Professional vs Profession

Professional

• An expert in some skill or field of knowledge (google)
• Have a particular ethical or moral character (Carr)
• Require a high degree of individual autonomy (Elsevier)
• Engages in a specific activity as a paid occupation not an amateur (Google)
• Enhancement of status (Elsevier)
• Responsibility
• An activity which one is paid as opposed to doing voluntarily (Elsevier)

Profession

• A vocation requiring knowledge of some departments of learning (google)
• Provide an important public service (Elsevier)
• Wants to be part of society
• Requires organisation and regulation for purpose (Elsevier)
• Oldest profession – prostitution
• Level of skill applied (Carr)
• Competent in chosen sector
• Improvement in the quality of service (Elsevier)
• Keep working at it, CPD
• Formal Qualifications: certificate/higher degree
• Prolonged training
• Commits to behaving ethically

Teaching is a profession laden with risk and responsibility that requires a great deal from those who enter into it (John. I. Goodland)

The Moral Base for Teacher Professionalism (Hugh Sockett, 1993)

Hoyle (1980)

• Professional ~ Focus is on the quality of a person’s professional practice
• Profession ~ Status of the occupation
• Professionalism ~ community, knowledge, accountability & ideals

Bruner (1974)    “Foundations of any subject can be taught to anybody at any age in some form”

Sockett (1993)   “Professionals believe in the purpose of their profession”

The Role of the Teacher (Hoyle, E. 1969)

The Criteria of a profession ~ “Profession isn’t a precise descriptive concept, it’s an evaluative concept”

* A profession performs an essential social service

* A profession is founded upon a systematic body of knowledge

* A profession requires a lengthy period of academic and practical training

* A profession generates in-service growth