Being A Teacher in the EU: Facts & Figures

Transcription

1 Being A Teacher in the EU: Facts & Figures Vena Nedeljkovic, Project Rethink Education Working Paper, No. 7 P a g e 1

2 Being A Teacher in the EU: Facts and Figures By Vena Nedeljkovic Teachers play a crucial role in learners education. Their responsibility to transfer knowledge and skills is essential for the development of pupils mentality and personality and is strongly reflected in the quality of education as a whole. Teachers bare the duty to ensure that future generations have the skills and knowledge to become a contributing part of society. Education is a great factor in the successful integration of students in adult life and the labour market. Thus, it is important that educators do their part and provide pupils with the knowledge and life lessons they need. Although there are similarities in education requirements and work conditions for teachers across the European Union (EU), the fact that education systems in the EU are strictly country-specific means that variations in these conditions also exist. Nevertheless, there is a commonly accepted view regarding what constitutes a good teacher. In this paper the different aspects of being an educator in the EU will be examined. In Section I the prerequisites for building the profile of a good teacher will be examined. In Section II formal education requirements, working conditions and other facts and figures related to educators in the EU will be presented. In Section III the EU recommendations and strategic goals related to educators will be presented. Finally, in Section IV conclusions will be made and recommendations will be given. 1. What Makes a Good Teacher? The Directorate General for Education and Culture at the European Commission has compiled Common European principles for teacher competences and qualifications. The report was issued as a support tool for the Education and Training 2010 strategic goals P a g e 2

3 and sets out key principles and competences, which should serve as a basis for the development of policies aiming at improving teaching quality in EU Member States. It is crucial, that teachers, as the main actor in children s education are competent, welleducated and up-to-date with the constantly developing education methods. In order to ensure high quality of education and support educators, the relevant authorities and institutions should create policies supporting better working conditions and enabling life-long professional development for teachers. The Common European principles state that it is necessary that all teachers possess a higher education diploma and have a suitable pedagogical qualification. Moreover, every teacher should be encouraged to attain the highest degree possible and receive a multidisciplinary education, which would also allow for the development of the right skills needed to support learners. Continuous professional development is crucial for the teaching profession. It enables educators to evolve and improve throughout their professional life and helps them adapt to innovations and best practices in the field of education. Moreover, the teaching profession is based on partnership and mobility, so educators should be encouraged to participate in projects, EU initiatives and trainings involving all stakeholders in the community. Educators should be presented with the opportunity to easily move to different institutions and different levels of educations in order to be able to constantly acquire new knowledge and improve their skills to ensure life-long professional development (EC 2005). According to the common European principles report, teachers should possess certain key competences, so that they could be successful in transferring knowledge and skills to learners. They should be able to work with others, work with and in the society and work with knowledge, technology and information. Teachers should not only possess the right people and communication skills to actively engage with each learner but also respond to the society s needs of promoting intercultural respect, understanding and the idea of EU citizenship. Educators should be an active part not only in student s lives but also contributing members of local communities. They should be a driving force in students mental development and in their path towards becoming active members of the society themselves. In order to achieve this, educators should have an understanding of a wide range of topics and possess a wide pool of skills. Multidisciplinary academic and P a g e 3

