This study is concerned with newly qualified secondary teachers' experience of socialisation into the profession during their first year of teaching. The article argues that not only do they need to become experts in the technical aspects of teaching, they also need to develop the professional capability to establish positive relationships with their colleagues and to reconcile their often idealistic expectations of teaching with school reality. The 10 newly qualified teachers participating in this qualitative study were amongst the first cohort to undergo the statutory induction programme introduced in England in September 1999. By adopting a case study approach, data collection took place by means of semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. Particular attention is paid to the challenges experienced by newly qualified teachers in their endeavour to negotiate a balance between their personal and professional values and beliefs, and those prevailing in the school in which they are located.