Career scenarios for graduates of Belgorod Teachers' Institute in the late 19th - early 20th centuries: The case of Kursk Province

The main aim of the research is identification of career scenarios for graduates of Belgorod Teachers' Institute by the case of Kursk Province. The methodological basis of the study was formed by the main provisions of microhistory. An integrated application of historical biography and prosopography methods made it possible to identify the main scenarios of graduates' professional activities. The recruitment of Belgorod Teachers' Institute graduates into Kursk Province schools and identification of the main trends in graduates' professional fulfilment was analysed based on the study of unpublished reports on the activities of the institution from the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive and published reference sources: List of Persons Serving in Kharkiv Educational District, Circular of Kharkiv Educational District, Kursk Address Calendar. The study of the quantitative composition of graduates showed that until 1902 almost all of them were supported at the state expense. This allowed a conclusion that the first stage of the professional realization for the majority of graduates of the Institute was the mandatory six-year work as a teacher of city schools for state support. The “career scenario” in the article means a sequence of events in the career that determine professional realization and career progression. In the late 19th - early 20th centuries, teachers trained at Belgorod Teachers' Institute could be appointed to the city school at this institute, to city, county and craft schools, both in the entire Kharkiv Educational District and in Kursk Province. However, the number of graduates of the Institute employed in city schools far exceeded the number of graduates of appointed teachers in county and district schools. The analysis of the recruitment of the Institute's graduates into city and county schools in Kursk Province showed that the number of teachers educated in it grew constantly. The career progression, which was represented by different career scenarios, was the main vector of the graduates' professional realization. This was due to their desire to improve their financial well-being. Also, the difference in career scenarios was determined by graduates' appointment to various types of educational institutions of the province. The article identifies the following career scenarios: (1) promotion from a full-time teacher to a head of a city or county school; (2) introduction of a first additional stage - assistant teacher - due to a lack of vacancies; (3) professional advancement in gymnasiums and teacher seminaries.

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