This article considers the impact of a masters' level professional development course about higher education teaching on participants from a UK research-intensive university. Drawing upon in-depth interview data, this article explores the perspectives and experiences of the participants, locating their responses within broader notions of teacher identity work and departmental, institutional and wider system-level policies and practices. Three main findings are discussed: personal and professional change, the value of critical interdisciplinarity and how developing an emphasised teaching identity for some individuals can be a "poisoned chalice". This article concludes by considering the implications of these findings for course development, institutional strategy and the Higher Education Academy's Professional Standards Framework.