The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of how induction and mentoring for new teachers in the Nordic countries and Estonia are seen as a part of teacher professional development. We will theorise upon some of the data collected by the teacher unions in the cross-sectoral project named Nordic Teacher Induction - Promoting Professional Development (NTI-PPD) This presentation will begin with some summary data of the current state of mentoring and induction from each of the partner countries. The summaries will include a comparison of legislation and working conditions related to professional work with induction. These data help us to identify and discuss what is unique and what, if anything, is significantly different in these contexts and importantly, what the implications for professional development of teachers in each of the contexts. The professional development of teachers begins in teacher education programs; thus, the first point of comparison is to look at how professional practice is undertaken in each country. We will draw attention to what students and new teachers think about the need for induction and compare obligations to and working conditions related to professional work with induction. We also discuss experience of including mentoring and induction in a comprehensive system for continuous professional development in the teaching career. The final part of this presentation will address longstanding collaboration between teachers' trade unions, teacher educators and researchers on mentoring and induction which includes partners from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and how this collabration provides impetus for change in policy and political attention in the educational landscape in relation to mentoring and induction in each of the countries.

Aaltonen, Bäckström, Ernestam, Harsvik, Hauksson, Salmonsen, Salo, Wettendorff (2023). Teacher shortage in the Nordic countries. Comparing the current situation. NLS. DOI: teacher_shortage_nls-report_2023_final.pdf Fransson, G. & Gustafsson, K. (2008), Newly Qualified Teachers in Northern Europe. Gävle: University of Gävle. Olsen, K.R., Bjerkholt, E., & Heikkinen, H.(Eds.). (2020). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring Cappelen. Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0. Svanbjörnsdóttir, B., Hauksdóttir, H., & Steingrímsdóttir, M. (2020). Mentoring in Iceland: An integral part of professional development? In K.R. Olsen, H. Heikkinen & Bjerkholt, E.M. (Eds.). New teachers in Nordic countries - Ecologies of induction and mentoring (Ch. 6, pp. 129–149). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.105 License: CC BY 4.0.