Traditionally, the teaching role has been one of nurturing and developing students' potential. However, teachers' work today comprises a complex mix of various factors that include teaching; learning new information and skills; keeping abreast of technological innovations and dealing with students, parents and the community. These are demanding roles and there are growing concerns about teacher well-being and competence. In particular, teachers are experiencing increasing levels of attrition, stress and burnout. This study investigated the relationship between burnout and competence for a sample of mid-career teachers in primary and secondary schools in Queensland. The results break new ground in reporting a negative association between the MBI subscale Depersonalization and competence that may be attributed to a distancing mechanism in difficult human interactions. Overall, the findings of this study hold implications for teacher training courses and the well-being and competence of teachers.