Resuming Teaching, in Germany

Teachers with refugee status are seeking to resume their work, at German schools. A qualification program called LehrkräftePLUS offers them the chance to do just that. A class of 20 just finished the program at the University of Siegen, certifying their successful completion of the continuing education course.

One major milestone on the road to resuming their careers has now been achieved: Twenty graduates of the LehrkräftePLUS (Teaching Professionals PLUS) Siegen certification program received their certificates. The candidates hailed from places like Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Morocco, and Syria, where they had already worked as teachers. They hope to resume their profession here in Germany, instructing on subjects such as biology, chemistry, English, math, mechanical engineering, music, physics, and sport.

The LehrkräftePLUS Siegen certification program, conducted by the Center for Teacher Training and Educational Research (ZLB) at the University of Siegen, offers a pathway. This one-year continuing education program takes advantage of the participants’ existing linguistic, specialist, and pedagogical knowledge and skills and upgrades them to fit into the German school landscape. Successful graduation allows for participation in the “Internationale Lehrkräfte Fördern (ILF)” follow-on program from the District Administration of Arnsberg, which in turn opens up the potential for permanent employment as a teacher in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The graduation ceremony held at the University of Siegen saw congratulations offered by Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup, prorector for teacher training, further education, and sustainability, as well as Siegen program coordinator Dr. Inga Schmalenbach and Christiane Kampelmann-Springer from the Arnsberg local government. The administration in Arnsberg has worked closely with the program since its inception. In exchange, it is given a say in the selection of candidates and assigns them schools in which to conduct their practical phase during the second half of the program year.

All present were also treated to a video greet from Ina Brandes, minister of culture and science of North Rhine-Westphalia. “You have arrived here in Germany, you’ve worked to sort out your new living situation, you have not only learned a new language, but also taken on the challenge of being both a student and a teacher in a new educational system. You can be very proud of all that you've achieved,” the minister declared.

The fourth edition of LehrkräftePLUS Siegen was the first to include a cooperation with elementary schools. The ostensible focus of the program is on secondary school level I. Elementary schools (and vocational colleges) as a type of school seem poised to play an increasing role, in coordination with the district government, notes Dr. Inga Schmalenbach.

Greetings were also extended to the 20 participants in the next qualification group. “The number of applications always exceeds the available spots many times over,” the program coordinator explains. “We’ve received a growing number of applications in the past year from Ukrainian teachers. The share of women participants has also grown significantly.”

The program, which has been conducted since 2020 at the University of Siegen, was designated as a flagship project last year within the “NRWege ins Studium” grant program from the NRW Ministry for Culture and Science. This brings with it 250,000 euros in annual funding. An extension of that funding has been secured until 2027.

This year's participants in the LehrkräftePLUS Siegen certification program celebrate receiving their certificates.