ABSTRACT
Teaching, it is often asserted, is a profession. It is surprising, therefore, to find relatively little reference to other professions in most writing about teaching. True, the professional literature on management looms large in discussions of the management of educational institutions, and writing on educational counselling typically refers to counselling in general. Some parallels have been drawn with clinical decision-making and evidence-based practice in medicine. One also comes across passing references to other professions such as engineering, nursing, social work or design. But there is little sustained analysis of what it is that teachers might have in common with other professionals in terms of the nature of their work.
