In the modern educational space of all regions of the Russia Federation, there is, firstly, a shortage of teaching staff, secondly, the short period of work of young teachers at school, and thirdly, a decrease in interest in the teaching profession among applicants. Managers of all levels – from school to federal, scientists, politicians – are thinking about alarming statistics. In search of a solution to this problem, an attempt has been made to scientifically comprehend the phenomenon of professional and pedagogical orientation as a personal quality that determines successful professional activity. The purpose of this publication is to actualize the problem of professional and pedagogical orientation among students of pedagogical universities, namely: clarifying the content of this concept, identifying the main psychological mechanisms, determinants, factors and conditions for the formation and development of this personal quality. The paper also attempts to empirically prove the dynamics of the development of professional and pedagogical orientation among students of the pedagogical University and the search for possible pedagogical conditions and means for managing and purposefully influencing the development of this quality during the period of students' education. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the study: content analysis of informational and journalistic materials; qualitative and semantic analysis of essays; testing, questionnaire, survey, conversation. The results obtained confirm the fears of politicians and education managers: not all graduates really plan to devote their lives to the profession of a teacher after graduation. Moreover, the results obtained confirm the dynamic nature of the professional and pedagogical orientation; its determination depends on the variability of the motives of professional choice, the image of the profession, personal experience. The article offers the main pedagogical conditions and means for the development of professional and pedagogical orientation of students, the analysis and development of which can become the tasks of further research.