Abstract:

Using an open, self-report questionnaire, this paper investigated Omani teachers' motives behind quitting the teaching profession and their tendencies to shift to other professions. A sample of (320) teachers participated in the study. The teachers come from three school districts in the Sultanate of Oman. The results demonstrated that the nature of the teachers' work in the Sultanate of Oman is one of the main cause that urge teachers to quit their job. The job routine accompanied by the lack of rewards and development opportunities were found major concerns for teachers that prevented them from sensing joy and challenge and sustained their interest in their work. In addition, work pressure is considerably higher in teaching compared to other professions. Teachers need sufficient time for preparing, reviewing, assessing students' work, and attending to their other administrative tasks, which requires them to carry on working beyond the daily working hours. Views of the new generation students were also found to resemble a challenge for teachers; current students are extremely good with technology and so the traditional teaching methods are no longer suitable to meet the students' needs. This issue worries the old teachers in particular, whom technology was not part of their life. Another reason why teachers leave their job is the low status of the teaching profession in the society. Teachers are no longer viewed as descendants of profits and messengers as it has always been the case in the culture; the student-teacher relationship has become very casual and ordinary. Moreover, and based on the country law, leave and vacation system for school teachers is just the same as it is in the other professions, which is quite unjust due to the nature of the teachers' job that requires them to toil and work harder than their peers in other positions. In addition, the aspect of dealing with minds and humans in the teaching profession is not as convenient in terms of postponing and delaying work as it is in some other professions. These were all found to be major reasons contributing to teachers' unwillingness to continue to be teachers in schools in Oman

Keywords:

Teachers, motivation, Attrition, Oman.