Elementary teachers in Senegal, unlike those in the West, are not professionals in the full sense of the term. They do not have a high level of qualification, their margin of autonomy is narrow and yet the institution asks them to be part of a dynamic of self-training like their western colleagues to develop their professional skills. This article examines the individual and collective learning strategies that Senegalese teachers develop in this context, which are based on the sense of initiative and transgression of certain rules.