An exclusive occupation requires one to obtain special and unique knowledge, autonomy for effective practice and responsibility that entails certain set of values and attitudes. Doctors are typical examples of exclusive occupations.
On the basis of the 3 common defining characteristics, Law (2001) defined that teaching is regarded as a semi-profession which stands between non-profession and paradigm professions. .
Based on the concept of exclusive occupations, Helsby (1996) categorized its characteristics into 2 groups, professionalization and professionalism. .
Though the 2 terms look very alike, Hargreaves (2000) also mentioned clearly about the distinction between professionalization and professionalism. Professionalization is a way to help teachers to "be a professional", while professionalism refers to whether teachers "behaving professionally". To Hargreaves (2000), stronger professionalization does not equal to greater professionalism. However, there is a strong correlation between professionalization and professionalism in the discourse on Teaching Profession. .
3. Key challenges faced by the teachers in recent years.
As mentioned before, as the quality of education is of increasing concern, there are significant changes in the teaching profession in recent years in Hong Kong. Harris (2001) suggested that the changes in social, political and economic aspects together have created some challenges for teachers in teaching. .
a) Emphasis on Competition .
As the education system in Hong Kong emphasizes very much on academic achievements, not only strong competition among students, but also competition among schools, are commonly seen in Hong Kong. For example, school status is seen very important in the views of parents (who are hoping their children to get into elite schools), and schools heads (who are hoping to ensure the number of admissions each year). The banding of the school and the medium of instruction (preferably English) used determines the school status.
