The article is devoted to the problem of the professional development of teachers, and the major approaches for addressing this issue are presented in the paper. The first approach assumes that the personality plays a determining role and that one’s profession is selected according to the characteristic features of one’s personality. The second approach asserts that profession has a significant influence on personality and determines the development of the qualities necessary for the profession. The basic concepts of ‘professional development’and ‘professional self-development’are discussed. The professional development of teachers is associated with the formation of motives for professional activity and professional abilities and competences. The professional development of teachers is closely connected with their personal development. It leads to the self-movement toward the needs, motives, goals and tasks of teachers. The dynamics of this process depend on the teacher’s activity, initiative, responsibility, self-regulation and self-determination. The professional development of teachers is not only a process but also the result of increasing his/her self-organisation, self-assertion and self-realisation in the social, cultural and professional environment. The authors conclude professional development continues throughout the professional life of a teacher, which starts at moment of professional self-determination.