Abstract
Immigrant teachers have long been recruited through skilled and employer-sponsored migration schemes to address teacher shortages in Australia, yet their career trajectories remain constrained by systemic inequities that limit their integration and professional development opportunities. Using a Longitudinal Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (LIPA), this study examines immigrant teachers’ lived experiences of career progression within the Australian education system through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Data were collected from the three rounds of semi-structured interviews with a group of eight immigrant teachers in New South Wales, Australia across two academic years. This study found that immigrant teachers’ career development unfolds through recurring cycles of disillusionment, adaptation and cautious re-engagement, shaped by the interplay of schools’ relational dynamics, institutional and structural constraints and life-domain resources. Rather than having systemic support, their career progression of immigrant teachers often hinges on uneven access to supportive school environments, individual effort and compensatory resources from broader migration experiences. The study highlights the need for policy and institutional reforms that move beyond short-term recruitment towards more equitable strategies. These strategies include transparent communication about employment realities, addressing implicit deficit framings in recruitment and everyday practice and sustaining professional learning opportunities that support career advancement into senior roles.