According to Blank, this is particularly problematic for the teachers who have been forced to work part-time for years because they could otherwise not have been given a job guarantee. “These teachers have now been part-time for 20 years. It’s clear that many say, ‘I won’t do that'”. According to Blank, a third of the teachers in Saxony currently work part-time. The GEW has received feedback from teachers who would turn their backs on the profession because they should now work full-time again.
Part-time requests cannot be denied to people, no matter what their age.
Matthes Blank spokesman for the trade union for education and science (GEW) Saxony
But for older teachers there is the option of retiring earlier, for young teachers there are enough job alternatives, for example at free schools or in other federal states. “You can’t deny people the desire to work part-time, regardless of their age. This is also confirmed by a study in Göttingen among Saxon teachers who work part-time to protect their health.”
Ministry of Education: student teachers miss
When asked by MDR SACHSEN, the Saxon Ministry of Education announced that they were acting in accordance with the “legal requirements” with regard to part-time solutions for teachers: “These are not stricter exemptions.” They are also working on several adjustment screws to counteract the teacher shortage.
The study places for teacher training were increased from almost 1,000 to 2,700 in the 2022/2023 winter semester. More places are not necessary because, according to the ministry, there is already a lack of potential students.
The Ministry of Education recommends the “Startklar” program to young teachers. The “Startklar” program is a project that supports young teachers in starting their careers. Individual further training and digital learning settings are also offered to those new to the company. The program offers individual advice via a network of experts and trainers, for example to find solutions to problems together. In addition, work aids and guides are made available. Source: Saxony Ministry of Education
Many high school graduates are studying to become teachers
In Saxony, according to information, an above-average number of high school graduates (18 percent) are studying for a teaching degree – the average in Germany is ten percent. “Our apprenticeship campaign reaches the young people, but the limits have already been exhausted,” says the Ministry of Education.
Our apprenticeship campaign reaches the young people, but the limits are already well exhausted.
Saxony Ministry of Education
However, how many of them complete their legal clerkship can only be estimated. According to the ministry, in the 2021/2022 school year, for example, 50 people who dropped out of their preparatory service for teaching were compared to more than 1,100 student trainees who successfully completed their traineeship. Statistics on how many student teachers leave Saxony after they graduate and how many young teachers in the Free State turn their backs on their profession after just a few years are not available to the ministry.