Many beginner educators leave the profession within the first three years following their appointment. The security of educators, and especially that of the beginner educator is threatened from many angles. Beginner educators experience this threat very intensely and this weakened feeling of security they experience, has important implications for their role as educators. There are, however, many legal determinants that protect educator security and oppose each threat directly. This research falls within the field of Education Law and the security of beginner-educators is studied from this angle. The study focuses on the protection of security as offered by law determinants and the real experience of threats by beginner educators. In the research, law determinants such as the Constitution, education law, labour law and case law, as protectors of security, were studied. Using a qualitative study the experience and perceptions of a selection of participants was analysed. The participants, from different types of schools in a certain geographical area, were identified. During the analysis two aspects emerged that influence security. The first aspect is the beginner educator‟s lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that protect security and the second aspect was beginner educators‟ real experience of threats. Beginner educators‟ lack of security is the result of their lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that protect security. The findings of this research propose that more emphasis is placed on the legal aspects concerning the protection of security of educators during their training and that beginner educators are empowered to face threats of security and overcome it. / MEd (Education Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Many beginner educators leave the profession within the first three years following their appointment. The security of educators, and especially that of the beginner educator is threatened from many angles. Beginner educators experience this threat very intensely and this weakened feeling of security they experience, has important implications for their role as educators. There are, however, many legal determinants that protect educator security and oppose each threat directly. This research falls within the field of Education Law and the security of beginner-educators is studied from this angle. The study focuses on the protection of security as offered by law determinants and the real experience of threats by beginner educators. In the research, law determinants such as the Constitution, education law, labour law and case law, as protectors of security, were studied. Using a qualitative study the experience and perceptions of a selection of participants was analysed. The participants, from different types of schools in a certain geographical area, were identified. During the analysis two aspects emerged that influence security. The first aspect is the beginner educator‟s lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that protect security and the second aspect was beginner educators‟ real experience of threats. Beginner educators‟ lack of security is the result of their lack of knowledge of the mechanisms that protect security. The findings of this research propose that more emphasis is placed on the legal aspects concerning the protection of security of educators during their training and that beginner educators are empowered to face threats of security and overcome it. / MEd (Education Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015