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The thesis of this article is that the external demands placed on teacher education at the present time, combined with inherent professional needs of teachers and student teachers, create a nearly impossible situation for teacher educators. The article starts with a brief analysis of some of the external demands and constraints on teacher education: globalization, professionalization, and the call of many experts to teach for understanding. These external demands are exacerbated by teachers' needs for certainty and control, and the frequent gaps between teachers' professional self-images and the demands of their teaching contexts also contribute to the complexities of the role of teacher educators. The article concludes with a discussion of the societal implications of the current situation.

Teacher educators prepare future teachers, and their own professional development is essential for successful teaching and learning in schools. Our study aims at understanding teacher educators' professional development (TEPD) from the unique perspective of a group of educators who are regularly involved in planning, managing and implementing varied professional development programs for teacher educators. Data analysis was performed along the lines of the 'grounded theory' traditions in qualitative research. Working theories were derived from the participants' statements as to the preferable course of TEPD. These evolved around three mental images of the professionally well-developed teacher educator: the model pedagogue; the reflective, self-studying practitioner; and the developer of professional identities. These three working theories were followed by a fourth one relating to TEPD from the teacher educators' own point of view. The implications of this study for teacher educators and teacher education are discussed in the paper. Background and rationale