Bakc To School

Moroch now works as a 5th grade teacher at Esek Hopkins Middle School in Providence, R.I. But it wasn't easy to get the job: In fact, it took him five years to track down a full-time teaching position, largely due to increased competition for jobs in the area. In the end, Moroch had to work as a substitute teacher all of last year, at $55 a day, with no guarantee of a permanent place on the payroll. "I made a lot of sacrifices that year, just to get back in,'' says Moroch, "but it was a chance I was willing to take.''

Today, a significant number of former teachers like Moroch are returning to the profession. "Returning teachers are a very live phenomenon right now,'' explains C. Emily Feistritzer, director of the National Center for Education Statistics. In fact, Feistritzer's research shows that 55 percent of all new hires in public schools are "re-entrants.'' This figure doesn't count teachers who are out for sabbaticals or short-term maternity leaves; it only includes teachers who left the profession for a number of years. Most of these returnees say they left teaching to raise children, to try another career, or to continue their education, Feistritzer says.

Many of the teachers who have left the profession and recently returned tell stories similar to Moroch's: Getting out was easy, they say, but getting back into teaching was tough. Of course, experienced teachers can and do find work. But they may face...