Are You a Professional?

Understanding the Concept of Profession and Professionalism

• Teaching is a process of facilitating learning, and a profession is a group of individuals with special knowledge and skills derived from education, research, and training.
• Professionalisation is the process of becoming a profession, and a professional is someone who derives their income from specific knowledge or experience.
• Professionals are governed by codes of ethics and committed to competence, integrity, morality, altruism, and the promotion of public good within their domain.
• Professional standards are a set of practices, ethics, and behaviors that professionals must adhere to, including accountability, confidentiality, honesty, and transparency.
• Professionals deal with matters of vital importance to their clients, and their work involves circumstances where carelessness or breach of ethics would be significantly damaging to the client.
• Professionals hold themselves accountable for the quality of their work, and ongoing education toward professional development is compulsory.
• Professions typically require a significant period of practical experience before aspirants are recognized as professionals, and ongoing education is necessary.
• Professionals have control and ultimate responsibility for their work, and they tend to define the terms, processes, and conditions of work to be performed for clients.
• Members of a profession exercise discrimination in choosing clients rather than simply accepting any interested party as a customer.
• Professionals work directly with their clients rather than through intermediaries or proxies.
• Examples of professions include teaching, technician, engineer, lawyer, psychologist, pharmacist, and dietitian.
• Professionalism is the pattern of how a profession develops, and the process of becoming a professional.