Application-oriented universities are new types of undergraduate education promoted by China's economic modernization and higher education popularization.As a basic course,college English course plays an important role in cultivating application-oriented top talents with an international perspective.This research adopts semi-structured interview method,interviews college English teachers at different stages of development,and further studies the characteristics of each stage as well as the problems and confusions faced by teachers,so as to explore effective strategies for the professional development of college English teachers in application-oriented universities.