1
The shortage of teachers affecting all subjects, school types and levels is a key topic in education in Germany at the present time. According to the National Education Report (KMK, 2022) by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, the assembly of ministers of education of all German states (in German ‘Kultusministerkonferenz,’ henceforth KMK), the number of teachers in general education schools has increased by 3% that corresponds to about 25,000 teachers, yet there is a shortage of teachers. Before the beginning of the school year 2022/23, schools in Germany lacked at least 30,000 teachers; about 4,000 in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia alone (Anders, 2023). The KMK predicts a shortage of 23,800 teachers in schools by 2035 (KMK, 2022). The educationalist Klaus Klemm (2022) has calculated even higher numbers. He assumes that there will be a shortage of 127,100 to 158,700 teachers by 2035. Klemm also included in his calculation three current education policy measures that require many teachers: the implementation of inclusive education at general schools, support for children from schools in disadvantaged communities, and the expansion of all-day care in elementary schools. Klemm (2022) further assumes that the KMK’s estimate for newly trained teachers is not consistent with the predicted number of teacher trainees and school graduates. Refugee children from Ukraine haven not included in the models yet.
The state’s responsibility for teacher education includes both establishing conditions for high-quality professional development (PD) from when individuals become student teachers through to retirement and ensuring that enough qualified teachers can be recruited to meet the needs of schools (Klemm, 2019; Rackles, 2020). However, on occasions where there have been shortages of teachers available on the labour market, there has regularly been a (temporary) opening up of the pathways into the teaching profession (for EU countries see Klemm & Zorn, 2018). The persistent shortages of teachers in Germany have led to the permanent institutionalization of alternative routes into the teaching profession over the last 10 to 15 years and has been accompanied by an ongoing debate about professionalism and meeting professional standards in teaching (Porsch, 2021). As early as 2013 the KMK agreed that, while maintaining standards for teachers (KMK, 2019a, 2019b), each of the 16 federal German states may take specific actions if there is a large shortfall of teachers (KMK, 2013). In particular, an ever-growing number of alternatively qualified (AQ) teachers has been hired by the states every year, whereby the shortages vary by region. Depending on the state, the new teachers enter schools after attending PD courses of varying length and sometimes without being prepared at
Although teacher shortages in Germany have existed at vocational schools for decades, the staffing difficulties have rarely been debated in public and by researchers. This chapter strives to provide an understanding of the current situation in Germany with regard to teacher shortages and the actions taken with a specific focus on hiring teachers with an alternative qualification path. The chapter first provides an overview of the responses by the federal states and individual schools in Germany to the shortages of teachers followed by a classification of AQ teachers and statistics on the range of alternative routes into the teaching profession in Germany. This establishes the basis for outlining examples of country-specific recruitment and qualification concepts that reveal a possible trade-off between meeting professional standards and the supply of teachers (Reintjes & Bellenberg, 2020). This perspective is complemented by a review of the current state of research supplemented by an insight into the specific situation for foreign language teaching in Germany. The chapter concludes with a discussion focusing on the implications for educational policy, teacher education and teacher education research.
2 Responses to Teacher Shortages in Germany
Teacher shortages have become an ongoing challenge in the education system in Germany as well as other countries, for example the United States (Sutcher & Carver-Thomas, 2019). Worldwide, a frequently implemented and much discussed response to this situation is the hiring of AQ teachers, individuals who have received their teaching license through alternative programs rather than through traditional teacher training (see Section 3.1). Internationally, these individuals are also known as second career teachers, career change teachers or alternatively qualified teachers (e.g. Varadharajan & Buchanan, 2021). Before describing these teachers, an overview of known measures responding to teacher shortages in the German system is provided. Afterwards we summarize research findings on this heterogeneous group and present methods of PD for AQ teachers in Germany. Table 14.1 contains all known actions taken, with a distinction made between the macro-level and the meso-level. The
Actions taken to respond to teacher shortages in Germany
| Level | Action |
|---|---|
| Macro-level | Increasing the number of study places Recruitment campaigns Increasing the salary of teachers or providing a bonus Teachers employed as civil servants Hiring alternatively qualified teachers Hiring refugee/immigrant teachers Hiring high school teachers to work in primary schools or at lower secondary level |
| Meso-level | Teachers teaching out-of-field Hiring retired teachers Hiring student teachers |
For many years, teacher educators and other stakeholders in Germany have undertaken various measures to ensure and improve the quality of teacher education and to reduce dropout. However, a study by Radisch et al. (2018) conducted in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern showed that – depending on the school type – up to 85% of all student teachers drop out from university before graduating. Although on average the dropout rate is about 20% for student teachers in Germany (Heublein et al., 2022) and low in comparison to other study programs, this situation further contributes to teacher shortages.
