Teaching English for academic purposes (EAP) and for specific purposes (ESP) are demanding areas in which to work. Teaching in these areas typically includes a range of tasks, such as investigating learner needs and specialist discourse, developing courses and materials in addition to classroom teaching. Therefore, teachers face a range of tasks which often require additional knowledge and skills. To date, the literature in EAP and ESP has tended to foreground the needs of learners and background the learning and knowledge needs of teachers. This plenary reviews themes in the literature on teacher education in ESP and reports on two research studies that investigated the practices and perspectives of experienced ESP and EAP teachers. Findings from the studies are discussed in relation to teacher education needs in this field.