This study explores the perceptions of early career STEM faculty about their teaching contexts and praxis after pursuing an accredited teaching and learning programme in an Irish university. A social realist approach using Archer's morphogenetic framework was employed to facilitate an exploration of their perceptions about teaching and the variegated responses that those perceptions produced. The study reveals the different ways in which faculty develops their teaching skills and how their work environment influences their development. The social realist approach provides a lens through which leaders of accredited programmes can understand the challenges and motivations of early career STEM faculty.