Apply for recognition as a teacher with professional qualifications from third countries

Procedure

You submit an application to the responsible office. You can send the application by post, send it electronically or submit it in person. The responsible office will inform you.

The responsible office receives the application. It will confirm to you after a maximum of one month that the application has been received. Once the competent office has received all the documents from you, it will process your application. The competent authority will then check: Is your professional qualification equivalent to the professional qualification in your federal state? The competent body compares the qualifications using certain criteria. Important criteria are the content and duration of the training. The competent body will also take your professional experience, your other certificates of competence and your other qualifications into account when assessing equivalence.

If your professional qualification and the professional qualification in the selected federal state are equivalent, you will receive recognition.

Sometimes there are significant differences between the professional qualifications. If there are significant differences, you may be able to take a compensation measure.

There are various compensation measures:

• Adaptation course: you work as a teacher and perhaps do additional training. This means, for example, that you take part in courses at a university or college.
• Aptitude test: You take teaching tests and oral examinations. A teaching sample means that you conduct lessons with pupils. Examiners observe and assess your lessons. The responsible office will inform you about the necessary teaching samples and examinations.

You can usually choose between an adaptation period or an aptitude test. Sometimes the competent body decides which compensatory measure you should take. The responsible office will inform you.

In some federal states, you may not be able to take a compensation measure.
In this case, you can complete an educational measure, e.g. an additional course of study and the preparatory service. The responsible office will inform you about your options.

If you successfully complete the compensatory measure or training measure, you will receive recognition.

With the recognition, you can apply for the teaching profession in your federal state. This is a different procedure. The other requirements for the so-called teaching qualification are then checked.

If you meet all the requirements, you will be awarded the teaching qualification. The teaching qualification is always valid for the teaching position you have applied for. This means that you can teach your subjects at a specific school. You have the same professional rights as a person with the German professional qualification.

There are various ways to work as a teacher without recognition, e.g. via a lateral entry, a side entry or at a private school. The responsible office will inform you about the details.

Legal bases

• Bremisches Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BremBQFG)
• Richtlinie 2005/36/EG des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates über die Anerkennung von Berufsqualifikationen
• Berufsqualifikationsfeststellungsgesetz (BQFG)
• Verordnung zur Anerkennung ausländischer Lehrkräfteberufsqualifikationen in Bremen (AV-L)

More information

Opportunities for working as a teacher without recognition

There are various options for working as a teacher without recognition. Exactly which options you have depends on which federal state you would like to work in. The responsible office will inform you.

Options for working as a teacher without recognition include

• lateral entry
• lateral entry
• Direct entry
• Working as a substitute teacher
• Working at a private school
• Working at international schools
• Teaching in the language of origin (mother tongue)
• Working in preparatory classes and support classes (e.g. German as a foreign language - DaF or German as a second language - DaZ)
• Working outside of a school (e.g. in adult education)

Partial professional access for professional qualifications from third countries:
Your professional qualification is not equivalent and there are many significant differences? In some federal states, you may be able to work in the profession with partial access to the profession. With partial access to the profession, you can also work in the profession without recognition. There are certain requirements for this. As a teacher, you are then only allowed to take on certain tasks. You apply for partial access to the profession at the competent authority. The competent authority will inform you.

Equivalence with the 1st state examination:
In most federal states, you can only have your professional qualification compared with the German teaching degree (1st state examination). If your professional qualification is equivalent to the 1st state examination, you can be admitted to the preparatory service or to a lateral entry program, for example. The responsible office will inform you.

The preparatory service is the pedagogical-practical training. This training concludes with the 2nd state examination. The practical training is also called: Referendariat.

If you successfully complete the preparatory service, you can apply to teach at state schools. You have the same professional rights as a person with a German professional qualification.