The closer the end of the school years at the Gymnasium approaches, the more the question arises: What now? At this stage of their lives, many students experience uncertainty and ask themselves many questions about what to do next.
This includes of course Question about professional orientationDo I want to become a teacher? I want to go into business? How about lawyer? Or should I sign up for the military service??
This list could be continued forever.
Even once you have successfully passed an entrance or final exam and have a permanent job in your pocket, it is still not clear in which direction your future will develop.
Where will I be in 20 years?? Under what conditions will I teach? How much will I earn .
The professional life makes up about 40 years of our existence and often requires years of study – so nothing should be taken lightly.
All those for whom the teaching profession is also a Appointment should therefore be aware of the Opportunities for development and career advancement Think about it.
And who knows – maybe also about how it looks like with the topic of private tutoring .
How do I actually become a teacher??
The requirement to become a teacher in Germany Graduating from a teaching degree program.
This study is regulated differently from state to state, because teacher training in this country is the responsibility of the states.
While in Bavaria or Hesse you can finish your studies with the 1. State Exam completes, one attains in Thuringia or North Rhine-Westphalia at the end the academic degree of "Master of Education".
You can study at either a university, a college of education, or a college of art or physical education.
In order to be able to take up the teacher training course at all, there are certain Admission restrictions: the Abitur average as well as, if applicable. An aptitude test, language tests and orientation internships.
To become a teacher in Germany, you need to have a university degree. | Source: Pixabay
But a successfully completed degree is still not enough to become a teacher.
After the 1. State examination or. Master’s degree follows 18 to 24 months of traineeship, which you can do with the 2. State examination completes.
As Referendar, by the way, you earn approx. 1.000 Euro gross monthly and you are "civil servant on revocation" until the end of your traineeship.
Only then do you apply for advertised teaching positions. Some teachers are also taken on directly after their traineeship, but this depends on the needs of the school.
But how can one Career advancement, once you have landed a position?
Learn more in the next section or discover how you can start tutoring today!
Which chances of promotion do I have as a teacher??
Good career prospects for the next generation exist in Germany, especially for vocational school teachers for technical subjects as well as for teachers of the so-called STEM subjects and Latin.
Overall, there is currently an acute shortage of teachers in Germany, which is why even career changers and lateral entrants currently sometimes have good chances of becoming a teacher.
The less good news? Once you’ve landed a job as a teacher, the chances of promotion are quite limited. Often young teachers have to wait until an older colleague retires.
Depending on the type of school, there are different development opportunities for teachers.
At Hauptschulen and Realschulen, promotion opportunities are scarce, as there are fewer management and coordination positions here. Vocational school teachers usually have better chances of obtaining a management position – and thus more money.
Compared to other types of schools there are Gymnasiums more "rungs on the career ladder", after all, here you usually need more coordination and organization staff. Accordingly, the Career prospects rosier.
Teachers at the Gymnasium have the best prospects for promotion. | Source: Pixabay
The possibilities for professional development thus differ considerably depending on the school and its respective needs.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, there are the following career opportunities for a Gymnasium director Promotion levels:
- Study Council: z. B. Grammar school teacher
- Chief Academic Officer: z. B. Person responsible for coordinating student exchange programs or subject leader (spokesperson for a subject area; organizational and administrative tasks, etc.)
- Director of Studies: z. B. Seminar leader, who, in addition to normal teaching duties, is responsible for supervising student teachers and coordinating their tasks
- Oberstudiendirektor: principal or deputy principal of a grammar school
Each of these functions corresponds to a different grade, so you can also improve your earnings through promotion (see more on this in the next chapter).
However, you have to be aware that a promotion usually means less teaching time because you have to do more organizational work.
By the way, salaried teachers usually have less chances for promotion, since (with the exception of Berlin and Saxony, where teachers are no longer civil servants) positions with leadership responsibilities are generally civil servant are.
This brings us to the next topic: The difference between civil servants and employees in the teaching profession and the impact on salary.
Salary and status differences among teachers
As already mentioned, a distinction is made between Civil servants and Teachers as public employees. Whether, how and when you have the prospect of becoming a civil servant is regulated by each federal state itself.
The civil service status
With a permanent position you may get. the offer for a lifetime. Basically, you have to meet the following criteria to be considered for a civil service career:
- An academic Teaching degree and a successfully completed traineeship,
- An official Certificate of good conduct without a criminal record,
- A certain Seniority,
- A medical certificate about health suitability.
What do salaried and civil servant teachers earn?