In order to provide all high-school graduates who are interested in becoming a teacher the number of study places at some universities in some federal states have recently been increased. In addition, a number of marketing campaigns have been issued to attract prospective students and to recruit qualified teachers from other states or countries. This last point highlights the competitive situation between the 16 federal states, as each is responsible for their own education system. Other action that has been taken includes seeking to make teaching more attractive by paying a bonus or a higher salary or offering civil servant status that includes a permanent contract, private health insurance and a higher pension entitlement. In addition, individuals are being recruited
On the meso-level, one action taken by schools (see Table 14.1) is out-of-field teaching as a response to teacher shortages. For decades principals have been asking their teachers to teach subjects they are not specifically trained for (Porsch, 2016), a phenomenon which is common in other countries, too (Price et al., 2019). Finally, another step being considered for primary schools in urgent need of teachers was recently announced by the education minister of Saxony-Anhalt, namely reducing the number of classes, in particular in minor subjects such as PE (Physical Education) and music. The minister also announced a program that has already been implemented in response to the shortage of physicians, that is scholarships being given to student teachers who commit to studying and teaching certain subjects in certain regions – mostly rural areas – for a set time after graduation (Kuhn, 2022). In summary, the measures taken are as follows: increasing the capacity for training to be a teacher in universities, providing monetary incentives to attract teachers from other regions, transferring the task of teaching to other semi or fully qualified personnel and hiring alternatively qualified teachers.
Despite the various actions taken in order to minimize teacher shortages, the number of teachers needed in Germany is still high. The actions presented above are mostly known from media reports and press releases by the ministries. Only a few themes such as out-of-field teaching (e.g. Porsch, 2023) or hiring AQ teachers (see Section 3) represent research topics. In addition, most of these actions have only been implemented recently and not across all German states. Thus, one interim conclusion is that the success of these actions needs to be evaluated and if needed be adapted in future.
3 Alternative Routes into the Teaching Profession in Germany
3.1 Teacher Education in Germany
The term ‘alternatively qualified teachers’ refers to teachers who hold different qualifications to ‘traditionally’ trained teachers in Germany. Thus, before presenting a classification of different AQ teachers, we will first provide a short
Initial teacher education in Germany takes place in two phases: first, a university-based education with academic studies and practical experience in schools and school-related workplaces, and second, school-based pre-service training. Student teachers are asked to study (at least) two subjects and educational science. With a master’s degree (Master of Education) or a (first) state examination – depending on the state or university they were enrolled at – they undertake between 16 and 24 months of pre-service training in schools accompanied by a weekly seminar focusing on teaching methods and work-related issues (such as legislation concerning schools). This phase is called in German Referendariat or Vorbereitungsdienst, a literal translation would be preparation phase. End the end of this second phase the (first or second) state examination needs to be passed. Only then the degree holders are allowed to teach in Germany and only at the types of schools for which they have been qualified for. These can be either primary schools, secondary schools such as Gymnasien (grammar schools), comprehensive schools or another type of secondary school (the curricula and duration of studies differ from state to state), a special needs school or a vocational school (for further information on the school types see KMK, 2017; see Terhart, 2021).
3.2 A Classification of AQ Teachers
Since the system of teacher education in Germany, and in particular the existence of the school-based pre-service training (second phase), is distinct from that in other countries, it is difficult to compare the background of both traditional and AQ teachers with those from other countries. However, what is common to all AQ teachers – in Germany and elsewhere – is that teaching is their second (or even third or fourth) career.
