Teachers’ Professional Development in the Conditions of Staffing Autonomy of Universities: European Experience

Abstract

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of continuing professional development of European higher education institutions teachers' in the conditions of university autonomy. It is emphasized that the relationship and interdependence of teachers' professional and career development is a necessary condition for universities' staffing autonomy, which allows them to make decisions about career development, promotion of academic and administrative staff. 9 different models of professional development are characterized, the positive and negative properties of each of them are determined. The article analyzes the experience of organizing professional development and career support for teachers at the University of Tartu (Estonia), Uppsala University (Sweden), University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). Estonia, Sweden and the United Kingdom are the leaders among the countries of the European Union in the level of universities' staffing autonomy. It is proved that universities are not limited to one model of teachers' professional development, but offer a combination of practices, processes and conditions from different models. Such integration of a different models' range of professional development corresponds to the university autonomy's principles and is the most favorable and effective for academic staff.