Since the first mention of the Bologna Agreement in 1988, Higher Education Institutions throughout Europe have initiated an important restructuring of the kind of degrees and courses it will provide from 2010 onwards. That date is fast approaching, and it is to be assumed that the intention of providing University Degrees that encourage and facilitate student mobility within the EU is to be reflected in the programmes offered. Our research aimed to compare and contrast Initial Teacher Training provision from a range of countries within the Union: the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. In general, we can distinguish two models: successive models, in which a prior scientific education is required with which to access the professional training, and the simultaneous models, in which the integration of a scientific education and psychopedagogic training lead directly to the professional qualifications for teaching. Within the successive model we find further variations with regard to the duration of courses: the models called four plus one, and three plus two. In the former, the future teacher must complete four years of scientific studies (the equivalent of a Bachelor Degree) before professional training as a teacher, which is focused on practical and psychopedagogic contents over a period of one more year. In the latter, students complete three years of scientific university studies plus two years of professional training of a psychopedagogic and practical nature. Some countries, such as the UK, provide the qualified teacher status after just three years of study at Bachelor level. The results of our research show that although some countries use a relatively similar structure for courses which lead to the profession, others are bound by their individual states’ professional requirements for Infant and Primary School teachers.

Keywords: Initial Teacher Training, Europe, professional models, simultaneous and successive models.