Below is a set of German designations and English descriptions of the types of newly hired teachers in Germany (see e.g. Puderbach & Gehrmann, 2020):
- –Direkteinsteiger are teachers who have obtained a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree but are not educated in the field of teaching. They enter the teaching profession without taking part in PD courses prior entering the job or in the second phase of teacher training. A literal translation of the German term would be “direct beginners.”
- –Quereinsteiger are teachers who have obtained a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree but are not initially educated in the field of teaching. They enter the second phase of “traditional” teacher training in Germany, a traineeship, also known as pre-service training, which involves teaching on their own but being supported by mentors and attending seminars on a weekly
basis for about a year and a half and finishing with a state examination. If they take part in a special Master’s program or a postgraduate course before starting pre-service training, the German term Qualifizierter Quereinstieg is sometimes used. A literal translation of the German term would be “across the phase-teachers.” - –Seiteneinsteiger are teachers who obtained a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree but not a Master of Education. They did not take the state examination and they did not participate in pre-service training. However, it is expected – in contrast to the Direkteinsteiger – that they take part in a post-qualification course prior entering the job and continue to take part in in-service training. A literal translation of the German term would be “lateral entrants” or “lateral beginners.”
As these teachers did not undergo ‘traditional’ teacher education, systematic learning opportunities were not available that allowed them to develop professional competencies including the acquisition of knowledge specifically needed for the teaching profession. Thus, knowledge such as general pedagogical and subject-specific content knowledge (Shulman, 1987) has to be attained through independent professionalization, a term used for any efforts to gain professional competencies without any external support from the school (Bäuerlein et al., 2018) or through independent study (Hobbs, 2013). In addition, individual professionalization is attained through the support of colleagues and school leaders as well as by attending PD courses. As a minimum requirement, individuals in all groups are allowed to teach if their university degree allows them to teach at least one school subject. That means that teachers that belong to one of the aforementioned groups need at least one school subject that can be derived from their field of study. For example, an engineer could be allowed to teach Mathematics or Physics. However, at primary but also secondary level, teachers regularly have to teach two or more subjects. Consequently, most AQ teachers are also faced with having to teach out-of-field, a well-researched phenomenon that poses a challenge to all teachers (independent from their qualification) and can negatively impact students’ learning (Porsch & Whannell, 2019). Most states require at least a Master’s degree; however, exceptions have been made, in particular if the subject is highly needed (e.g. STEM).
In addition to the aforementioned groups, a further group of teachers has entered schools but was not trained in the German system: refugee teachers, also known as migrant teachers, recently immigrated teachers, displaced teachers or internationally educated/trained teachers (see e.g. Proyer et al., 2022). These are teachers who were initially qualified abroad, and most of them are asked to
3.3 Statistics on the Extent of Hiring AQ Teachers
Figures are only available for quantifying the numbers of alternatively qualified individuals entering the teaching profession in Germany for the group of lateral entrants. For other groups of individuals (e.g., temporary assignment of student teachers) there are no nationwide figures. The first lateral entrants recorded in the KMK statistics date back to 2001; at that time, 2.8% of all hires were lateral entrants (see KMK, 2021). In 2009, a new record was reached with a share of 5.9% and a total of 1,798 individuals nationwide (see Figure 14.1).
