"There was no real quality of life over there without family": the case of South African return-migrant teachers and the status of their return.

Abstract

The overall purpose of this qualitative study was to determine the demographic and professional profile of South African return-migrant teachers, explore the reasons for their return and examine the status of their return. It also examined their migratory experiences pre and post-return which held importance in their decision on whether or not to engage in remigration in the future. Thirty return-migrant teachers (teachers from both primary and secondary schools) of different teaching specialisations across South Africa participated in the study. A combination of research tools were used to draw thick data, such as questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. A major trend found in the study was that the majority of the South African return-migrant teachers returned to the teaching profession upon their re-entrance. The study also found that personal reasons for return, mainly related to family, outweighed professional reasons such as better working conditions. However, South Africa is at risk of losing the same teachers again, who emigrated previously and who have now returned. Majority of the South African return-migrant teachers indicated that remigration was still a possibility. Poor infrastructure, unsafe public transportation, alarmingly high crime stats and political instability in South Africa were some of the driving forces behind their intention to re-migrate.