The study aims to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) pre-service teachers' conceptions of the characteristics of an effective EFL teacher. Additionally, the study attempts to evaluate the role of EFL teacher education programs on EFL PTs' perceptions of being an effective EFL teacher. The data were collected through concept maps from a group of EFL pre-service teachers attending the same teacher-education program, focus group interviews with 20 pre-service teachers selected randomly from the participant group, and the researcher's notes taken throughout the study. All of the data sources were analyzed through content and frequency analyses. The results indicate that the most important among all characteristics of being an effective EFL teacher, the EFL PTs depict the profile of an effective EFL teacher as having the necessary language skills to be able to use English fluently and accurately in the classroom. Additionally, the EFL PTs referred to the personality traits of effective EFL teachers as being patient, helpful and humorous with good relationships with their students. When the differences between the grades of the teacher education program were considered, both the frequency levels of the emerging themes of the concept maps and the content of the interviews displayed differences in terms of theme distribution indicating that there was not a gradual development in the conceptions of the EFL PTs. Further, it was revealed that EFL PTs reflected on the priorities and the requirements of the courses offered in the EFL teacher education program depending on their grades rather than demonstrating a holistic understanding of an effective EFL teacher.