While it is generally acknowledged that the first years of teaching are the most difficult, little is known about the development of subject matter specialists during this period. In order to add to the knowledge in this area, the present study explores the first year of 114 secondary science teachers as they participate in one of four different induction programmes. The data collected in this study consist of observations of practice, and of interviews about beliefs, pedagogical content knowledge and experiences throughout the year. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that, as a group, the beginning teachers held teacher-centred practices, beliefs, and pedagogical content knowledge. Analysis by induction programme, however, revealed that teachers who participated in science-specific induction programmes significantly changed their beliefs and used more investigations in their classroom lessons than did their peers in the other induction programmes. Moreover, the physical proximity of colleagues was also important to the well-being of beginning teachers. This study supports the development of science-specific induction programmes, and provides evidence that the composition of the programme and the assigned location of the new teacher are important factors during a teacher's first year. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.)