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Recognition of Teacher Qualifications and Teaching Opportunities in
Germany
Craig Childers, Language Program Coordinator
Goethe-Institut Washington
Our Mission
To promote the German
language as a foreign and
second language.
To promote international cultural
cooperation.
To convey a comprehensive
picture of Germany by providing
information about Germany’s
cultural, social and political life.
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At a Glance
■ 149 locations worldwide
■ 136 institutes in 91 countries
■ 10 liaison offices
■ 13 institutes in Germany
■ Non-governmental organization (NGO)
■ Provides services on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany
■ Headquarters in Munich
■ Capital office in Berlin
■ 2.800 employees worldwide
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Locations worldwide
Goethe-Institut – Ein weltumspannendes Netzwerk
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Locations in Germany
and Europe
Goethe-Institut – Ein weltumspannendes Netzwerk
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An American Teacher in Germany
■ Is there recognition of foreign teaching credentials in Germany?
Jein!
■ The Federal Republic of Germany is, as its full name indicates, a
federation of states (Bundesländer), not wholly unlike the United
States of America, when it comes to teacher certification.
■ At the university level, there are more opportunities and less red
tape. PhD-holders are judged exclusively on the quality of their
research, their reputation and the demand for their talents in highdemand fields.
7
EFL Teaching Opportunities
■ Foreign Language Teaching Assistantships for recent college
graduates (Fulbright, US State Department)
■ Private Language Schools (Wall Street Institute, Berlitz, etc.)
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International Schools
■ Every major city in Germany hosts at least one “international
school”
■ Typically, this type of school is a private, independent, K-12, USaccredited school catering to a primarily expatriate clientele
■ A Master’s degree, K-12 certification from any US state and two
years of experience will pre-qualify you to begin applying for jobs
throughout Germany and all over the world (these qualifications are
equivalent to German teaching qualifications)
■ www.iss.edu
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Department of Defense Schools
■ The DoD also operates dozens of schools in Germany, which are
actively recruiting teachers from the US
■ DoD schools provide quality education for the children of military
and eligible civilian personnel stationed around the world
■ Competitive salaries and great benefits available at schools in
Germany and beyond
■ www.dodea.edu/offices/hr/onlineapplication/default.htm
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Teaching at German Public Schools
■ Having your credentials recognized in Germany will be a long and
difficult process
■ Decide which Bundesland you’d like to work in and focus on that
state’s requirements/process
■ Having your qualifications certified/recognized is no guarantee of
employment
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Teaching at German Public Schools
■ There is a shortage of teachers in Germany: some estimate a
shortage of 45,000 teachers for the 2010/2011 school year
■ In conjunction with the ongoing discussions about integration, the
topic of recognizing immigrants’ qualifications is being
discussed/debated at the state and national levels
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The Future is Bright
■ Currently only 49% of welleducated immigrants in Germany
are working in a highly-qualified
job, v.s. 70% of native-born
Germans
(http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print
/d-74549658.html)
■ Studies have shown and state
boards of education recognize
both the advantages and dire
shortage of immigrants as
teachers in the classrooms
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Best Practice Example: TAP
■ The Teacher Acquisition
Program (TAP) in NRW is a
program to recruit native English
speakers to English-language
Immersion schools in NRW to
teach EFL, as well as content
classes in the subject areas of
Biology, History and Geography.
■ Good German skills are required.
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TAP Guidelines
■ Who can apply?
■ Which degree is required?
■ How do I apply?
■ How much can I earn?
■ Answers to these questions and more:
www.schulministerium.nrw.de/TAP/jspsrc/tap/daten/guideline.pdf
■ Again: the existence of such programs does not guarantee the
availability of job openings
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Going Forward
■ To meet its current needs and to stay competitive, Germany needs
to reform its teacher qualification recognition policies
■ Due to the decentralized state-based education system in Germany,
this will take time
■ Innovative states and states where there is a need for highlyqualified English native-speaker teachers, whether as EFL teachers
or content teachers in Immersion schools, will achieve the best
results with special programs such as TAP
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More information?
www.goethe.de
■ 250,000 webpages
■ 15,000,000 internet hits
per month
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Vielen Dank für Ihre
Aufmerksamkeit!