Unveiling the Profound Realities: Exploring the Lived Experience of Educators Departing the Teaching Profession

This study focused on the stories of teachers leaving the teaching profession. Thus, the nature of this study calls for a qualitative type of research using phenomenological methodology. Hence, this study was conducted at the Municipality of Candoni, Negros Occidental. The researcher used purposive sampling to identify the actual participants who were the source of data to answer the objectives of the study. On the basis of the findings of the study, the following were drawn. First, this study tried to answer questions what are the reason behind leaving teaching profession. The result confirmed that although the preference of becoming a teacher is based on personal interest or dream job could not satisfy the individual desire to stay if she/he could not step the ground of teaching. Simultaneously, participants choose teacher as their alternative choice. Therefore, teachers’ commitment also influences their performance and satisfaction in the teaching profession and there is still a need to investigate the attractiveness that drives people to join the teaching profession. Relationship with students and other stakeholders were also very important for all the participant. In fact, relationship with students and administrator is positive which teaching in the first place give them joy and excitement. However, as time passes by they experience major incidence that pushes them to depart from their dream job that become a nightmare. Every day they are suffering from different challenges placed on them as public school teachers in terms of planning, preparing, crafting and discussing lesson which consumed much of their time but the salaries they’re receiving cannot compensate the hardship they experienced. According to the participants, their reason of leaving the teaching profession are workload or pressure of the work, low salary and personal circumstances across all facets of this study is the finding that insufficient salary, pressure of workload and personal circumstances are the top reason that teachers leave the profession.