4 particle knowledge coupled with the right pedagogical skills and relevant and up-to-date ICT skills are essential for teachers to be able to transmit knowledge effectively and contribute not only to learner s academic but also personal development (EC 2005). Moreover, the European Parliament and the European Council have adopted a Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, which stresses out the importance of transversal competences in today s constantly changing world. Teachers should be able to adjust easily and continuously evolve (EC 2013b). 2. Being an Educators in the EU Facts and Figures The lack of an unified education rules and the inconsistency in social policies among Member States, result in variations in educators work conditions and teacher education across the EU. Nevertheless, when it comes to the length of formal teacher education and practical teacher training, the requirements are similar in most EU countries. On the other hand, widespread dissimilarities in the pupils per teacher ratio, contract conditions and wages among other factors continue to be present within the EU. 2.1 Teacher Education in the EU General admission requirements for teacher education programmes are often determined at education authority level. However, in Denmark, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Finland, selection is solely designed at institutional level. Currently, specific requirements for acceptance in initial teacher education programmes are not widespread, rather general examination and secondary school diploma are the only prerequisite for a student to enroll in a pedagogical degree programme. In Belgium, for instance, the certificate of completion of upper secondary education is the only requirement for enrolling to study to become a teacher. For access to masters programmes, the performance at bachelor level is taken into account in fourteen countries. In one third of European countries special selection methods, such as aptitude tests and interviews regarding the applicant s motivation are in place (EC 2013a). In 2012, all primary teachers across the EU were in a possession of at least a bachelor diploma, while secondary educators in most countries were master graduates. Only preprimary teachers in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Malta and Slovakia were not P a g e 4

5 obliged to graduate from a higher education institution but instead have a qualification at upper or post-secondary level. As a result a trend towards a minimum 4-year bachelor degree qualification for teachers is observed across the EU. Practical training is compulsory in each Member State; however there are differences in the types of trainings and the timing (whether they are exclusively conducted in the end of the education course or throughout all years of education together with academic courses). Moreover, when hired teachers are often included in induction programmes which have for a goal to help them adapt and offer specialized training, personalized help and advice for beginners. In the Netherlands and Iceland, national induction programmes are not in place, but schools frequently organize induction periods for their new staff, while in Estonia and Slovenia such programmes are considered optional. Although national induction programmes are not available in each Member State, beginner teachers are always offered some kind of mentoring. Induction programmes types vary across countries and the length of the program is on average one year (EC 2013b). 2.2 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Recently continuing professional development has gained importance in the teaching profession. It is mostly mentioned as a teacher s duty in the regulations and legislation but in some countries it is also reinforced by teachers employment contracts and collective agreements. When it comes to CPD programmes related to education reforms they are organised by the respective authorities and in this case trainings are always mandatory (EC 2013a). In some countries participation in CPD courses is a prerequisite to stay in the teaching profession. In the Netherlands, Slovenia and Scotland the minimum hours of CPD training are considered a teacher s right rather than obligation. Promotion is one of the biggest incentives for participating in CPD trainings. In Bulgaria, Spain, Lithuania, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia CPD is a requirement for professional advancement and wage increase. In the German-speaking Belgium Communities, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Austria, professional development is necessary for the retaining of a certain occupational grade. Other incentives for participating in CPD programmes are time compensation, one-time monetary allowance and job mobility (EC 2013a). P a g e 5

6 In the majority EU Member States, schools are obliged to have CPD plans. The responsibility for creating such plans usually falls on the school heads, school management or specially assigned CPD coordinators. In Greece and Croatia, however, CPD planning is conducted only by the top-level education authorities. The plan has to take into consideration the professional development needs of educators as well as regulations and guidelines issued by the top-level authorities. In nine EU member states all teachers are required to have individual CPD plans, while in the French-speaking Belgium Communities and in Cyprus only ISCED 2 1 and ISCED 3 level teachers are obliged to have an individually designed plan (EC 2013a). 2.3 Teacher recruitment Differences among EU Member States also exist when it comes to the hiring authority and the type of contract under which teachers are employed. In a vast majority of EU countries educators are hired on a contractual basis, while in Spain, Greece, Cyprus and France teachers are solely employed as civil servants with employment for life. The administrative level (central, regional, local and school) responsible for employing teachers usually correlates closely to the employment status given to teachers. Civil servants are usually employed by central or regional authorities and teachers on contractual basis are often employed by schools and local authorities. In Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland (ISCED 0, 1 and 2), the Netherlands, Hungary and the United Kingdom (Scotland), the local authority is the solely employer of teachers working in public schools. Meanwhile in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Croatia schools are responsible for hiring educators. In Sweden, Belgium and the United Kingdom England, Wales and Northern Ireland) the responsibility for hiring teachers varies according to the types of schools (EC 2013a). The OECD s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) from 2008 shows that 79.9% of teachers at ISCED 2 level in the EU are 1 The International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) is a statistical framework for organizing information on education maintained by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). ISCED 2011 levels: ISCED 0: Early childhood Education; ISCED 1: Primary education; ISCED 2: Lower secondary education; ISCED 3: Upper secondary education; ISCED 4: Post-secondary non-tertiary education; ISCED 5: Short-cycle tertiary education; ISCED 6: Bachelor or equivalent; ISCED 7: Master or equivalent; ISCED 8: Doctoral or equivalent. P a g e 6

