Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) undergo a transition from being taught to teaching others. This can be described as an identity shift where their first year in the profession plays an important role (Bullough, 2005). During the first year, teachers’ professional identities are affected either positively or negatively by classroom experiences and school culture, and their initial work experience shapes their identity (Day et al., 2006). The current study investigates how NQTs in Norway and England experience their first year in teaching. The aim is to deepen the understanding of this particular phase in teachers’ professional development by comparing experiences from different national contexts with different approaches to professional development. The training standards approach in England is different from a more learning-centered approach in Norway (Harrison et al. 2006). The study was conducted among NQTs in secondary school in both countries. The focus was on the new teachers’ perspectives, and the study used a narrative research design. Stories were collected from four NQTs in each country and narratives were written reflecting the individual experiences (Connelly, & Clandinin, 1990). The data were gathered through interviews in which the teachers were invited to describe how their first year in teaching started, how it went on and how it ended. They were in particular encouraged to tell about critical or meaningful incidents that had a decisive meaning to them (Tripp, 1994). The interviews were transcribed and a narrative analysis of the interviews was made (Polkinghorne, 1995). The narrative as established by the researchers was sent back to the informants for member-check. The work is still in progress. The plan is to carry out vertical and horizontal analysis of the narratives and discuss similarities and differences between the two national contexts.

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