conference paper Mats Vernholz author 769550000-0001-5175-357X Gabriela Jonas-Ahrend author 776330000-0003-3898-954X Katrin Temmen author 300 department 19th Stockholm International Conference of Research on Vocational Education and Training Germany is experiencing a shortage of teachers, a situation that is particularly evident in the domain of technical vocational education. In response to this, various pathways into vocational teacher education have been established. These pathways are diverse in their nature but all lead to the same teacher degree as traditional teacher education. In two interview studies (n=22 (pre service) vocational teachers), initial motives of entering teacher education (based on FIT-Choice) as well as retrospective views on the career choice after entering the profession (based on PLP model) are analyzed. The present study compares the reflective views of pre-service teachers and career-changing in-service teachers (CCIT). Although both groups generally perceive their career choice positively, the results raise questions about why CCITs did not enter the field of teacher education in the first place. Additionally, the analysis allows for further discussion about existing teacher education programs in times of teacher shortage. 2026Boat Viking Glory eng vocational teacher educationteacher shortagecareer-changing teachersteacher reflections M. Vernholz, G. Jonas-Ahrend, and K. Temmen, “Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  ,” presented at the 19th Stockholm International Conference of Research on Vocational Education and Training, Boat Viking Glory, 2026. Vernholz, M., Jonas-Ahrend, G., &#38; Temmen, K. (2026). <i>Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  </i>. 19th Stockholm International Conference of Research on Vocational Education and Training, Boat Viking Glory. M. Vernholz, G. Jonas-Ahrend, K. Temmen, in: 2026. Vernholz, Mats, Gabriela Jonas-Ahrend, and Katrin Temmen. “Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  ,” 2026. Vernholz, Mats, et al. <i>Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  </i>. 2026. @inproceedings{Vernholz_Jonas-Ahrend_Temmen_2026, title={Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  }, author={Vernholz, Mats and Jonas-Ahrend, Gabriela and Temmen, Katrin}, year={2026} } Vernholz M, Jonas-Ahrend G, Temmen K. Different Pathways, Shared Challenges: Reflections on Entering Vocational Teaching in  Germany  . In: ; 2026. 664622026-07-13T12:54:11Z2026-07-13T12:56:46Z