Thanks to career changers, the teacher crisis has been averted at the last minute

The summer holidays are over for half a million schoolchildren in the East, and more than 648,000 girls and boys will go to school next week in the rest of Austria. Directors, parents and students can breathe a sigh of relief: the acute teacher shortage was averted at the last minute. There is still a great need for teachers, but all classes can be offered again in the winter semester 2023/24.

Lateral entrants as a success model
The model for career changers has proven to be a great success. Since the Ministry of Education launched the initiative last fall, 3,000 people have registered and taken part in the rigorous selection process.

Half of them obtained the relevant certification. There are already 600 career changers in the classes this year. Whether retired, changing careers or serving in the military, they are an important addition to those teachers who have chosen the classical education path. The remaining staff shortages were then filled with student teachers in higher semesters.

In order to meet educational needs more quickly, application deadlines have been standardized and digitized throughout the federal school sector. Most countries have joined. This made it clear earlier than usual where upgrades had to take place.

The summer holidays are too long for every second person
Holidays are both a logistical and a financial problem for parents, according to a study by the IFDD institute. Because not every family can rely on active grandparents. “49 percent of the respondents think that the summer holidays are too long and that school should start earlier. Nine weeks of school vacation is probably too much while parents usually only have five weeks of vacation a year,” explains study leader Nadine Ejupi.