
This article examines the perspectives of the so-called “caged teachers” engaged in the 30-CFU qualification program introduced by the DPCM of August 4, 2023. Employing the methodological framework of Reflexive Thematic Analysis, the study investigates the dynamics shaping the motivations, expectations, perceptions, and aspirations of the teachers-in-training. The emerging reflections delineate a narrative horizon marked by an ambivalent professional identity — positioned between structural constraints and individual subjectivity, between instrumental function and personal agency — thus posing significant challenges to current educational policies.