Where the continuing professional development (CPD) process is being increasingly articulated and circumscribed by policy and central specification, the initial year of teaching may significantly shape career-long expectations of CPD. This article contrasts the early experiences of beginning secondary teachers in Scotland and Hong Kong and the emergent model that highlights a tension between the systems' support structures and individual autonomy. To resolve this impasse, the authors conclude by arguing for a different model that places as synonymous new teachers' induction, CPD and approaches to becoming autonomous. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)