The global expansion of English has raised a call for English-language teachers around the world to frame English as an international language (EIL). This is especially true in rapidly developing contexts such as China, where teachers are expected to prepare learners to engage effectively in intercultural interactions. As such, the present study sought to investigate pre-service English teachers' beliefs about EIL and the impact of teacher education on informing these beliefs. Data were gathered from an online EIL perceptions questionnaire delivered to 75 Chinese pre-service English teachers who, at the time, were studying for an MA TESOL degree in the UK. Follow-up, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants. The findings indicate that although the participants generally held positive beliefs about EIL, and the MA programme had played a critical role in favourably influencing these beliefs, they were misaligned with the participants' imagined implementation in their future teaching practices. This misalignment suggests that the transition from theory to practice is often complex and is likely an issue that many teachers in similar situations experience. Thus, suggestions for future research are proposed alongside practical ideas for educators regarding how to integrate EIL into their teaching.