by comparison the number of teachers in primary lower secondary and upper secondary education represented about of the labour force across oecd countries in this means that in general the share of students expecting a teaching career is larger than the share of workingage people who are teaching today at least at this early stage of career orientation concerns about the lack of candidates for a career in teaching are therefore exaggerated in fact teaching enjoys a clear advantage over other occupations that yearolds may not even know exist all yearold students have had some contact with teachers and have at least an approximate idea of what they do and of their working conditions