Teaching the teacher? How content of Australian initial teacher education programs relates to professional satisfaction across the career

Abstract Current discourses on education in Australia link teacher shortages to lack of preparedness upon entering the profession. While initial teacher education (ITE) faces increased scrutiny, few studies examine how ITE content relates to subsequent career outcomes. This study investigates relationships between teachers' professional satisfaction and ITE content using teacher questionnaires from the Program for International Student Assessment collected in 2015 and 2022. The analysis reveals a decline in professional satisfaction between 2015 and 2022, with a sharp drop during teachers' early career years. Multilevel modelling indicates associations between professional satisfaction and specific ITE content areas, such as parent engagement and behaviour management. This modelling also shows changing patterns in satisfaction correlates: associations with gender diminished while career entry age became significant. While findings suggest ITE may contribute to professional satisfaction, these improvements appear modest compared to broader declining trends. These findings suggest recent policy emphasis on standardizing ITE content may yield modest benefits, but they are unlikely to address the systemic challenges driving declining professional satisfaction, particularly among early career teachers.