Share of lateral entrants in all recruits to the public school service 2001 to 2021 in Germany (based on KMK, 2021)
By 2018, the percentage of hires had risen to 13.3%, or about 4,800 people. In the last three years, the proportion of lateral entrants has fallen again slightly
Figure 14.2 shows a considerable difference in the recruitment of lateral entrants in 2021 between West German federal states (5.1%), East German federal states (26.2%) and city states (15.2%). The figure is particularly high in Saxony-Anhalt (ST) at 46.6%, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MV) at 32.5%, Brandenburg (BB) at 25.3% and Berlin (BE) at 23.6%. In absolute numbers, North Rhine-Westphalia (NW) hired the most lateral entrants in the 2021/2022 school year with 553, followed by Saxony-Anhalt (ST) with 433 and Berlin with 382 (see KMK, 2021). In this context, it is interesting to note the results of a study by Richter and colleagues (2018), which show that the lateral entrants in the federal state of Berlin, where the study was conducted, more often teach in schools in deprived areas. Due to the lack of scientific evidence, it is not yet possible to draw any conclusions about the extent to which their deployment has a positive or negative impact on teaching practice, which means
State-specific proportion of all lateral entrant recruitment to the teaching profession in % (based on KMK, 2021)
Note: BW = Baden-Wuerttemberg, BY = Bavaria, BE = Berlin, BB = Brandenburg, HB = Free Hansestadt Bremen, HH = Free Hansestadt Hamburg, HE = Hesse, MV = Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, NI = Lower Saxony, NW = North Rhine-Westphalia, RP = Rhineland-Palatinate, SL = Saarland, SN = Saxony, ST = Saxony Anhalt, SH = Schleswig-Holstein, TH = Thuringia
3.4 Professional Development Courses for AQ Teachers
In all federal states that offer programs for lateral entry into the teaching profession, the general practice is that programs are only offered for those types of schools and in those subjects in which teachers with ‘standard’ training cannot be recruited. That means that access to the programs depends on which subjects are considered to have teacher shortages in the respective federal state.
The practices for the selection of lateral entrants vary considerably (see Reintjes et al., 2020). In the case of North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the process of prior examination of formal recruitment prerequisites, and the selection of suitable candidates for the individual school requires a lot of effort. The procedure demands a high level of recruitment resources and competencies from school principals and also leads to competition among individual schools for this group of individuals (Bellenberg et al., 2020).
With regard to the design of lateral entry programs, there is also considerable variance, e.g. in terms of the training institutions involved, the time taken to obtain the qualification, the training elements and their selectivity, and the credentials that accompany successful completion of the program (Reintjes et al., 2020). Some countries also offer different alternative qualification paths side by side. There is a trade-off between professionalization and ensuring the supply of teachers that the programs have to withstand. Programs that are more likely to meet the required professional standards exhibit a comparative proximity to traditional teacher training (e.g., with regard to the time taken to obtain the qualification as well as the training institutions involved) while programs that are primarily aimed at providing short-term teaching provision attach significantly less importance to teaching theory and subject-specific didactics. The former programs generally award credentials comparable to those of the undergraduate programs while the latter are accompanied by a purely probationary assessment. Whereas in traditional teacher education, a gradual empowerment of the new teachers is the objective, which can be characterized as ideal-typical professionalization for professional practice, the special measures implemented by the federal states are characterized by a professionalization through professional practice since entry into the alternative professionalization models is accompanied by the need for independent teaching from the start with an almost full teaching load (Reintjes & Bellenberg, 2020).
Reflecting on both the development and proportion of newly hired AQ teachers in each state, it is noteworthy that there are differences between the states. In particular the East German federal states (BB, MV, SN, ST TH), the
Through their immediate employment in schools, lateral entrants make a considerable contribution to directly reducing teacher shortages. They also bring with them lots of additional skills that traditionally trained teachers may not possess (e.g., in the area of digitalization). AQ teachers also provide an undeniable opportunity to diversify the teaching force through the different skills and qualifications they may have from their first profession (Terhart, 2019). However, the quality and quantity of the different programs offered by the states for lateral entrants have raised questions of quality assurance when compared with the professional standards (KMK, 2019a) as implemented in traditional teacher education. Even more concerning is that analyses show that individuals with the lowest prior qualifications receive the minimum in-service qualification (Reintjes & Bellenberg, 2020). Since programs for in-service qualification of lateral entrants and the reduction in the teaching load granted vary considerably across states, first, it would be highly desirable for PD courses to follow a comparable standard based on the national standards (KMK 2019a, 2019b). Second, the reduction in the number of lessons to be taught should be uniform and greater – objectives that are difficult to achieve in a federal system but necessary in order to equally implement the standards for teacher education and reduce competition between the states. As an alternative, reductions in hours could be extended to the first three years of teaching after completing a basic PD program before entering the job accompanied by adaptive PD programs for the heterogeneous group of AQ teachers.
