This research reports on the experiences of higher education English language teachers who teach as critical pedagogues. The aim was to discover the key challenges of critical pedagogy and how this practice is understood. Thirteen teachers from higher education institutions around the world were interviewed and all had a clear agenda for greater social justice. Eleven had to contend with the criticism that critical pedagogues indoctrinate students and they recognised that this was difficult to avoid in such a distinct ideological space. Teachers endeavoured to withhold their own political views from students while accepting a certain degree of risk not normally associated with teaching a language. For some teachers, the impact of exposing students to culturally challenging political ideas was not fully considered and in general, the long-term impact of its social and linguistic goals remains unknown and should be a goal for future research.