Second career teachers shifting from high-tech and IDF emeriti to teaching mathematics and their perceptions of their new career

Increasing number of individuals are entering the field of mathematics education as second career teachers (SCTs). Coming from successful careers in industry, accounting and in the IDF, the SCTs bring with them a range of experiences that makes their teaching qualitatively different from their first career peers. This chap ter presents a survey conducted among ten second-career mathematics teachers, all are successfully teaching mathematics in secondary schools. Here we present the main perceptions and themes that came up during the interviews: (1) Inner drive for meaningful action; (2) the gap between the naive initial vision and actual job scope; (3) the unique contribution they bring to school; and (4) common perceptions regarding classroom management.