1. Accounting educators were generally satisfied with their jobs.

The study found that accounting professors were overall satisfied with their jobs, with intrinsic job satisfaction registering a higher overall mean than extrinsic job satisfaction.

2. What happens at work matters for longevity.

Work-related factors, talent management, and social engagements were all found to be influential longevity factors. Among the factors examined, division of labor or specialization of subjects emerged as the strongest influence on respondents’ longevity. A sense of belongingness and engagement with students, the accounting community, and the general public were also identified as valuable.

3. Intrinsic satisfaction appeared to matter most.

While overall job satisfaction was positively associated with longevity, the regression analysis showed that intrinsic job satisfaction was significantly associated with all three longevity factors, while extrinsic job satisfaction was not significantly associated with any of them. This suggests that the intrinsic aspects of academic work—such as the nature of the work, autonomy, accomplishment, and meaningful engagement—may play an important role in an educator’s decision to remain in academe.

4. Not all educators experience these relationships in the same way.

The study also found that age, highest educational attainment, academic ranking, and years of teaching moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and longevity factors. In several relationships, the strength of the association was weaker among respondents with higher levels of these demographic characteristics.

These findings reinforced an important message:

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to keeping accounting educators engaged and satisfied.

The needs, expectations, career stages, and experiences of educators may differ—and academic institutions may need to consider these differences when developing faculty development, engagement, recognition, and retention programs.