SummaryThe authors describe the development and evaluation of a teacher induction programme designed to help beginning teachers to bridge the gap between teaching as a student‐teacher and as a teacher with full responsibility for his work. In the programme experienced teachers trained by a teacher training institute give guidance to young colleagues in secondary schools. In the guidance the problems of beginning teachers with pupils are discussed and interpreted as features of cyclical processes of communication between teachers and pupils.It has become evident that the beginning teachers were in general happy with the one‐year induction programme which involved the use of teachers trained as mentors. However, effects on the teacher behaviour were not very marked.