What does the term 'having a profession' mean now?

I'm thrilled as my work has a professional body with a code of standards, I must assume that I'm a professional. Makes no difference to then income though.

Being a professional is no guarantee of good behaviour nowadays.
Yes that too, in the news this week!

Ali08

Germanshepherdsmum

Calling a taxi driver a professional is ridiculous. Next it will be the plumber, the bricklayer, the postman. All worthy and respectable trades and we couldn’t manage without them, but I go with the old understanding of what a professional is. I agree that landlords looking for ‘professionals’ should be perfectly satisfied with prospective tenants in steady jobs with acceptable references. Being a professional is no guarantee of good behaviour nowadays. And of course there are always members of ‘the oldest profession’… ?

You try being a cabbie in somewhere like London, and having to know all the street names, one way systems, best shortcuts, etc then tell us it's not a profession!!!
Our local cabbies may just be 'drivers' but in places like London you HAVE to be very knowledgeable!!

Perhaps the term "skilled worker" should be given the respect it deserves.

After all, someone could be in a professional job but not be able to do it competently.

You try being a cabbie in somewhere like London, and having to know all the street names, one way systems, best shortcuts, etc then tell us it's not a profession!!!

Do London black cab drivers still have to pass "The Knowledge" test before they can get a licence?

The problem is that other types of cab driver may not.

Germanshepherdsmum

Calling a taxi driver a professional is ridiculous. Next it will be the plumber, the bricklayer, the postman. All worthy and respectable trades and we couldn’t manage without them, but I go with the old understanding of what a professional is. I agree that landlords looking for ‘professionals’ should be perfectly satisfied with prospective tenants in steady jobs with acceptable references. Being a professional is no guarantee of good behaviour nowadays. And of course there are always members of ‘the oldest profession’… ?

You try being a cabbie in somewhere like London, and having to know all the street names, one way systems, best shortcuts, etc then tell us it's not a profession!!!
Our local cabbies may just be 'drivers' but in places like London you HAVE to be very knowledgeable!!

grannyactivist straight to the point, and a useful definition of a good worker .

grannyactivist

I had some feedback recently about how the charity I lead operates and it was said that one of the reasons others like to work with us is that we take a ‘professional’ approach to the work.

I assume by that they mean that we take our work seriously and we are competent.

I think that’s the measure I use most; if someone approaches a job in a competent manner then I tend to think of them as professionals. People offering a service who are incompetent, discourteous, have bad timekeeping etc. I tend to think of as unprofessional.

As ever grannyactivist, very well expressed

I had some feedback recently about how the charity I lead operates and it was said that one of the reasons others like to work with us is that we take a ‘professional’ approach to the work.

I assume by that they mean that we take our work seriously and we are competent.

I think that’s the measure I use most; if someone approaches a job in a competent manner then I tend to think of them as professionals. People offering a service who are incompetent, discourteous, have bad timekeeping etc. I tend to think of as unprofessional.

I thought that a profession could only be called that if it had a code of ethics to adhere to.

I've been thinking about this thread this evening as we've had a power cut. Power out all over town most of the afternoon. Today is my husband's birthday and he really wanted an Indian takeaway.

We put all our faith in the local power people and hooray the electricity came back on and Mr Scones has had his biryani.

The people at the power company and the guys at our local takeaway - total professionals the lot of 'em.

Hetty58

(e.g. I know somebody who describes herself as a 'professional artist and designer' - who is usually unemployed and dabbling in some creative project.)

'Professional' in that sense is used as the opposite of 'amateur', though, and suggesting that she expects to get paid for her talents, not to expect them to come free - it's not the same as someone saying that they are 'a professional'.

"'Professional is used loosely now."

Because people are less impressed by the authority of doctors, lawyers, and priests, and more impressed by blue collar credentials.

(e.g. I know somebody who describes herself as a 'professional artist and designer' - who is usually unemployed and dabbling in some creative project.)

