We identified the prerequisites for teacher educators in East Africa through a comparative analysis of the content of open recruitment documents for teacher educators in Malawi and comparable information from Zambia. In addition, we contrasted the results with three Southeast Asian countries: Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Upon tabulating the information, we found that regarding the role of teacher educators in all five countries we studied, we observed the terms “researcher” and “teacher of teachers.” Further, there are gradations in the way these roles are required. Based on the above findings, the direction of professional development for teacher educators in Thailand̶where the role of a “teacher of teachers” is needed, for example̶includes training related to student guidance, improving teaching skills, and mentoring. Conversely, in Cambodia, Malawi, and Zambia, where the role of “teacher of teachers” is required, it will be essential to take steps to support teacher educators’ research activities.