Abstract:

Teacher shortages have become a major concern across many education systems, raising important questions about the factors that influence the attractiveness and sustainability of the teaching profession. While policy discussions often focus on salaries and recruitment measures, increasing attention is being paid to teachers’ working conditions and their role in shaping professional satisfaction, motivation, and retention. A deeper understanding of these factors is essential for developing education policies that can support a stable and committed teaching workforce.

This study explores the relationship between teachers’ working conditions and job satisfaction through a qualitative case study of lower secondary education in Latvia. The research draws on the Latvian data and framework of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), with particular attention to how teachers experience workload, administrative demands, school leadership, classroom climate, and professional support. The focus of the study is lower secondary education, which is the educational level covered by TALIS, and the analysis is informed by responses from Latvian teachers and school leaders who participated in the survey.

Rather than aiming to test causal relationships statistically, the study uses TALIS as a source for an in-depth interpretive analysis of the professional conditions that shape teachers’ everyday experiences in schools. The methodology combines qualitative document-based analysis of TALIS indicators with a case study approach in order to identify the most significant patterns affecting teachers’ professional well-being and perceptions of the attractiveness of the profession. Special attention is given to administrative workload, professional autonomy, opportunities for professional development, and the role of school leadership in creating supportive working environments.

The findings suggest that teacher job satisfaction is strongly influenced by non-financial and organizational dimensions of school life. In the Latvian case, high administrative burden, limited autonomy, and insufficient professional support emerge as key factors that weaken the attractiveness of the teaching profession. At the same time, supportive leadership, constructive school climate, and meaningful professional development opportunities appear to strengthen teachers’ motivation and professional commitment. These results indicate that education policy responses to teacher shortages should extend beyond financial incentives and address the broader institutional conditions in which teachers work.

The study contributes to current discussions on teacher shortages by presenting Latvia as a case that illustrates how international survey data can be used not only for statistical comparison but also for qualitative policy-oriented interpretation. The findings are relevant for policymakers and researchers seeking to understand how working conditions shape teacher retention and the long-term sustainability of the profession.

Keywords:

Teacher shortages, working conditions, teacher job satisfaction, teacher retention, education policy, TALIS, Latvia, case study.