Four reasons for becoming a teacher educator: A large-scale study on teacher educators’ motives and well-being

We developed a new survey instrument to investigate teacher educators’ motives for entering the profession and examined the associations between motives and job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion in both teachers and teacher educators. Using data from 145 teacher educators instructing in-service teachers, we identified four motives: career aspirations, social contribution, escaping routines, and coincidence. While escaping routines represents a ‘push’ factor associated with emotional exhaustion in teachers, career aspirations represent a ‘pull’ factor associated with job satisfaction in teacher educators. The instrument can be used as a self-assessment tool for the recruitment of teacher educators. •One of the first quantitative studies on teacher educators’ motives.•Valid and empirically reliable measurement of teacher educators’ motives.•Motives are career aspirations, social contribution, escaping routines, coincidence.•Career aspirations is the most important motive for becoming a teacher educator.