When looking for a teacher, more and more schools are resorting to career changers. / Image: Shutterstock
Bern/Lucerne: The new school year starts on Monday. Many schools found enough teachers, but had to make compromises. The teacher shortage has not yet been resolved.
Almost 80 children go to school in Oberthal. There is a lower, a middle and a high school. In addition, there is the entry level (kindergarten), which was previously run by two teachers together. At the end of the school year, one of the two co-class teachers resigned. The position was advertised in the spring, and despite a great deal of effort in the search, only one applicant applied. A career changer with no teaching experience.
The woman got the job and set about preparing. The longer, the more she realized: “It doesn’t fit.” A good two weeks before school started, she decided not to become a teacher after all.
Retired reactivated
Headmaster Raphael Tröhler had no choice but to advertise the position again. Oberthal can score with a family environment and a well-established staff, he says. On the other hand, the municipality has no public transport connection. Tröhler has no illusions: Finding an already trained co-class teacher is “practically impossible in the current situation”.
Because across the country there is a shortage of teachers. In mid-June, 279 positions for teachers were still vacant in the canton of Bern. According to their own statements, the authorities wrote to 2,000 retired teachers in an emergency. Professionals from other sectors were also called upon to become teachers. In some places, children created colorful job advertisements. In addition, more than 1000 students are already involved in the lessons.
In the meantime it has been possible to fill many positions. Yesterday, Wednesday, 25 permanent and 18 temporary jobs were still open in the canton of Bern. In the worst case, the affected schools have to combine classes or cancel offers. In the canton of Lucerne, a class teacher and some specialist and support teachers were still being sought at the beginning of the week.
career changers addressed
In order to counteract the shortage of teachers, both Lucerne and Bern rely on career changers, among other things. The authorities emphasize that it is important to support them in their everyday lives and to offer them training opportunities. “That requires a lot of effort for the school management, the class teachers and the staff,” says Rebecca Holzer from the Bernese Education and Culture Directorate. “On the other hand, we have received feedback that these newcomers are particularly motivated and can be an asset to the school.”
The Berufsverband Bildung Bern is committed to ensuring that children are taught by trained people. Other professions – such as medicine – should only be practiced by qualified people, says Anna-Katharina Zenger from Bildungs Bern. Teachers who do not catch up on their training are probably the first to leave the school if there are enough staff.
Lots of students, but…
Bildungs Bern sees several reasons for the shortage of teachers: the increasing number of students and the wave of baby boomers retiring, but also “the neglected adjustment of the framework conditions, an excessive burden on teachers and – in an intercantonal comparison – wages that are not consistently competitive”. The headmaster of Oberthal, Raphael Tröhler, puts it this way: “The classes are too big and the canton needs to support the schools better.” For example, by granting more team teaching lessons.
Despite this, many young people still want to become teachers and study at Bern University of Education. “It is important that the trainees then actually start teaching and teach long periods of time,” points out Anna-Katharina Zenger from Bildungs Bern. That is why working conditions need to be improved.
This also applies to the cantons. Bern acts (see text on the right). Lucerne has also just commissioned an analysis of employment conditions, training and further education opportunities and the stress on teachers. From this, the authorities want to “derive measures on how the teaching profession could be made more attractive again”.
Yet another happy ending
And in Oberthal? In fact, five applicants responded to the job advertisement two weeks before the start of the new school year. Among them are two young women with no teaching experience, but both of whom have already gained experience with children as caregivers. One of the two has now been given the job – and can start right away on Monday. Together with the previous co-class teacher, she will teach in a team and will be introduced to the teaching profession step by step.
“We are relieved,” says headmaster Raphael Tröhler. “Very relieved.”
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