Peter R Whipp PhD

Attracting and retaining high-quality teachers in rural and remote locations is an ongoing issue. Extended pre-service teacher internship is one approach used to expose pre-service teachers to rural and remote career opportunities. We examine the lived experiences of Daisy, a teaching internship participant who relocated to a large regional town to undertake an extended final-year teaching internship. The research reported here, examines early career outcomes and career trajectories of participants in a 12-month final-year, pre-service teaching internship. We frame our mixed methods research project by aligning responses from 127 survey results and 8 interviews to Communities of Practice and the Early Career Teachers Resilience Framework. Using key theoretical concepts of Communities of Practice to analyse the data, we capture insight of the internship through Daisy’s voice which exemplifies the challenges and rewards of working in regional contexts. The support and structure of the program scaffolded Daisy during her internship period, and as she transitioned into her early career phase. Daisy emphasised understanding of place and context and articulated significant events and relationships that develop within the internship program. Her recollection of the impact of the internship aligned strongly with the Early Career Teachers Resilience Framework. Key outcomes from the research on internships, including Daisy’s case are identified as (a) strengthening preparation for teaching, (b) connecting pre-service teachers with teaching communities, (c) consolidating the purpose and meaning of teaching, and (d) underpinning teacher professional identity work. Further recommendations for research, include a wider study of internship programs across Australia and an exploration of the conceptual framework with a broader demographic.