Current Business and Economics Driven Discourse and Education: Perspectives from Around the World BCES Conference Books, 2017, Volume 15. Sofia: Bulgarian Comparative Education Society ISSN 1314-4693 (print), ISSN 2534-8426 (online), ISBN 978-619-7326-00-0 (print), ISBN 978-619-7326-01-7 (online) © 2017 Bulgarian Comparative Education Society (BCES) 59 Part 2 Teacher Education Jana Kalin, Renata Čepić & Barbara Šteh Status of Teachers and the Teaching Profession: A Study of Elementary School Teachers’ Perspectives Abstract In scientific literature a large number of different conceptual definitions of status found that can be applied as a framework for the analysis of different professions although it should be noted that there is no single, universally accepted, unambiguous definition or theoretical construct. For example, Haralambos (1994) defined reputation as the amount of respect and honor associated with social status, characteristics of an individual and his or her lifestyle, while social status, as a determined position in the society that includes a certain role, is a set of standards that define the behavior expected of members of a certain status. In this paper, we will try to establish what points of view elementary school teachers hold regarding the reputation of the teaching profession in the society and how they rank the level of reputation of elementary teachers in relation to the reputation of other professions. Keywords: elementary school teacher, status of teachers, reputation, professionalism, teaching profession Introduction From a review of available studies on professionalism and the status of teachers (Hargreaves & Goodson, 1996; Hargreaves et al., 2006; Hoyle, 2001; Monteiro, 2015; Sachs, 2003, and others) it is noticeable that a large number of definitions of the term status point to its complexity as well as its diverse and ambiguous nature. Monteiro (2015, p. 56) highlighted that the highest level of professionalism is applied to professions that have the highest social importance, responsibility and recognition, which correspond to the ideal type of professional models. In recent decades, questions of the teaching profession, professionalism, and the need for professionalism in the context of the teaching profession and development of quality education have been in the center of educational experts’ attention. Results of recent research undoubtedly show that the students’ achievement greatly depends on the process of learning and teaching, but also on the teachers’ role (Day, 2013; Day, Sammons, Stobart, Kington & Gu, 2007; Monteiro, 2015; Vizek Vidović & Velkovski, 2013 et al.). Although the teaching profession has changed considerably over the last few decades, and continues to be faced with defining themselves in relation to other