Language Teaching Research Quarterly

Language teaching and teaching through language have undergone a standardization process all over Europe. In the Spanish context, a myriad of programs has emerged in the last ten years whose main aim is to guarantee a plurilingual education. That means implementing and consolidating European directives on the matter from the Council of Europe. Universities have joined this trend in their need for internationalization. This contribution analyses pre-service teachers’ perceptions on their English Foreign Language level and the professional requirements regarding language competence in the current context in which language is a key aspect in education at any level. In spite of the fact that most students (95.5%) consider that a language teacher should master the language (C1 CEFR level or at least B2), some of them (19.3%) acknowledge not having any language accreditation yet, and most are in between B1 and B2 (70%). Therefore, there is a lack of consistency between their real language level and their perception of what is needed in order to be a successful primary education language teacher. Unquestioningly, their desired level is above their real competence, that is the reason why they plan to continue their English studies once they finish their university degree.