This series of six articles is inspired by themes arising from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM 2023) State of Midwifery Education report. The series explores the current landscape and challenges in educating the future midwifery workforce, particularly those that relate to the Higher Education (HE) workforce itself. This fourth article in the series looks at what it’s really like to work in midwifery education vs as a midwife. The challenges associated with transition, remuneration, workload, casual working and the breadth of the midwifery education role are examined, particularly in comparison to other disciplines within higher education. We explore how educators can be better supported in their training of the future midwifery workforce, whilst assuring their own progression and equal treatment in an increasingly competitive and tightly regulated sector.