In recent years, the stressful schoolwork of primary and secondary school students has been a social phenomenon of great concern. 2018 saw the release of the "Measures to Reduce the Burden of Primary and Secondary School Students" by the Ministry of Education, which attempted to reduce the excessive academic burden of primary and secondary school students by regulating the development of out-of-school tuition institutions. However, the implementation of this policy has not been effective, and out-of-school institutions have increased rather than decreased in response to government policy requirements.2 In July 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council promulgated the Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Out-of-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education to further increase the control over these institutions.

After more than two decades of development, out-of-school tuition institutions have become a huge industry, driving education and related consumption among urban families, and at the same time generating a huge employment group, namely teachers of out-of-school tuition institutions. According to the data released by Foresight.com in October 2021, the number of teachers engaged in out-of-school tutoring in primary and secondary schools in China is nearly 8 million, compared to 10,294,900 full-time teachers in compulsory education during the same period.

Judging from the situation in the last few months since the policy was implemented, the government's strict control measures have had a huge impact on the survival and development of this field. Those most affected are the teachers in these institutions. Where does this group go from here? How do they view their profession as "teachers of out-of-school tutoring institutions"? How do they find a way out and plan their careers against the backdrop of a severely squeezed living space, and what impact has their previous experience as "teachers" had on them? These questions require urgent attention.

This study will focus on the teachers of out-of-school tutoring institutions who specialize in subject tutoring. Using a qualitative research method, 15 teachers of out-of-school tutoring institutions in Beijing who are engaged in subject tutoring will be the subjects of this study. The study found that the "double reduction" policy had a significant impact on the teachers' professional identity, including "professional emotion and achievement", "professional salary", and "social recognition" before and after the double reduction policy, as well as on their re-employment.

The study found that prior to the "double reduction" policy, teachers in out-of-school tutoring institutions were generally a high-income, high-achievement, low-social-recognition profession, and they generally had a high level of self-identification with the profession. Compared to teachers in the system, the lack of institutional legitimacy was compensated for by the high income, high achievement, and high parental approval, especially in terms of rapid improvement in student achievement. After the double reduction policy, this group went from high income to low income or even no income; from high achievement to no class to teach and no achievement to speak of; and the change in social recognition appeared in two different ways: some teachers believed that recognition would be lower as the instability of the profession intensified, while others believed that recognition might improve due to the restraint and regulation of the policy.