The aim of this thesis is to describe and analyse the process of professionalisation of newly commissioned second lieutenants and newly qualified school teachers. The professionalisation of these two occupational categories is examined from a comparative perspective and concentrates on the communicative conditions and institutional arenas that affect the professionalisation process.

The theoretical framework of the thesis is comprised of communication theory and concepts of sense making found in institutional theory models. The empirical data was collected during the first year after second lieutenants received their officer’s commissions and teachers received their teaching credentials. Four second lieutenants and four teachers were interviewed three times during their first year of professional service. Some observations are also included in the thesis.

The dissertation’s main conclusions are connected, in part, to issues of transparency in communicative conditions and, in part, to incentives connected to supervision, support and control. On the one hand, the commissioned officers’ and one of the teacher’s process of sensemaking appeared visible and collective in character, where the rules of conduct and meaning emerge clearly without ambiguity. On the other hand, the majority of the certified teachers’ process of sense making appeared private, concealed, inaccessible and diverse in character.

It was observed that incentives for supervision, support and control are strong among commissioned officers because they are directly dependent on each other’s work. The same incentives are weaker among certified teachers because they are not as dependent on each other’s work. One conclusion to draw from this difference is that the professionalisation of commissioned officers is collective-oriented while the professionalisation of certified teachers is less so.