Abstract: Retention is a prerequisite for building a stable rural teaching workforce and a key goal of the “Special-Post Plan” policy. A sample survey of special-post teachers in Y Province revealed that 56.6% of the 694 teachers surveyed had a moderate to high intention to leave, with 29.5% of them expressing a very strong intention to resign. To identify the characteristics of special-post teachers with stronger turnover intentions, this study analyzes group differences in turnover intentions across five dimensions: individual characteristics, school characteristics, salary and benefits, locational characteristics, and professional experience. The results indicate that satisfaction with compensation, hometown location and professional experience are the three most important indicators of turnover intention among special-post teachers. Teachers from outside the area with low satisfaction with their compensation are most likely to seek transfers, while those experiencing high work pressure, perceiving low social status and lacking long-term teaching commitment are more inclined to consider changing careers. Based on these findings, the paper suggests as solutions the following measures: 1) improving the recruitment mechanism for special-post teachers by prioritizing local candidates with a long-term teaching commitment; 2) implementing comprehensive compensation packages by establishing a differentiated compensation mechanism; 3) addressing the work pressure of special-post teachers by creating a supportive teaching environment; and 4) distinguishing teachers with different intentions to transfer and change careers by developing targeted guidance and support measures.

Key words: special-post teacher, special-post plan, turnover intention, transfer intention, career change intention