The significance and meaning of transition issues for neophyte midwives as they journey through the first year of qualified practice and interact with their social environment is explored in this study. It was a pertinent endeavour as feedback from clinical staff, at all grades, suggests that the journey can be challenging and there is scope for improvement. There is also a paucity of British research related to the study aim. An ethnographic approach was chosen as it focuses upon understanding the social meanings and activities of a given field. The approach was underpinned by an analytical realist perspective and involved the use of a reflexive framework. This framework facilitated reflexive interpretation in the light of varying contexts and exposure of the researcher Self. The purposive sample comprised seven participants and data collection included observant participation, semi-structured and unstructured interviews and use of a field diary. Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and a feel for the game provided a theoretical framework that informed data collection and analysis. As data collection took place in three phases corresponding to a continuum of transition states, a phase-led structure of analysis was employed. The analytical process was iterative in nature and culminated in emergent categories and themes and a set of dispositions that may represent the British midwifery habitus.