ABSTRACT Teacher absenteeism has high individual and societal costs and triggers a vicious cycle by increasing teacher absenteeism for the remaining teachers. Moreover, teachers’ non-attendance disrupts the learning process and affects student motivation and achievement. Teacher absenteeism further exacerbates the increasing teacher shortage observed in many countries. This paper provides a systematic literature review of studies analysing teacher absenteeism and develops a conceptual model of the predictors of teacher non-attendance at school. Our findings provide a nuanced and overarching approach to analysing teacher non-attendance at work, revealing the most significant correlates to absenteeism and exposing the consequences of educator absences on student achievement. Finally, several concrete policy implications are discussed.