Not only are the chances of promotion usually more promising for civil servants, but they are also better off in terms of income. Basically, however, it must be said that teachers in Germany earn well in international comparison.
The gross salary of civil servants is similar to that of salaried teachers.
However, they pay no pension, nursing care or unemployment insurance; say, you have more net left. In addition to the lower pay, there are also Privileges like permanency and allowances for own children.
Civil servants receive a so-called "pay", employees receive a salary, which is regulated by the collective agreement of the federal states (TV-L).
There are different grade or. Pay grades, depending on the type of job you get and depending on the type of school and – how could it be otherwise – the state in which you teach.
The salary of a teacher (whether civil servant or employee) increases over the years of service. Because within a grade resp. Pay group still exists different levels of experience.
That is, without having risen to a different position or. having been promoted, your monthly earnings increase with time.
Last but not least, the pay also depends on the type of school: For example, elementary school teachers often complain that they are paid less than high school or vocational school teachers, and for the same length of study.
Usually civil servants start in grade A12, if you are promoted to Studienrat you would be in grade A13 and a Oberstudiendirektor is in grade A16. In NRW If this were equivalent to a gross salary of around 3.450, 4.120 or. 5.450 euros (in each case experience level 1).
In Thuringia In 2017, the salary in group A12 was around 3.280 euros, in group A13 at 3.950 and in group A16 at just under 5460 euros.
And in Berlin, where it as said There are no civil servants, the starting salary for salaried employees in the same year in pay grade E11 was around 4.600 and in group E13 at 5.170 euros gross.
In summary, it can be said that Salary as a teacher depends on four factors: civil servant or employee status, type of school, work experience and region.
Whoever becomes a teacher in Germany does not automatically earn the same amount as his or her colleagues. | Source: Pixabay
Criticism of the current situation
The system of civil servants in Germany comes under criticism again and again. So it is said by some teachers that due to the heavy regulation in the teaching profession little scope for creativity and lateral thinking give.
The official suggest an apparent (resp. financial) security, which, however, does not necessarily ensure greater satisfaction.
A teacher from Wuppertal even renounced his civil servant status in 2013 because he felt it was a restriction and a "professional standstill".
As an alternative, he suggested an allowance based on the Commitment of teachers directs. And he is thus not the only one who demands performance-related earnings for teachers.
There are dissenting voices z. B. among the unions, who do not believe that such a bonus system would be transferable to a social profession such as teaching. Rather, teachers would need a intrinsic motivation for their job.
For all those who have such a motivation Side job as a teacher for private lessons perhaps a useful addition – if you are interested, you should also know the differences in income between private teachers and government service.
Contribute with private tutoring to your wallet and your own satisfaction
The Financial conditions become a teacher dictated by the state and apply to rural as well as urban areas.
2.500 Euro net are in the country maybe double compared to the same amount in a medium-sized city or triple of what you spend in big cities like Munich or Hamburg.
So if the financial benefits as a civil servant or simply the salary as a salaried teacher are not enough (especially if you might be the sole breadwinner in a family), it can be quite attractive for a teacher to, Giving private tutoring, provided that the workload allows it.
As a teacher in the civil service it is quite allows a self-employed side job to practice, this is regulated by law.
Provided that you meet all the requirements, it is indeed sufficient Approval with the school management to apply for. You even have the right of approval, a refusal must be clearly justified!
Depending on how much you are involved in family or hobbies and how much time you have available, it can be up to one fifth of your total working time for the side job as a teacher and give private tutoring.
Of course, you have to declare such self-employment properly (as a rule, one is Teacher for tutoring freelance on the road); all it takes is a trip to the tax office and a little patience to fill out a form.
Find tutoring students relatively easy: use your private and professional contacts or contact a specialized tutoring provider (z. B. private tutoring).
To offer more attractive prices and as few as possible intermediaries to interpose, can itself however a registration with an Tutoring platform or the advertisement Classified ad worthwhile.
If you feel limited in the teaching profession, private tutoring may be a chance for development. | Source: Pixabay
As a teacher in the public sector, you have a secure and crisis-proof job and clearly specified salary increases commensurate with seniority.
You have the certainty to have a better salary at the end of your career, regardless of the economic situation.
But we understand that as a teacher, you don’t want to wait until the end of your career to have a higher income.
Therefore, a extra income by helping with homework (z. B. Online tutoring give, German as a foreign language teach, tutoring in math, etc.) a very interesting side job for teachers.
And this not only to increase the cash, but also to take advantage of the freedom you might miss in your main job and To develop yourself personally!