Becoming an English teacher is a complex, demanding and fascinating process (cf. Manuel and Brindley, 2005; Marshall, 2000; Davies, 1996)). Subject English in recent years has become an increasingly contested ground not only in Australia, but internationally, with politicised public and professional debates around, for example, issues of literacy, standardized testing, approaches to reading, text selection and pedagogy (cf. Doecke, Howie and Sawyer, 2006). Within this context of high-profile and often highly-charged debates and bureaucratic intervention, initial teacher education programs in Australia have witnessed a surge in applications from school-leavers and others wishing to become teachers of English (Manuel and Hughes, 2006; Dinham, 2004). As colleagues responsible for the initial preparation of English teachers at the University of Sydney in Australia, we sought to more fully to understand the forces that influence and shape the pre-service English teacher's decision to teach. This paper reports on aspects of the findings of an investigation into the experiences of pre-service English teachers. The investigation was driven by these questions: what are the principal motivations for choosing to teach; what are the predominant beliefs and attitudes vis-a-vis subject English that pre-service teachers arrive with when they enter initial teacher education; and how and in what ways does the initial teacher education program challenge, affirm, deepen and broaden these values and perspectives? What are the factors that influence and determine early career choices for the prospective teacher of English; and what are the expectations of teaching English in a context that is increasingly defined by controversy and high-stakes external testing? We sought to produce qualitative data through the collection of individual narratives which asked student-teachers to describe and evaluate the key points of their professional growth. Complimenting this quantitative data were questionnaires administered at the beginning, middle and end of the English Curriculum Methodology courses: the questionnaires were designed to identify and map attitudinal change and professional development across a range of critical domains (Malmberg, 2005). This research advocates the primary role of narrative as a key research tool for both the researchers and the student-teachers, while recognising the importance of grounding such narrative accounts of professional growth within the existing literature on teacher development (cf. Connelly and Clandinin, 1990). The paper will provide contextualised accounts of pre-service English teachers' motivations, beliefs, attitudes and expectations and theorise the implications of these findings for initial teacher education programs, policy and professional development (Brookhart and Freeman, 1992).The research project investigated the attitudes, beliefs, motivations and expectations of pre-service teachers of English in Year 3 of a 5 year combined degree program at the University of Sydney, Australia. The cohort sampled consisted of 125 participants. Qualitative research methods were devised and employed to collect data on the 'how and why' of English student teachers' persepectives, prior to, at key moments during, and at the conclusion of university-based curriculum methodology studies. In the light of work by Marshall (2000) and Davies (1996) the present study drew on narrative inquiry as a methodology, gathering evidence through work samples, narrative reflections, interviews, focus groups and refelctive journals. Data were analysed and triangulated during the inquiry perdiod. In addition, quantitative instruments in the form of questionnaires, were administered at key points during the program tocollect demographic data and map attitudinal changes. The interim outcomes of this investigation indicate that student teachers of English enter pre-service teacher education programs motivated by altruistic, idealisitc and intrinsic factors. They enter the program with beliefs and attitudes that have been shaped by their prior experiences of subject English, and with expectations of achieving success as an English teacher over the longer term. The key moments of the teacher educaiton program, such as the block practicum experience, influence and challenge beliefs, attitudes and expectations in various ways, highlighting the critical role played by teacher preparation and field experience on the developing teacher. The outcomes of the research will offer deeper understandings of the process of becoming an English teacher, and potentially influence the nature, focus and design of pre and in-service development programs, both in Australian and international educational contexts. Brookhart, S.M. & Freeman, D.J. (1992) Characteristics Of Entering Teacher Candidates. Review Of Educational Research, 62 (1), 37-60. Connelly, M. & Clandinin, J. (1990). Stories Of Experience And Narrative Inquiry. Educational Researcher 19 (5). Davies, C. (1996). What is English Teaching? Buckingham: Open University Press. Dinham, S. (2004). The Changing Face Of Teaching. Professional Educator 3 (2) 2-3 Doecke, B., Howie, M., and Sawyer, W. (2006) 'only connect', Norwood: AATE Malmberg, L-E. (2005). Goal-Orientation And Teacher Motivation Among Teacher Applicants And Student Teachers. Teaching And Teacher Education, 22 (1), 58-76. Manuel, J., and Brindley, S. (2005). "The Call to Teach: Identifying Preservice Teachers' Motivations, Expectations and Key Experiences During Initial Teacher Education", English in Australia, Volume 144, Summer, pp. 61-73. Manuel, J., and Hughes, J. (2006). "It has always been my dream": Exploring pre-service teachers' motivations for choosing to teach" TEACHER DEVELOPMENT: An International Journal of Teachers' Professional Development, Volume 10, No. 1, March, pp.5-24 Marshall, B. (2000) English Teaching - The Unofficial Guide, London: Routledge/Falmer.Intertnational Educational Research Journal