With support of data from longitudinal studies of two generations of teacher cohorts, this article aims to contribute to the discussion on teacher shortages, teacher drop-out and (re) recruitment of teachers. The following questions are highlighted: How much of their working time do individuals devote to work as a teacher, within the school system and in the education system as a whole? How do they view their future as a teacher? To what extent can we see that statements about the future career are translated into actual action? Do the generations differ in any of the aspects described above, and if so in what way?

The results of the studies show, firstly, that the horizons for action of different teacher generations do not differ significantly. The majority of teachers in both cohorts consider their future teaching career as positive. Secondly, intentions of leaving the profession do not seem to be realized to the extent that they are pronounced. Despite predictions of future dropouts, most teachers remain in the profession. Over time, we also see that those who quit the profession remain in the school world. In other words, the effectiveness of teacher education can be seen as relatively good.