This paper reports on a longitudinal study of 30 university-prepared math and science teachers from their pre-service program into their teaching positions to better understand the conditions that attract and retain them in high-need schools. The paper uses the framework of job preview and information-rich hiring to highlight the influence of the job search process and school selection on teacher retention. Findings indicate that even highly-sought and well-qualified beginning math and science teachers are choosing their first teaching positions with limited information about the school as a workplace and this decision has profound consequences. Retention differences exist between teachers who choose their schools with robust information and those with very limited information. Further, how and why teachers choose schools has profound consequences for their professional success, their persistence in high-need schools, and their retention in the profession.