Published in 1994, this book gathers together a series of original studies on occupational socialization and the everyday realities of work. It includes detailed, empirically based accounts of a variety of occupational settings. Included are: social workers; trainee midwives; prison officers; accountants; teachers; psychiatrists; postgraduate research students. They all reflect the tradition of qualitative research that has been developed at Cardiff.

This book was originally published as part of the Cardiff Papers in Qualitative Research series edited by Paul Atkinson, Sara Delamont and Amanda Coffey. The series publishes original sociological research that reflects the tradition of qualitative and ethnographic inquiry developed at Cardiff. The series includes monographs reporting on empirical research, edited collections focussing on particular themes, and texts discussing methodological developments and issues.