This study aimed to analyze the professional trajectory of Physical Education (PE) teachers. The formative and professional routes of four PE teachers, with more than twenty-five years of professional activity in state schools in the city of Florianopolis were investigated. To analyze the teaching trajectory it was used three sources of information: a) semi-structured interviews with the PE teachers; b) semi-structured interviews with three workmates; c) documental analysis. The technique of content analysis was used for information analysis. The results revealed that the teachers, by the same time they had different positive experiences during their initial training, they had very similar negative experiences, emphasizing the distance between University's experiences and the reality of public schools. As a strategy to continue in the formative course, teachers made post-graduation courses, for expertise and professional improvement. The start in the career made possible feelings of survive and discovery, emphasizing the contrast to the reality. During professional journey, they received activities of reliance at schools they worked. The hard disinvestment predominates in the professional journey of only one teacher, but the other demonstrated to wait for retirement in a soft way. Concerning expectations related to the retirement, they intend to develop different professional activities, but not returning to teaching activities.
Professional formation; Career start; Teacher life cycles; Retirement