There is high demand and a short supply of bilingual teachers currently in the State of California. Through qualitative interviews of novice bilingual teachers, this study aims to understand the characteristics of novice bilingual teachers and the ways in which these teachers were motivated to become bilingual educators and how they feel prepared or unprepared to teach in the bilingual classroom. Once these characteristics are understood, it will be easier for educational leaders, districts, and teacher preparation programs to recruit and fully prepare pre-service bilingual teachers, thus increasing the pool for bilingual classroom teachers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]