This article explores the subject leader’s role in the professional development of beginning
teachers. Rather than focusing only on beginning teachers’ perspectives as previous
research has done, the topic is approached via the multiple perspectives of teachers in a
secondary school department in Vietnam drawn from surveys and interviews. Insights
from career stage theory and the concept of power distance are applied to uncover
differing expectations from beginning teachers, other teachers and subject leaders
regarding the latter’s role in professional development. This research adds to the
understanding of the subject leader’s role in the professional development of beginning
teachers which is sensitive to both culture and context. It calls for further research within
the under- researched context of Vietnamese schools.