This article explores music conservatoire undergraduates' career aspirations and notions of their pedagogical training, through biographical interviews with 16 students from the School of Wind and Percussion, Royal Northern College of Music. Findings suggest that pedagogical training, which begins in the second college year, serves as a catalyst for changes in career orientation. Students begin, however, with limited intention of teaching. Performance is commonly their focus at the outset. Furthermore, boundaries are perceived between conservatoires which offer elite performance training, and those with a broader curricular base. The practicalities of attracting future students, whilst offering apt and substantial pedagogical erudition within a performance-centred arena, are explored.