Beginner’s Luck or Misfortune: Challenges in the Early Years of Professional Career of Accounting Science Professors in Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand how the accounting professor in Brazil begins his teaching profession, and the challenges faced, the expectations raised, and the stimuli received in the early career years. The survey was carried out through semi-structured interviews with twenty-two accounting professors to identify the meaningful experiences in the beginning of their careers. The interviews were guided from the narrative of the subjects and the evidence was analyzed making use of thematic analysis templates, resulting in two main categories: previous and early career experiences; and challenges, expectations and influences in the early teaching. The results point that the meaningful experiences, which contributed for the teaching, were obtained through academic tutoring in undergraduate course, and teacher training in postgraduation, as well as in the several professional areas of the accountant, in the job market. The entry in the career was marked by the challenges of age, lack of preparation and insecurity. This study contributes to reflecting a new look for experiences in undergraduate program, such as academic tutoring, as “the first teaching opportunity”; and for the implementation of “introductory” teaching, and continuing education courses in the Educational Institutions, so that the teacher feels as he is part of the process when he understands the positive impacts of his participation, for his personal and professional development.