I think people are just as 'snobbish' and it's to do with the meaning of words in common usage changing over time. 'Professional is used loosely now.

This because people especially young people are much less snobbish than they used to be.

A profession requires expertise, higher education and qualifications - beyond mere training for a job. The lines are blurred lately though, with so many calling themselves 'professionals'

Sorry Chestnut my word was changed! How ironic is that??
Profession was the word.

Chestnut

The Cambridge Dictionary has a definition of profession.
dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/profession
It says jobs which need a special training or skill but not in business or industry.
And one that is respected because it involves a high level of education.
Not sure where that leaves the London black taxi driver, probably not a profession, although it certainly involves a huge knowledge base. Other taxi drivers definitely not.

Yes, that’s what I have always assumed of the term ‘ a professional’ Chestnut.
Meanings and wordings change however, and I have no problem with that.

Does anyone remember the wonderful Alan Bennet monologue " A woman of no importance"?

The narrator describes herself as a "professional woman" because she is unmarried and works in an office where she is in charge of the photocopier.

As a "professional woman" she chooses to read "The Daily Express" not "The Sun" or "The Mirror" which are only read by unprofessional people.

Good post Doodledog thanks.

Read and noted Doodledog ?

Calistemon

Professional - adhering to professional standards?

As so many go to university now, does that mean that having a degree or further qualifications will mean that half the working population may soon be professionals?

We may need a plumber, carpenter, gardener, shop assistant more frequently than we need a solicitor or accountant so is their worth diminished by not being accorded the term professional?

Teachers? Of course, at least we hope so.

on 9/11 in the twin towers area quite likely the carpenter was more use than the attorney.
Certainly the rescue workers were very professional.

I don't think that having a degree makes someone a professional. It's more to do with belonging to a professional body that has the power to grant or deny the right to practice, usually via chartership. I think the monarch has to grant the right to award chartered status to professional bodies, but it is definitely regulated - I couldn't set up one for social media posters, and create Chartered Gransnetters or similar?. Most, if not all, professionals will have degrees, but not all graduates are professionals.

I also don't think that it has anything to do with 'worth', or that people who don't belong to them are in any way diminished. As I said upthread, IMO it is more about the way in which the standards of the professional body override those of the employer.

Teaching is not (strictly speaking) a profession, as teachers have unions, rather than one professional body, and the government decides on standards, rather than a separate body (eg imposing a national curriculum that teachers in state schools have to follow). That is not to say that teachers do not work to professional standards, or that they are less 'worthy' than, say, doctors or lawyers who are less accountable, however.

I think that it is because UK is so hung up on hierarchy that people see professions as more 'worthy' than trades, which are in turn 'better' than occupations without certification. These snobberies aren't necessarily reflected in salaries, though - vicars, for example, are often paid more than plumbers, who in turn earn less than some social media influencers (who may or may not have qualifications at all).

In the end, I think that all expertise should be valued. If my leg starts to fall off I wouldn't consult a hairdresser, but neither would I want a surgeon to cut and colour my hair.

Jaxjacky, another valid point in the discussion about what being in a profession means in 2021.
One of my grandson’s is mid way through training to be what used to be a Corgi qualified gas fitter. Another trade / profession where qualifications and a professional approach to work is essential or people could die

Interesting question,; I’d hope an electrician working in my house was professional, otherwise they could kill me. So can only someone deemed to be in a profession be called a professional?

Thank you Iam64. Your post rings true to me as my class at the botanic garden was made up of a fascinating mix of people who were retraining after other careers. We had intensive care nurses, teachers, actors, estate agents, business people and more....it made for a fascinating mix.

Good and interesting post Scones. I know a florist who was a top lAwyer, a personal trainer who was a well respected and liked teacher, a former city accountant who now runs a gym, teacher who became a beautician. And others who made similar changes from profession to other work. They’re all much happier