Induction and mentoring are nested within municipal, regional (van der Pers & Helms-Lorenz, 2021), national and international educational professional development policies (Helms-Lorenz et al., 2019). To deepen our understanding of the conceptualization and manifestation of induction across countries within Europe, this paper sets out to identify and compare the macro-, meso- and micro-level factors that influence the manifestation of induction practices of two neighboring countries in Europe: Belgium and The Netherlands. While both countries prioritize and acknowledge the importance of induction, they reveal different manifestations (from the policies to their enactments in schools) of induction practices. The comparison of these manifestations provides a rich opportunity to analyze different perspectives towards Teacher Education and induction. The manifestation of Teacher Education and induction in these two countries’ policy documents, relevant literature and school documents will be analyzed by using two theoretical frameworks, i.e., the ecological principles put forward by Heikkinen (2020) and that of the organizational socialization approach rooted in organizational sciences (Chao, 2012) and contextualized recently to the teaching profession (Coppe et al., 2023). According to Heikkinen, mentoring practices inhabit a given ‘ecological niche’ in each education ecosystem. Niches are evident for the distribution of resources and for individuals to thrive in systems they fit in best. Building on this ecological approach enables us to understand how the macro-, meso-, and micro-level factors are rooted in a country-specific “vision” of what induction is or should be. According to the organizational socialization literature, entering into a profession implies an induction process facilitated by organizational strategies (i.e., formal manifestations) and/or socialization agents (i.e., informal manifestations). Each is prioritized or balanced depending on the work context and the needs of the newcomer (Wanberg, 2012). Building on this theoretical lens enables us to understand how the “vision” aforementioned is enacted in the school organization and what the consequences are of this enactment in terms of induction practices. Our method of inquiry aims to contribute to the “ontological synchronization – i.e., continuous tuning to what is happening and matters at hand, and what future is being generated, including what values and judgements (practitioners, researchers, policymakers) perpetuate in society” (Akkerman, Bakker & Penuel, 2021). The central research questions we address are: 1. What are the similarities/differences in manifestations of induction and mentoring between Belgium and The Netherlands? 2. How can the differences/similarities in manifestations be understood?

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