This longitudinal study is set in the national and international contexts of early professional development, teacher careers, and teacher retention. It provides qualitative insights into key factors shaping beginning teachers' early professional learning (EPL) journeys and considers the impact of policy initiatives on new teachers in Scotland. Three themes emerged from the data: employment uncertainty, New Teacher Induction Scheme ethos and expectations, and ensuring secure EPL. While employment uncertainty was the most prominent concern for all new teachers, the influence of professional life phases and personal circumstances on employment decisions was evident. A particular recent concern is the lack of continuity of learning and support following an induction scheme which raises expectations in relation to: employment continuity, teacher development, and continuous professional development. Understanding the developmental needs of new teachers making this post-induction transition has implications for raising teacher quality and better supporting early career experience

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This article is a descriptive analysis of the local impact of a national school/university partnership programme in Scotland. Starting from a high-level report on improving teacher education, a series of recommendations was filtered through various stages and agencies until local providers (local authorities and higher education institutions (HEI)) were faced with having to decide how best to respond to a large national agenda but in a manner which was appropriate for local circumstances. How one university and its partners engaged with this agenda, while experiencing considerable staff shortages and in the light of ongoing financial constraints, is described and analysed through the lenses of local and national policy. The most significant learning from that engagement is how national priorities shift and are replaced without much sustainability or continuity while the 'locals' remain committed to more fundamental and long-term issues of working together to enhance teacher and pupil learning. In the analysis, considerations of professional development through partnerships are also discussed in an international context.

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