More than 3,000 teachers and assistants from Ukraine are now employed at schools in Germany. This was the result of a survey by the German Press Agency in the ministries of culture and education in the federal states. Bavaria reported a particularly large number of Ukrainian employees. The Ministry of Culture in Munich assumes that there will be up to 500 teachers and up to 700 assistants at the schools.
In Bavaria, with around 30,000 pupils, in addition to North Rhine-Westphalia (35,000) most children and young people from the Ukraine have been accommodated in schools so far. In Germany there are now around 180,000. “Theoretically, with a normal student-teacher ratio of 1 to 15, 12,000 additional teachers and assistants would be needed for so many students,” said the President of the German Teachers’ Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, to the dpa. In total, there are more than 800,000 teachers and almost 11 million students in Germany.
In order to attract teachers, the federal states have set up websites where Ukrainians can find information and apply. The types of employment vary and depend, among other things, on the qualification, the recognition of the degree and the knowledge of German. There are temporary staff, pedagogical staff or full-time teachers, and the pay varies accordingly.
For example, the Brandenburg Ministry of Education advertises on its website: “You have worked as a teacher in the Ukraine and have German language skills. Then we would also like to employ you as a teacher in schools in Brandenburg.” An “above-average gross income of at least 3427.65 euros with full employment” is offered. Anyone who can prove other professional experience in dealing with children can join as “other educational staff” to support Ukrainian students. A good 2300 euros are given as a possible gross at 80 percent part-time.
Caring for refugee children
As the survey in the federal states revealed, teachers and assistants are used differently. It is mainly about teaching and looking after refugee students, for example in “intensive”, “welcome” or “bridging classes”, where the first thing is to learn German and get used to the new school system. Ukrainian teachers also help as language mediators, for example in meetings with parents, and are employed in physical education, art and music classes, where language skills are less important.
Some schools also offer voluntary additional lessons in the Ukrainian language. Kyiv had expressed the wish to ensure the continuity of the educational processes and the preservation of the national identity of Ukrainian children. It is about a temporary stay in Germany. However, the culture ministers of the federal states had made it clear that they were aiming for the fastest possible integration and that Ukrainian educational opportunities could only be a supplement.
