A shortage of teachers in Western Pomerania: Lateral entrants urgently wanted!

A shortage of teachers in Western Pomerania: Lateral entrants urgently wanted!

In the Uecker-Randow region, the schools are like a puzzle without the right parts-the teachers are missing almost everywhere. The State School Authority went on a tour of the Vorpommern-Greifswald district to win both specialists and side entrants to the teaching profession. A job exchange recently took place at the regional school Ernst Thälmann in Eggesin, who attracted numerous interested parties. Marit Schindler from the Greifswald school office was on site and welcomed representatives of the schools as well as potential applicants who were interested in the challenges and opportunities of the teacher profession.

One of the interests, 25-year-old Johanna Westphal, has already brings experience as an integration assistant and in a children's dance group. However, the situation is serious among schools such as that in Eggesin: headmistress Kathleen Krumück complains about seven missing teachers and five vacancies who urgently need to be staffed. We are looking for personnel for Germans, history, mathematics, physics and computer science in particular. Applicants with a completed master's degree and special subject combinations such as biology and chemistry have the best cards here.

challenges and qualifications

The attitude of side entrants are explicitly promoted, but Schindler notes that teaching at a regional school is not without challenges. In order to make it easier to get started, internships are offered that can give applicants valuable insights into the teaching profession. In addition, Schindler emphasizes the high need for teachers in the region and provides information about the various opportunities for teacher training, including a modular qualification series that imparts essential foundations.

The shortage of teachers in Germany has increased significantly in recent years. In many federal states, such as in Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, almost every second attitude with people without formal teaching training was carried out in 2024. The Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) estimates that more than 17,400 teachers will be missing by 2024. The situation is particularly tense in the eastern federal states: an upcoming wave of retirement will lead to an urgent need for new hires and at the same time increasing number of pupils, due to a baby boom in the 2010s, gives schools to their limits.

a strong imbalance

A look at the statistics shows that in the school year 2022/2023 9.8 % of teachers at general education schools without recognized teaching examination, an increase of 5.6 % in the school year 2012/2013. In vocational schools, the proportion of cross and side entrants also increased to 21.2 %without formal qualifications. This development is the result of a long -term training deficit and large regional differences in teacher training, where each federal state decides to cover your own needs.

The future does not look rosy; This problem will probably also shape the coming years. The Bertelsmann Foundation, for example, predicts an overhang of 45,800 primary school teachers by 2035. Between 2023 and 2024, most children have started school since 2003, which further heated up the demand for teachers. Due to these diverse factors, the shortage of teachers will be particularly exhausted in secondary level I and at vocational schools in the next few years.

In this tense situation, career changers such as Johanna Westphal can play an important role when it comes to filling the gaps in the classrooms. Openness and the will to work with children are essential prerequisites that should bring willing applicants.