Career paths of education graduates and the implications thereof for higher education

The aim of this study is to gain clarity on the career paths of Education graduates. Questionnaires were issued to a sample of graduates of the Faculty of Education at the Rand Afrikaans University. A high attrition rate from the teaching profession was found. A meaningful number of those who leave the teaching profession find themselves in situations where their expertise is underutilized or unutilized. A disturbing phenomenon is the number of graduates that are still practising as teachers, but who are experiencing the profession negatively ± staying on in the profession for the sole reason that they are unable to find alternative employment. The implications of these findings for higher education are spelled out, and recommendations for follow-up research are made.