Abstract
Objective: This study aims to explore the experiences of women who take a career break while working in daycare center as a teacher assistant. Methods: Seven assistant teachers and two child care teachers who took more than two years of career break were selected and given in-depth interviews over 17 weeks from August to December in 2020. Results: The results of this study are as follows. First, the women experienced the need for a career transition as an assistant teacher because it was time to for a change. Second, while working as a teacher assistant, they had various experiences and meanings in the process of career transition while playing the role as a teacher in daycare centers. Third, they also had some difficulties in conflict and some needs to build their professional expertise as a teacher. Conclusion/Implications: The study is expected to give insights to understand the difficulties of teachers who had experienced the need for a career transition as teacher assistant and to provide important data to develop teacher professional development.