The teachers are one of the Nordic countries largest and most important professional groups. A dominating view on education as the key to economic success has put questions about the work of teachers on the top of the politic agenda. In the late modern society teachers work appears as intensive, complex and more difficult for the involved actors to understand. Hence, to describe, understand and explain the "new" work of teachers there is a need for research around the phenomenon to get together and make a vigorous effort. Meeting-points where exchange and coordinating between researchers can happen and where research findings and professional practice would be able to intergrate ought to establish. To make it easier for these kinds of meetings we have since a couple of years set up a Nordic network with focus on research about teachers work and lives.

The network constantly makes an inventory of research which is going on in the area. The task is to identify research that focus teachers in public financed activity up until upper secondary school level. The starting-point for such an inventory is relative wide. Consequently, neither research with emphasis on structural aspects, nor research with focus on individual aspects can be excluded. We search knowledge within different domaines and strive after an interdisciplinary perspective. The network has by way of introduction gathered both research with the accent on how teachers construct their work, and research with the main emphasis on the conditions of teachers' work. Our purpose is to contribute to the area of knowledge by focusing on the teachers and their work, not at first hand the students and their learning.

The network is supposed to function as a medium between scientists/research but also to work as a contact area towards professional teachers. We want to spread information about and to identified projects and interested researchers. We also want to try to facilitate contacts between interested parties so that co-operation and exchanges can begin and disparated research efforts can be synchronized. Furthermore the network wants to promote that research findings in the area become available and can be used by scientists and of professionals on the field.

The network was initiated in 2003 by ten persons and has since grown in number. Currently there are more than 130 names on the sendlist. Since 2004 we yearly arrange a network meeting on Öland, Sweden. As from 2006 we arrange presentations in connection with the NERA (Nordic Educational Research Association) conference. During 2008 the network are publishing an anthology about teachers' lives and work and arranging a conference about school and teachers in Borås, Sweden.