Student success in learning a second or a foreign language and its link to motivation have been widely acknowledged (Crookes & Schmidt, 1991; Dörnyei, 1994). However, in contrast, the association between student learning and teacher motivation has received significantly less attention from the research community. In order to better understand this relationship from a socio-cultural perspective, this article focuses on the intrinsic link between teacher identity and beliefs about self and learners' motivation in those contexts where English is taught as a second language (L2). To achieve this, this study draws upon research into teacher professional identity, which identifies the interrelationship between teaching practices and learner motivation. Our starting point is the work of Dörnyei (1998), who has long argued that the link between teacher and learner motivation has been neglected and under-developed as a research topic. Consequently, the focus of our article is not on motivation in general terms; rather it focuses on the nature of teacher and learner motivation with respect to learning within socio-cultural settings such as L2 classrooms. According to Dörnyei's (2009) theory of L2 Motivational Self System, there are three main sources of motivation in second language learning. These are: the Ideal L2 Self, or learners' image of themselves as effective learners; the Ought-to L2 Self, such as learner desires and social environment satisfaction; and the positive L2 Learning Experience (Hadfield & Dörnyei, 2013, p.2-3). This ‘motivational Self' System defines the L2 learner self through three reflective ‘visions', which are: • What we might become • What we would like to become • What we are afraid of becoming (Hadfield & Dörnyei, 2013, p. 2) All three ‘vision' statements relate to an individual's identity, and it is this aspect which provides the link to our work on the development of teacher identity and teachers' envisioned present and future selves. These selves, which are seen crucial in the formation and development of teacher identity (Kelchtermans, 1993), enable the exploration of teacher's self-image, and through that, its relationship with both teacher and learner motivation.