Cypriot P.E. Teachers' Opinions on Occupational Prestige and Social Capital

Physical Education teachers have a special role in the community but sometimes their fellow citizens may not be conscious of it. This paper is based on research which was conducted in order to study P.E. teachers' opinions about the relationship between social capital and their employment in the different sectors. Another objective of this article is to find out how P.E. teachers perceive themselves in relation to other occupations and whether they are satisfied with their position in the Cypriot labour market. The methods applied for this research were documentary analysis and survey method, but it is essential to remark that this paper is based on a larger investigation. Two sub-samples were created in order to compare their opinions towards the three objectives of this study. Results indicate that according to P.E. teachers; medical doctors have the highest prestige in Cyprus. They also believe that social capital has a great influence on their employment at the Cypriot Sport Organization but it is important to note that the majority of them are satisfied with their position in the labour market. This paper provides some evidence about the opinions and feelings of Cypriot P.E. teachers.