This article attempts to clarify some of the problems and challenges currently met by the teaching profession in special education, in particular those relating to why students choose to study special needs education and what they expect to learn. There are two major reasons why students choose to become a "special needs" teacher: to help those who underachieve in the classroom and to improve their qualifications for the labour market. This investigation also shows that students expect teacher training to offer methodological guidance on how to intervene as special education teachers. The answers proposed are connected to different theoretical perspectives in the special needs area, so that challenges met when implementing inclusive education are highlighted. These findings emphasise that it is in fact special needs teaching's own tradition and practice that impede working towards an inclusive education. (Contains 2 figures.)