Chapter 3 is about teachers and the teaching profession in Finland. It examines the crucial role that teachers play in Finland and describes the main features of the teaching profession, teacher education, and teacher responsibilities in Finland. This chapter suggests that whereas high-quality, university-based teacher education and continuous professional development are necessary conditions for attracting the most talented and committed young people into teaching, they are not sufficient alone. Teachers have to be provided with a professional working environment so that they feel dignified and are able to fulfill their moral purposes in schools. This chapter also looks at teacher leadership and its manifestations among Finnish teachers, including the findings from the OECD’s latest Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS 2018) regarding the teaching profession in Finland.

This chapter examines the central role that Finnish teachers play and describes how teacher education and a systematic focus on teacher professionalism are making major contributions to transforming Finland’s educational system into a global subject of interest and an object of study. This chapter suggests, however, that it is not enough to improve teacher education or to have “the best and the brightest” teaching in schools. The Finnish experience shows that it is more important to ensure that teachers’ work in schools is based on professional dignity, social respect, and collegiality so that they can fulfill their intention of selecting teaching as a lifetime career, together with their like-minded peers. Teachers’ work should strike a balance between classroom teaching and collaboration with other professionals in school, as this chapter argues. This is the best way to create an image of teaching among young people that will attract young, talented professionals to choose teaching as their career. Before describing current principles and policies related to Finnish teachers and teacher education, it is useful to review some relevant cultural aspects of the teaching profession in Finland.