7 employed on a permanent contract, 15.7% have a fixed-term contract of a less than one school year and 4.4 % have a fixed-term contract with length of more than one school year. In Denmark, Belgium, Lithuania and Malta more than 90% of ISCED 2 level teachers are permanently employed, while in Portugal only 67.6% of teachers in the same group have permanent contacts (OECD 2009). In most European countries teachers are being recruited on the basis of open recruitment. The hiring is usually a responsibility of the school, which sets up the requirements and publishes vacancies, then, executes the interview and assessment process. Everybody in a possession of a teaching degree and satisfying the vacancy requirements is allowed to apply. In Greece, Spain, France and Malta centrally organized completion for the section of teachers are exclusively used for hiring new teachers. Competitions often include several phases: examination of subject-specific knowledge, skill and aptitude tests, interview to confirm teacher s motivation and assessment of the suitability of the candidates and their qualifications. Only six countries and regions use candidate lists as a recruitment method for hiring new teachers. To be included in the list, prospective teachers qualifications and names are submitted to the relevant authorities and entered in a candidates list. In Cyprus and Luxembourg this method of recruitment is used only for ISCED 0 and 1 level teachers and in the French and German-speaking Communities in Belgium candidate lists are used only for recruitment in certain school types (EC 2013a). 2.4 Teacher Salaries Teachers compensation also varies across Member States, however the prevailing trend is that in majority of countries the minimum basic gross teacher salaries in primary and lower secondary education are lower than 50% GDP per capita and for upper secondary education teacher the minimum statutory salaries equals to almost 90 % of GDP per capita. Nevertheless, a wide gap in wages among EU Member States is observable. For primary and general secondary education, minimum teachers wages in Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia amount to less than 50% of the national GDP, while the corresponding ratio for Germany is 141%, for Portugal 133% and for Spain 136% (EC 2013a). In the 2013 OECD report Education at a Glance 2013 the initial and maximum P a g e 7

8 annual salaries for teachers in primary and lower and upper secondary education are examined. Statistics show that there are serious disparities when it comes to educators remuneration across the surveyed EU Member States. OECD calculations are adjusted to purchasing power parities (PPP), allowing wages to be adjusted to living expenses and producing better estimates for comparison. The salaries stated in the OECD report are converted in USD since data for countries from all over the world are represented in the report. For the surveyed EU countries, lower and upper secondary education teacher annual statutory salaries are the lowest in Estonia, starting at USD 11,621, while in Luxemburg initial wages are the highest - USD 72, 499. Thus teachers employed in Luxemburg receive more than 6 times bigger remunerations than teachers in Estonia. In most of EU countries initial and maximum statutory wages increase with the increase in the education level, while in England, Estonia, Greece, Portugal, Scotland and the Slovak Republic they stay the same (OECD 2013). As a result of salary reforms and adjustments in the cost of living, an increase in teacher s salaries was registered in the majority EU Member States in the 2013/14 academic year. In the meantime the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania applied a salary freeze. Teacher wages in Greece decreased due to a general salary adjustment for all public sector employees. In Cyprus a 10% cut in salaries was imposed in 2013 and in Portugal due to the economic crisis cut in all public employees remuneration, teachers salaries were reduced, however this reduction was suspended in June 2014 (EC 2014). Along with their basic salary, teachers in the majority of European countries receive different kinds of allowance, which can in some cases substantially increase their total remuneration. Allowances can be received based on overtime, extra qualifications, teacher s appraisal results, students performance and extra duties, such as overseeing children with special needs. Usually the decision on the amount of the allowances and the receivers list is shared by the top level and local authorities and the schools. However, there are exceptions - in the Netherlands and Italy schools are in charge of making decisions regarding allowances and in Belgium, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Luxemburg, Malta and Hungary the central authority is solely in charge of allowances. P a g e 8