3.5 Current State of Research on AQ Teachers
While numerous findings on teachers with different qualification paths are already available from international studies (e.g. Powell, 1997; Mayotte, 2003,
Considering the heterogeneity of the individuals who have entered schools in the last few years such as traditionally qualified teachers including retired teachers, career changers, refugee teachers, Teach First fellows (persons who take part in the program Teach First Deutschland and support teachers in challenging schools), and student teachers, a number of different groups need to be looked at. Studies need to systematically examine different research topics and focal areas such as (1) the characteristics of AQ teachers and the quality of their professional activities, in particular teaching quality, in comparison with traditionally qualified teachers, (2) the effects on students but also on the teachers themselves (e.g. teachers’ well-being, teacher identity), and (3) the effectiveness of professional development courses (see Section 3.3) as well as of support structures in schools with regard to the teachers’ acquisition of professional competencies. The last point refers to the exploratory study conducted by Bellenberg et al. (2020). The findings suggest that, in the face of heterogeneously certified and trained teachers, new support and cooperation structures for new teachers have been implemented in schools. However, this statement is not reliable yet and needs further proof.
While the majority of studies concluded that there are no differences between AQ teachers and traditionally qualified teachers, some of the findings are inconclusive. It is important to remark that a number of these studies did not apply a research design comparing the two groups. Instead, they surveyed AQ teachers only and in addition, only very few studies examined AQ teachers at work but instead examined pre-service teachers. For example, Lucksnat et al. (2020) posed the relevant question ‘Do AQ teachers possess less professional knowledge than traditionally qualified teachers?’ The study compared the professional competence of alternatively qualified teachers (Quereinsteiger) and traditionally qualified teachers in the second-phase of teacher training (pre-service training) using data from the COACTIV-R project. Both groups possess similar content and pedagogical content knowledge, but there is a statistically significant difference in their pedagogical-psychological knowledge. That being said, the effect is very small.
As outlined at the beginning of the chapter, professional societies in Germany such as the DGFF (2018) fear disadvantages for students if they are taught by AQ teachers. Behind this is the assumption that AQ teachers have fewer or none of the learning opportunities required for acquiring professional competencies, and so the quality of instruction is negatively affected. As a consequence, they expect that (some) students will learn less. So far, only two studies from Germany are available on the effects of teaching by AQ teachers on student performance (Hoffmann & Richter, 2016; Richter et al., 2019; Ziegler et al., 2022). It should be noted that AQ teachers are defined by these studies as teachers who did not gain a teaching degree at university. Information if teachers completed pre-service training was not collected, thus, no differentiation between the various groups (Direkteinsteiger, Quereinsteiger, Seiteneinsteiger) was possible. For the lower secondary level, the 2015 IQB Trends in Student
In summary, there is hardly any known research available about the quality of instruction in lessons taught by AQ teachers from Germany. The empirical findings indicate possible difficulties in teaching reflected by the – but not consistently for all three publications – poorer results of students who were taught by AQ teachers. However, so far research is limited to secondary education, and the available studies reported above are cross-sectional studies conducted in Year 9, thus, among other possible limitations, the prior learning experience of the students or a change of teacher before the assessment might not have been considered. In addition, studies are needed for primary education because we assume this period to be of considerable importance for further learning. Internationally, a number of studies point to the high retention rates of teachers (Sutcher & Carver-Thomas, 2019). What is yet to be discovered is how many AQ teachers will stay permanently in the job. Richter et al. (2022) show a positive correlation between social support for AQ teachers and their intention to stay in the job, which indicates that the availability of adequate support structures (such as mentoring) is vital for newly hired AQ teachers during their first few years of teaching in much the same way as for novice teachers (e.g. Warsame & Valles, 2018).
