Teachers in a number of States in Australia have become increasingly militant in recent years. This paper examines the nature of the teachers' collective mobilisation from the point of view of the ideological construction of the occupation. It is argued that specific ideological elements, particularly those which revolve around the notion of professionalism, serve to mediate between the current occupational situation of teachers and their industrial/political activity. It will be suggested that while teachers have become more militant in their collective activities, this militancy cannot be equated with a form of trade unionism informed by working class or proletarian interests, nor can it be seen as necessarily indicating a movement toward more radical views of the capitalist social system.
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