Ongoing language teacher attrition is contributing to a chronic shortage of language teachers in many parts of Australia, and this is impacting the efficacy of language education programs. This is a concern because language education in schools forms the foundations for global awareness for many students in Australia. This doctoral thesis reports on research which aimed to better understand why some language teachers, a particularly under researched group of educators, leave a career which is generally considered a lifelong one. The research has the potential to inform future programs and policies aimed at promoting language teacher retention. This thesis with publications is centred on an extensive process of disseminating, through conference presentations and scholarly papers, the research on which it reports. As such, it presents not one single study, but a series of studies. These studies are presented in the thesis in three interactive phases: a conceptual phase, an empirical phase, and a reflective phase, each with its own purpose, methodology, and findings.