In the research project “Schools in Alpine Regions” research was carried out in small rural primary schools in Western Austria. Through an ethnographic engagement, the paper attempts to uncover and provide insights into the everyday professional lives of rural headship and the changing patterns of the work. Using participant observations, interviews with head teachers, teachers and students of the schools and document analysis, the research has analyzed and compared teaching and learning cultures in case study schools. One main focus are the role and responsibilities of teachers and head teachers. Head teachers of these rural schools are “teaching heads” who identify themselves mainly as teachers. Nevertheless, they have to deal with a multiplicity of roles and pressures located within and also outside the school. Additionally the role of head teachers has been changing in the last years: Recent policy changes in Austria have for example resulted in one head teacher being responsible for the running of more than one small rural school. The paper will shed light on the impact of these developments on the work of head teachers and teachers.