Teacher quality is a central issue in the provision of languages. This paper reports on a study that examines teachers' perceptions of the obstacles to creating a well-prepared and wellsupported languages teaching force. In one-on-one interviews, teachers of Turkish in Australia identified the essential knowledge base, understanding, and skills of high-quality teachers of Turkish, emphasising command of formal and informal Turkish, fluency in English, relevant professional preparation, knowledge of language pedagogy, understanding of the Australian school culture, and ability to establish connections with students and the broader community. Problems with the quality of teachers of Turkish were attributed to inadequate language-specific professional development and current school practices in hiring and rehiring teachers. Recommendations to improve teacher selection included relying on an independent committee to review candidates' linguistic and pedagogical knowledge, experience, and interest in teaching Turkish. Participants suggested that teachers' engagement with professional development and progress toward obtaining teaching credentials should be considered in annual performance evaluation and rehiring decisions. Viable ideas to enhance language-specific professional development included capitalising on seasoned teachers' knowledge and facilitating professional exchanges among teachers via an interactive website. The study has important implications for successful uptake of "The Australian Curriculum: Languages" pertaining to professional preparation and ongoing support of languages teachers, for Turkish and other languages.