9 The amount and the methods of calculations of teachers allowances vary significantly across EU Member States (EC 2014). Table 1. Teachers' salaries: annual statutory salaries in public institutions (equivalent USD converted using PPPs, 2011 or latest available year) P a g e 9

10 (Source: Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators) 2.5 Teacher demographics and other statistics Student/teacher ratio and class size are considered important indicators when it comes to the quality of student education. However, the evidences that class size may influence student performance are weak. Rather, student/teachers ratio shows how educational resources are allocated. Institutions with smaller number of student per teacher often need to compensate with lower teacher salaries, increased number of professional development and teacher trainings and greater investment in teaching technology (OECD 2014). The student/teacher ratio varies considerably across EU Member States. In the EU-27, the average student teacher ratio in primary schools is 14.5 students per teacher while it is around 13 per teacher in secondary schools. In Latvia, Hungary and Poland the corresponding ratio is 11, while in the Czech Republic and France one teacher is responsible for 19 students and in the United Kingdom the ratio grows up to 25. In the majority of EU countries, the number of students per teacher decreases for ISCED 2 education level compared to primary education. In Spain student/teacher ratio for ISCED 1 level is 13 while for ISCED 2 is 11. Table 2. Student/teacher ratio and average class size in the EU (2012) P a g e 10

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12 *2011 data (Source: Eurostat) Average class size also varies across the EU. In primary school the average class in the UK has 25 students, while the corresponding number for the Netherlands and France is 23. In Latvia and Luxembourg average class size is 16 for ISCED 1 level of education. For most countries class size increases in secondary school, exceptions are Estonia and the United Kingdom. When it comes to gender representation among teachers in the EU, in primary and lower secondary education the large majority of teachers are women. The percentage vary between, 68.8 % in Denmark and more than 95 % in Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Hungary and Slovenia. Statistics show that at ISCED 2 level teachers are predominantly female as well. In half of the Member States, the proportion of female teachers is 70% or above. At upper secondary level, however the female representation decreases, this phenomenon is most pronounced in the Czech Republic, Germany, Malta, Austria, Finland, Sweden and Norway. As a result, teaching at higher level is more balanced between the two genders (EC 2013a). The teacher population in the EU is aging. The majority of teachers are older than 40 years of age. With the exception of Belgium, Ireland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta and the United Kingdom, in all the other 22 EU member states there are fewer teachers in the age groups below 30 and 30 to 39 than there are teachers over 40. With regards to the primary level education, in eleven of the EU members (Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Liechtenstein, and Iceland) over 60 % of all teachers fall into the age group over-40. Notable mentions are Bulgaria, Italy and Sweden, where teachers under the age of 30 are extremely under represented (EC 2013a). This aging trend is even more visible in secondary education. In more than half of the European countries, teachers under the age of 30 represent less than 10 % of all teachers. In Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Norway and Iceland more than 40 % of the teachers fall into the age group over 50. In Belgium, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, there is certain equilibrium between the P a g e 12

13 age groups. This is also valid for Poland with regards to the secondary teachers (EC 2013a). Table 3. Age distribution of teachers in public and private schools at ISCED level 1 (2012) < >50 Italy Sweden Austria Denmark* Bulgaria Romania Czech Republic Spain Ireland Slovenia Luxembourg France Malta Cyprus Year of reference Source (Eurostat) % Table 4. Age distribution of teachers in public and private schools at ISCED level 2-3 (2012) P a g e 13

