Alternative pathways to becoming a teacher

Could the teacher shortage be addressed by making alternative pathways to the teaching profession more accessible?

According to the Eurydice report on teachers in Europe, in comparison to mainstream ITE, these programmes are usually more flexible, shorter, and partly or entirely employment-based. They may offer flexible forms of enrolment such as part-time, distance, or blended learning. 

Alternative pathways are needed to respond to the shortage of teachers and can help diversify the profession by attracting high quality graduates and/or highly skilled professionals from other disciplines.

Some country-level examples

Alternative pathways to becoming a teacher vary across Europe.

In Estonia, professionals from other fields can obtain a teaching qualification through the national professional qualifications system if they have the required competencies.

Meanwhile, in France, there are several alternative routes involving a series of examinations for candidates with 3 to 5 years of professional teaching experience or civil servants.

Similarly, in Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, and Sweden, graduates from other fields and working professionals can become qualified teachers through short professional programmes under certain conditions. 

Teach For All is an international network promoting a community-based approach to develop leadership in education. The network partners’ programmes recruit diverse talents from a range of backgrounds and academic disciplines for a two-year teaching fellowship in high need classrooms and a lifetime commitment to addressing the root causes of educational inequity. For a closer look at their work, visit the Europe stories collection 2022.