This study examined the needs of beginning early childhood teachers in their first year of work in primary schools, kindergartens, or child care centers in Australia. The study surveyed teachers in 1988, 1989, and 1990; this paper discusses the results from the 1990 survey. Subjects were 31 teachers who responded to a questionnaire that concerned their perceptions of professional life. Teachers were also administered Fuller's Teacher Concerns Survey, which consists of an open-ended question about teachers' professional concerns. The questionnaire yielded responses which indicated that beginning teachers had a positive attitude toward their jobs, the children they taught, and their colleagues. Responses to the Teacher Concerns Survey indicated that the majority of respondents wanted to do their best, but above all, to survive in their jobs. (MM)