Theoretical context In the last almost two decades, the Czech educational system underwent dramatic changes largely affecting the expectations related to schools and their leading representatives. As a major consequence, schools are now expected to be able to absorb the metamorphoses of the external circumstances and rather autonomously decide about their own profilation and prospects. A dominant role in the new adjustment was assigned to headteachers (Pařízek, 1992; Walterová et al, 2004; etc). The expectations related to them are still being increased by the amplified demands for the quality of the provided education. The current knowledge indicates that the manner in which every headteacher performs his/her role — thus what the headteacher is doing in the school when confronted with said expectations — is a manifestation of his/her previous experience and the objectives to achieve in life and professional career (Pol et al, 2005; Pol, Novotný, 2005). The target of our research is to contribute to the knowledge of the theory and practice of the headteachers’ work in the context of their life and professional careers. Life and professional career is understood as an imaginary line created by an individual along his/her aims in life. It is influenced by the environment and related to the competencies, interests and opportunities of each individual (Hierbert, Borgen, 2002; Gysbers, Heppner, Johnston, 1998). This contribution will present answers to a major question of our research: What shapes the life and professional career of a headteacher of a Czech school? We will mainly be interested in who becomes school headteacher, in which stages of their lives headteachers adopt their position, which particular stages in the execution of their job are typical, which critical incidents are related to the position of the headteacher, and so forth.

Methodological remarks The qualitative approach, using a biographical design and a specific method of life history, was chosen as the basic interpretational and methodological discourse. The choice of the biographical design is reasoned by the premise that it is the headteachers themselves who know best the work and the expectations related to the headteacher’s role. The life history is then understood as capturing the most important events having so far happened to the individual under observation — namely the headteacher. As numerous empirical examples show, this method makes it possible to discern specific stages and periods in life and, as well, contribute to their comprehension (Pascal, Ribbins, 1998). In this view, the main research method to be used is depth interview, enhanced by a few modified techniques (such as SWOT analysis in career planning, the portfolio of one’s skills and experience, projective techniques, etc).

The collection and analysis of data takes its course during the whole year 2008. Our contribution presents some of the results of the preliminary analyses, focusing the main attention on the identified critical incidents in the development of the Czech school headteachers’ life and professional careers. In other words, we are presenting the key factors which have been shaping their life and professional careers, observing such factors at both horizontal and vertical levels. On the vertical axis, critical events of the previous professional career will be demonstrated. The horizontal axis follows the development of the headteachers’ thinking and acting from the viewpoint of their individual attitudes to management and leadership processes.