Friend or Foe: preservice teachers' experience of teaching while studying

The current teacher shortage across Australia is significant. Various stakeholders have contributed to the discourse around this shortage, and different solutions have been implemented, including using conditionally accredited preservice teachers to fill the gaps. However, the voices of these preservice teachers have been largely missing from conversations. In this small-scale study, a survey was used to gather insights from preservice teachers at one university about their experiences of working as teachers while simultaneously completing their teaching degrees. The preservice teacher participants enthusiastically shared their thoughts on the benefits and challenges of combining teaching with studying. A thematic analysis of the data revealed five overarching benefits and six overarching challenges perceived by these preservice educators. We argue that further large-scale research is needed to ensure that the voices of preservice teachers are included in discussions about the teacher shortage in these precarious times.