsdóttir and Jóhannsdóttir (2019, 2020) conclude that past reactions to the shortage of teachers in Iceland have been primarily based on expanding distance education opportunities within teacher education programmes, which tend to attract older students compared to traditional on-campus education. Supporting this, European statistics (Hauschildt et al., 2018) reveal that the average age of university graduates in Iceland, particularly in teacher education programmes, is significantly higher than in other countries. Recently, a reorganisation of teacher education programmes was conducted to facilitate an increase of graduates. For instance, some programmes offer non-thesis master's degrees or paid entry-level internships during the final years of study (Sigurðsson et al., 2023).

Considering the above, a study was conducted to explore teacher turnover across all compulsory schools in Iceland. The research focused on several key factors: the age at which teachers entered and exited the profession, the duration of their teaching careers, the frequency of transfers between schools, and variations in these patterns based on gender, school size, and geographical area. 

The study employed a quantitative approach, utilizing data from the entire population of teachers working in compulsory schools in Iceland. The dataset, obtained from Statistics Iceland, spanned 23 years (1998–2020) and included information on 12,768 individuals who worked as teachers during this period. The data provided to researchers included each teacher’s year of birth, gender, the school where they were employed, the size of the school, and its geographical location. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the age at which teachers began and left the profession, as well as their movement between schools and geographical areas. Because the data represented the entire population rather than a sample, inferential statistics were not necessary.

The study reveals considerable stability among teachers in compulsory schools, with approximately two-thirds teaching in only one school during the 23-year period. This aligns with findings by Gray et al. (2015) in the United States. However, it is alarming that about 20% of the teachers worked for only one year during this period. While it is possible that some of these teachers may have been concluding their careers or planning to return to teaching later, the proportion is still high. The findings also indicate that many teachers begin their careers relatively late and leave the profession early, long before the expected retirement age. The turnover of teachers is particularly pronounced in small rural schools, and women – who constitute 77% of the teaching workforce – tend to remain in the profession longer than men. Research indicates that improved working conditions and high-quality teacher education can help reduce teacher turnover (Boyd et al., 2011; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Grissom et al., 2021; Ólafsson, 2019). The results suggest that improving working conditions in compulsory schools is crucial in combating the shortage of teachers, as increasing the number of graduates from teachers’ education programmes alone will not resolve the teacher shortage. Moreover, the overall structure and focus of teacher education programmes should be scrutinised through further research to better prepare future teachers for the demands of the profession.

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