Germany trains migrant teachers to fill the shortage in schools
Germany is facing a severe shortage of teachers, prompting authorities to increasingly turn to migrants and refugees as part of the solution. Many newcomers were qualified teachers in their home countries, but their qualifications and experiences are not easily recognized within the German educational system. Hence, new initiatives have been launched aimed at bridging this gap and helping them return to the teaching profession.
Among the participants is Inge Pizarro Krause, a 33-year-old teacher from Chile who completed eight years of university education and gained two years of teaching experience in the city of Viña del Mar. Despite her strong qualifications, she found herself almost having to start over upon arriving in Germany, which led her to enroll in a special training program to qualify immigrant teachers to work in German schools.
Since August, Inge Pizarro Krause has been studying the German language, teaching methods, and educational sciences as part of the Lehrkräfte PLUS program. She has already gained practical experience through teaching at a vocational school, which allowed her to directly understand the nature of the educational system in Germany.
She explained that moving to Germany was frustrating, as it was not easy to convert years of previous study and work into a direct job opportunity. After years of education and professional experience, she was looking forward to a quick return to the classroom, but she faced difficulty in finding a program that would familiarize her with the German educational system. She added that the Lehrkräfte PLUS program was exactly what she was looking for.
The program lasts for twelve months and combines intensive training with practical experience in schools. Alongside Inge Pizarro Krause, 23 other teachers from countries such as Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine participate. The program is offered in the city of Cologne (Köln) and four other universities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen).
The German authorities see this program as a practical response to the growing shortage of teachers nationwide. By retraining teachers with prior educational backgrounds, Germany hopes to support its schools while also providing qualified migrants with a clear and fair pathway to return to their profession.