The ADEA has a position description for a diabetes educator which encompasses the wide ranging facets of the diabetes educator role. An online survey of diabetes educators from the ADEA membership sought details and descriptions about the way diabetes educators undertake their role. The aim was to determine diabetes educators’ perspectives about the teaching and learning (education) component of their role and to explore how closely their perspectives were aligned with the ADEA position description. Two hundred and twelve members responded; 93% were female, 79% were over forty years and 34% worked in the role of diabetes educator full-time. Most were employed in the public hospital sector (46.7%), with most reporting they spend 50% of their day on client education. Each Australian state and territory was represented proportionately to the ADEA membership distribution. Respondents described their role using analogies such as a guide, coach, friend, parent and teacher. The analogies provided reflected different perspectives such as an archaeologist, orchestra conductor, snow skier and a Google search. Forty six percent identified elements such as acknowledgement of the client independence and autonomy within the analogies. Education (48%), counselling (43%), clinical care (24%) and health promotion (24%) also featured prominently in the descriptions. The findings indicate a majority of respondents (95%) have the desire to provide individualised, age, gender and culturally specific education but identified a lack of time and resources as inhibiting factors. This paper will provide evidence that diabetes educators hold positive perspectives about their role in education but they are not always aligned with the ADEA position description and the aims of self management in diabetes education.