4 Subject-Specific Explorations: The Example of Foreign Language Teacher Shortages
Teacher shortages also affect foreign language teaching in schools in Germany, where for most students English is the first foreign language with instruction starting in primary school, followed by Spanish, French or other languages such
Unfortunately, despite statistics showing the growing need for teachers and the employment of AQ teachers, only a few data sets are available that sketch out the situation in a particular subject. The authors are not aware of any official statistics that show the supply and demand for EFL teachers in primary schools. From numbers on the prevalence of teaching English out-of-field provided by studies, we can infer that the demand for English teachers is high (for an overview see Porsch & Wilden, 2022). For example, in Berlin, Ziegler et al. (2019) report an average proportion of 40% of lessons taught by teachers not trained as EFL teachers. The aforementioned 2015 IQB Trends in Student Achievement study also collected nationwide data on teacher qualifications. The authors emphasized that there were differences between the school types (Hoffmann & Richter, 2016, p. 488). In grammar schools (Gymnasien) only 9% taught out-of-field, and 32% were AQ teachers, but no figures were provided for teachers in other secondary schools. But we infer from statistics (see Section 3.3) that the average proportion of AQ teachers is much higher in secondary schools. Every year, the Ministry of Education in North Rhine-Westphalia reports the proportion of lessons taught in-field and out-of-field. For the school year 2021/22 the statistics show that in Year 5 (MSB NRW, 2022, pp. 130–131) the proportion ranges from 42.6% (Hauptschulen) to 2.1% (Gymnasien). It is noteworthy that the percentage shrinks considerably from Year 5 to Year 8 and the proportion is highest in the school type with the lowest achieving students (Hauptschulen) and smallest in schools attended by students with greater academic ability (Gymnasien). Unfortunately, the report does not provide any information on the lessons taught by AQ teachers. Research studies from Germany, however, highlight that AQ teachers are more likely to be hired by schools with a challenging environment (Hoffmann & Richter, 2016; Richter & Marx, 2019). All in all, the numbers suggest a high number of teachers working as EFL teachers who were initially not trained as teachers. But the scarce statistics do not provide detailed information about the foreign language teachers’ background, e.g. how many of them are native speakers, how many studied a foreign language or how many work as foreign language teachers having majored in other subjects.
Apart from meaningful statistics that are needed in order to fully assess the situation, it is also worth noting that there has been almost no discourse
In addition, Caspari (2018) further raises the claim that in future, traditionally qualified teachers may not be able to find jobs (because the positions are already filled), and thus, she believes this might produce a competitive situation. This scenario can yet not be supported by data. However, what it is important to consider is that most AQ teachers probably stay in the job until they retire.
As teacher shortages will continue, permanent sustainable concepts are needed. Programs for professionalization of teachers regardless of their qualification path should be based on the existing national standards provided by the KMK. In addition to the standards for teacher education concerning subject-independent skills such as teaching and assessment (KMK, 2019a), standards have been published for each subject (KMK, 2019b). The section “Newer foreign languages” gives further details on subject-specific competencies involving 14 descriptors. Foreign language teachers need, for example, profound language competencies and in-depth knowledge of the language including knowledge of linguistics, literature, cultural studies, and methodological knowledge. The teachers are sensitized for teaching learners with special needs and to the opportunities of using digital media for teaching and supporting learners individually (KMK, 2019b, p. 44). However, according to
In particular the ability and willingness to reflect on oneself as a teacher and pursue professional and personal development throughout one’s professional life are essential for successful and satisfactory practice in the teaching profession. Therefore, in my opinion, the foundations for this demanding development process should continue to begin with studying [at university].
(Caspari, 2018, p. 38; authors’ translate)
Despite this view, Caspari reflects on the possibilities of professionalization for AQ teachers. Most importantly, subject didactics should play a central role. With regard to AQ teachers working as foreign language teachers, flexible concepts are needed since, according to Caspari (2018, p. 39), they already possess high content knowledge but often limited to one discipline such as literature or linguistics. In her conclusion, with reference to the lack of academic studies, she calls for empirical research on AQ teachers and evaluation of the effectiveness of qualification programs with regard to the aforementioned standards. Specifically, she proposes, for example, teaching-learning laboratories, team teaching, micro-teaching and action research.
5 Conclusion
In the school labour market, supply consistently does not meet demand (Klemm, 2019, p. 9). Nevertheless, in times of teacher shortages, the states in Germany and elsewhere are still faced with the challenge of fulfilling their obligation to provide full-time instruction to students. To meet this challenge, schools recruit alternatively qualified groups of people.
