The article reports on a sociological study which measured teachers’ changing social status in modern
teacher education. A survey was carried out of teachers’ satisfaction with their social status in
the Orenburg region of southwest Russia. The results illustrate the problems of transforming the
attractiveness of the teaching profession and discusses the factors that characterize the current status
of the teacher, the reasons for the professional instability, the low motivation for achieving career
growth and relevance in a highly competitive labor market.