Insight into factors that enable and constrain preservice teachers to apply for positions in rural schools

There is an injustice for students living in rural communities who cannot access the quality of education and teaching available for metropolitan students. Graduate teachers are encouraged to take positions in rural schools but are reluctant to do so. The perceptions of 16 preservice teachers were explored—eight with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subject discipline specialisations. In 2022, they spent three weeks living and teaching in a rural community during their professional experience placement. We provide insight into the preservice teachers’ orientation towards social justice and their self-readiness to teach in rural schools. The preservice teachers were concerned about their family’s negative perception of their safety and separation from family and friends. However, they were optimistic about the learning opportunities afforded by the rural placement and their contribution to providing access to quality education for rural students. The preservice teachers’ abilities to live in a rural community, away from family and friends, reflected self-readiness. Some felt isolated from family and friends, so they drew on their mental resilience with the help of their peers and school colleagues. We explore the factors that enable and constrain preservice teachers to apply for positions in rural schools.