With regard to teaching supply, qualification programs for lateral entrants are first and foremost designed to directly solve the problem, since they are accompanied by a (sometimes reduced) teaching load from the very beginning. The federal states have established different PD programs, most of them use the second phase of teacher education, that is pre-service training, as a blueprint. These courses place a different emphasis on the pedagogical and didactic qualification of lateral entrants. Judging by the heterogeneity of the PD programs with regard to duration, content, and responsible institutions, the KMK Standards for Teacher Education (KMK, 2019a, 2019b) seem to possess a primarily legitimizing function for some of the PD programs that focus on the acquisition of teaching skills (Reintjes & Bellenberg, 2020). But the lateral
In addition to the question of the skills that are acquired in this way perhaps being bound by context, the general question of the quality of the professionalization of lateral entrants through this form of qualification needs to be raised. Professional practice requires a case-specific application of general scientific knowledge. Case understanding means a case-oriented mediation between the specific case or situation and general scientific knowledge involving in-depth reflection (Oevermann, 1996). Routines of practice in teaching cannot be solely acquired through involvement in practice but also require a reflective examination of experiences. Being relieved of the pressure to act and being guided by mentors, experienced teachers who support and guide the beginners, have been empirically proven to be favourable conditions for PD in placements in schools (Gröschner & Hascher, 2019). Thus, individual schools face a number of challenges in order to professionalize AQ teachers in and through practice. In this regard, Helsper (2001) postulates the acquisition of a pedagogical-practical habitus as well as, and equally importantly, a scientific-reflective habitus within the framework of teacher education. Individual schools that are confronted with the problem of teacher shortages, however, are hardly in a position to meet these challenges, provide mentors, or create diverse learning spaces and situations that allow the new teachers to maintain a distance at times and act without pressure under the given conditions, i.e. with the double burden of already scarce human resources.
The solution of lateral entry as well as all other alternative methods of recruiting teachers requires solid research in order to generate findings on learning prerequisites, use of learning opportunities and the development of professional knowledge among the teachers as well as others such as principals. Researchers need to be aware that there are regional and cyclical fluctuations and further demands on the teacher labour market in Germany such as the implementation of day schools and the challenges faced by constant migration.
In view of the high qualification requirements of the teaching profession and also in view of the available resources, the following considerations should also play a pivotal role in decisions on the recruitment and qualification of AQ teachers. First, the systematic involvement of universities in the qualification of AQ teachers (as, for example, in Saxony) has the advantage of drawing on resources outside the school system. It is also necessary to think through whether the group of fully qualified teachers, whose qualification is not currently in demand, such as grammar school (Gymnasium) teachers, cannot be systematically included in the system via further education and PD courses,
The tight teacher labour market is and will remain a major challenge for education policy action and, above all, for schools. So far, many ad hoc measures have been implemented while knowledge of the concrete teacher labour market processes, and the consequences of competition seems remarkably limited. With regard to foreign language teaching, we assume that schools are equally affected. However, there has been almost no research on the situation of second-career teachers teaching a foreign language providing answers to the question on their professionalism and the support structures provided by schools and other institutions.
With regard to the teacher supply crisis, it must be noted: The competitive situation in the teacher labour market does not affect all types of schools, all parts of the country, or all municipalities and schools equally. In the interest of an equitable distribution of teachers, the situation on the market should be tracked, made transparent for the sake of accountability to citizens, and made accessible to researchers since in-depth analysis of the statistics, which also includes the question of the effectiveness of PD programs for AQ teachers (e.g. teacher attrition and dropout), is needed to allow data and evidence-based recommendations for alternative routes into the teaching profession.
As a response to teacher shortages in Germany, teachers have been increasingly hired who have not been educated for the teaching profession or have not been trained in Germany. Yet, so far only limited research has been conducted on these teachers with alternative pathways into the teaching profession, also known as AQ teachers. Little is known, for example, about the impact on students’ learning. Thus, researchers should explore more deeply, for example, the conditions of AQ teachers at schools, their professionalization processes and effects on students’ proficiency. A research project should also focus on the
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