This study investigates how pre-service teachers understand their caring role and their potential responsibility to care for students. The authors conclude that it was shown that within an Australian teaching and learning context ‘care’ was valued among these pre-service secondary teachers. However, the findings identified student tensions around discipline, boundary issues as well as anxiety about decision-making when faced with various caring dilemmas. Furthermore, the results revealed that these anxieties were underpinned by concerns about the limited training in this area.