Those who follow a teacher training course have good job prospects in the coming years if they choose the right subject combination for the right type of school. And it’s not badly paid at all.
Why do teachers choose a job in education?
Usually they are people who feel called (and also have the gift for this) to teach others something. Teachers are not always teachers by profession. As such, we also know numerous freelance teachers and training officers from the business community.
The possibilities are numerous because teachers are not only needed in education. Skilled coaches, training officers and trainers are in great demand at private educational institutions and also in the business world .
The teaching profession has lost popularity
Anyone who has followed the discussion about the image of teachers in recent years knows that the profession is not having an easy time. There is a persistent misconception about education that it is the ideal environment for stuck people who can no longer move forward.
The rapidly aging professional group has lost much of its former luster. Teachers have often become brooding figures who have made early retirement their main goal.
In 2013, it is not that easy to find good teachers. And the problem is made even more acute by the massive outflow that awaits us in approximately 2 to 3 years of teachers reaching retirement age.
Positive: there is more influx from VWO
It is encouraging that more inflow has recently been observed from VWO:
- On the one hand, this is caused by the stricter requirements imposed on students by universities;
- on the other hand, it is also motivated by the current crisis. Now that job prospects for graduates have also diminished, people are less opposed to training to become a teacher.
Why is there so little enthusiasm for the teaching profession?
Many teachers are needed in education, but there is nevertheless a threat of a major teacher shortage. According to the Education Council, 1 in 5 teachers is already teaching the classroom with insufficient teaching qualifications. What is the reason for this declining interest?
- Poor pay is often cited as an argument that young people are no longer interested in the teaching profession, but that argument is outdated. In 2013, the salary varies from 2,445 gross for a prospective teacher to almost 5,000;
- a lack of challenge cannot be the problem either. The educational world is a complex working environment that is never boring: working with teenagers from all walks of life, overcrowded classes, continuously changing assignments from the ministry, more and more children in care. It demands the utmost from teachers, but it is a subject in which one can make a difference.
How can one promote teacher training?
Those who train to become a teacher have good job prospects in the coming years, at least if they choose the right subject combination for the right type of school. Because there is not a teacher shortage for all subjects.
As a teacher you change yourself and the world around you. You want to pass on your motivation to people who want to move forward in life and meet other interesting people.
Remove negative image of teachers
To remove the negative image of teachers, a real charm offensive is necessary:
- counselors and teachers at secondary schools can be expected to encourage students with ambitions in the teaching profession more than before;
- and teacher training courses themselves can of course also promote themselves by attending career choice days more frequently and emphatically.