Dutch union seeks €182 million to help career-changers become teachers
Career-changers trying to enter Dutch classrooms face major obstacles despite a teacher shortage of 10,000 full-time positions, the Algemene Onderwijsbond (General Education Union, AOb) warned Saturday. According to AD, the union will present an action plan Monday urging the government to invest 182 million euros to support new entrants.
To join the lateral entry teacher-training program, candidates must first secure a school placement, but many are rejected as too risky, the union said.
AOb chair Coba van der Veer said motivated people face “an obstacle course.” Many fail to find a placement, and those who do are often left alone in classrooms without support. “You apply enthusiastically to a school, and they’re not eager for you,” she told AD.
Teacher Lideke Schuller, 47, decided in 2019 to retrain after working in youth care. “I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. I have many basic skills and there are shortages everywhere. They must be eager for me,” she told AD. Instead, schools told her they preferred experience. “But how and where can I gain experience if I can’t even start such a program?” Schuller spent years as a teaching assistant before being accepted, taking six years to qualify. “I’m happy now, but I expected it to be easier and faster. It required a lot of perseverance,” she told the newspaper.
The AOb reportedly wants career-changers paid full salaries, including on study days, and to first work six months as extra teachers before leading classes. “If someone can first shadow calmly, the chance of success — for both parties — is greater,” Van der Veer told AD.
