Career change student teachers enter teacher education programmes with different needs, capabilities and aspirations from those of their school-leaver counterparts. These differences come into stark contrast during professional experience, when student teachers spend extensive periods in schools as part of their teacher education programme. This article reports on the findings of an Australia-wide survey of 508 career change student teachers from 29 Australian universities. The respondents commented in particular on the struggles of juggling financial, family-related and study demands during their professional experience and raised some particular concerns for women. The article proposes recommendations for schools, supervising teachers and teacher education institutions that might improve this cohort's school experiences.