The quality of schooling and the teaching workforce are global issues. The author uses a futures methodology to reflect on the past and speculate on the future of initial teacher education policy. The first section looks back at initial teacher education over the last 10 years to clarify and critique the policy directions that are currently driving the preparation of the teaching workforces in England and Australia. The second section looks beyond this to speculate on key changes that are likely to impact on what will be expected of the teaching workforce in 10 years' time. Propositions on the knowledge, beliefs, values, commitments, roles and responsibilities that members of a teaching workforce might be expected to have in the future are then offered for consideration. Finally some suggestions are made as to ways in which initial teacher education could respond now to these possible changes.