The life and professional experiences of vocational teachers in Sweden are at the centre of this study. Vocational teachers are greatly influential in shaping their students into professionals. The specific life experiences of vocational teachers can play an important role in preparing vocational students for their future professional lives. This study investigates the different themes that emerge from the teachers’ professional life stories regarding the term professional skills. Through life story interviews with four vocational teachers I could see that professional skills do not only involve the tangible work done in the profession (for example, welding, turning or milling), but there are also other skills that vocational students should acquire to become successful professionals. In this article, I show what other skills the vocational teachers may emphasize and how these other skills can be understood in relation to vocational teachers’ previous experiences.