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This position paper compares the evolution of the teaching profession in England and the USA from the perspective of reforms that have redefined the role of the state and given rise to new management techniques under the influence of supranational organizations. The teaching profession has recently regained social prestige, but has also lost many of its members in these two countries. This paper explores the choices made, the direct supervision of schools and teachers in England, and indirect control of the profession in the USA. It also investigates training objectives between economic imperatives and the cult of performance. The problems of certification are emphasized at a time when the school system and universities are being reformed. The situation varies according to country. In England, the state has defined professional skills and increased the technical and procedural aspects of training schemes. In the United States, deregulation has led to increased territorial inequalities in the access to and practice of the job, the dismantling of academic training, and to recourse to private providers, who give low-cost certification to teachers in tough classes. The impact of reforms on the organization of schools, the work of teachers and its recognition, and the school atmosphere have brought about the early burn-out of an increasing number of young American and English teachers.