Young, T. (1995). Professional development for immersion teachers in Finland. In Buss, M. & Lauren, C. (Eds.), Language immersion: Teaching and second language acquisition, from Canada to Europe. Proceedings of the University of Vaasa Research Papers, 96-106.

The first Swedish immersion programs in Finland began in 1987. Since then the program has continued to grow. The development of this program and its rapid expansion has implications for curriculum development as well as for the development of teaching materials and methods, staff recruitment and teacher training. This article describes the current and future professional development opportunities for Swedish immersion teachers in Finland. Very few immersion teachers have received specialized pre-service training in immersion education, or even conventional foreign language education training unless they are a language teacher specifically. Immersion teachers receive most of their specialized training through in-service programs, including a Professional Development Program of 2-4 years. Immersion teachers indicated that they would benefit from more collaboration with colleagues, researchers and experts. There is also a perceived need for more coordination in the development of curriculum with immersion needs. As immersion expands there should be efforts made to systematize and standardize curricula, staff qualifications in schools, and supervision and support services for immersion teachers. At a certain point expansion will require that the in-service only method for training immersion teachers be converted to a pre-service systems.