Abstract: This study explores the antecedents of employee engagement among civil servants. Participants included 28 teachers from 8 government owned senior secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. The teachers cut across all levels in terms of experience, grade level, and gender. Teachers were interviewed about factors that get them engaged at work. The results revealed six main themes: passion for the job, availability of materials for the job, work environment, relationship and support between employees, training and retraining, and pay and remuneration. The findings are discussed in relation to best practice in engaging employees to work within the public sector.