14 < >50 Estonia Netherlands Austria Lithuania Sweden Finland Hungary France Spain Ireland Portugal Cyprus Malta (Source: Eurostat) % In about half of EU countries examined, teachers are able to retire before they reach the official retirement age set by labour laws. In general, the minimum retiring age in the EU is around 60 (the upper age limit is 65 in the majority of countries), however teachers may retire when they complete the required years of service and be granted full pension entitlement. The number of required years of services fluctuates from one country to another, for example, 20 (for women only) in Italy, and years in Belgium, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of teachers (more than 5 %) remain in their occupation after the minimum retirement age in Denmark and Iceland at primary level; in Cyprus and Poland at secondary level; and in Slovenia and Norway at both levels (EC 2013a). 3. EU education policy and strategic goals related to educators Since there is no common law on the education system framework and rules regarding P a g e 14

15 teacher s qualifications and competences, each Member State relevant authorities are responsible for the development of the rules and principles related to educators. In this line, the EC makes several recommendations to regional policymakers in regards to implementing relevant policies to comply with the Common European principles for teacher competences and qualifications. It is of a great importance that all teachers should be well qualified. That is why teacher education programmes should be available in all cycles of higher education (bachelor, masters and doctorate) and all teachers should be higher education graduates from a recognized institution. Moreover, teacher education curriculum should be constantly improving and development in order to answer the needs of the constantly evolving science, technologies and best practice methods. Moreover, a wide variety of professional development programmes should be made available to teachers. Teacher s mobility should be also encouraged by facilitating and promoting mobility projects and opportunities for teachers to study abroad, as well as learning a new EU language. Furthermore, partnership between education institutions and training providers across the EU should be stimulated for the enabling of past-practice sharing and enhanced cooperation to support quality training (EC 2005). The rethinking Education initiative which has been designed in line with 2020 Europe Goals of achieving better quality education and higher attainment rates throughout the EU, gives attention to the need for reforms and increased support of the teaching profession. Reforms in education will benefit the strengthening of the labour market, supporting productivity growth and economic stability. Investing in continuous professional development and improving the working conditions of educators to ensure better learning outcomes. Moreover, Member States are encouraged to create competence framework or professional profiles for teachers in order to allow for competence-based teacher recruitment and assessment. Furthermore, teachers need a strong commitment to training and continuing professional development, the use of new technologies, improvement of skills and competencies and learning how to cater for diversity and inclusion (EC 2012). 4. Conclusions and Recommendations P a g e 15

16 Education is an important factor in the professional development of individuals and as such has indirect impact on productivity and economic growth. Teachers are the ones that are responsible not only for the academic development of learners but also for the transfer of common values and the culture of being a contributing member of society. Thus, in order for the quality of education across the EU to improve, law makers should ensure that teaching professionals are well educated and well trained. The teaching profession is constantly developing and education professionals need to possess not only theoretical knowledge but also certain skills, such as the ability to work with others and the ability to adapt to innovations, in order to keep up with the constantly changing technology and labour market and society needs. In most of the EU countries, teachers remuneration is lower than the one of other civil administration workers; moreover mobility across education institutions is limited. Thus, Member States and EU authorities should support teachers by implementing education reforms, which will allow for improving of teachers working conditions and providing them with more CPD and mobility opportunities. Only by making sure that teaching professionals are well motivated, educated and trained, the strategic goal of improving education across the EU can be achieved. P a g e 16

17 References European Commission (EC) (2014), Teachers' and School Heads' Salaries and Allowances in Europe 2013/14. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved January 5, ( f). European Commission (EC) (2013a), Key Data on Teachers and School Leaders in Europe Edition. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved January 1, ( European Commission (EC) (2013b), Supporting teacher competence development for better learning outcomes. European Commission/ Education and Training. Retrieved December 20, ( European Commission (EC) (2012), Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes. COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS, Strasbourg, , COM(2012) 669 final. Retrieved January 10, ( European Commission (EC) (2005), Common European Principles for Teacher Competences and Qualifications. Directorate-General for Education and Culture, Brussels. Retrieved December 22, ( EOCD (2009). Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS. Teaching and Learning International Survey. Retrieved January 1, P a g e 17

18 ( OECD (2014), Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. Retrieved January 20, ( P a g e 18