This study set out to investigate the relationship between quality of work life and teacher motivation among 160 secondary school English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Tehran, Iran. In addition, 30 of the participants were randomly selected to take part in follow-up interviews which asked why they felt the way they reported. The results revealed that the participants enjoyed a medium level of quality of work life and experienced a medium-to-low level of motivation. In addition, a significant relationship was found between motivation and quality of work life categories. Furthermore, the subscales of the quality of work life that best predicted teacher motivation were identified. The findings of this study have implications for teacher educators and educational decision makers in bringing about higher levels of motivation and quality of work life among English language teachers. (Contains 6 tables.)