Staff in the class.

Teacher

The teacher is the most important staff member for you and your child at school. They teach your child and see them regularly. The requirements for a teacher are set by the law. These are called competence requirements. The school is responsible for the skills of teachers and keeps their development in a file. The collective labor agreement shows what a teacher must do and be able to do. It also lists all the possible jobs in education.

Primary school

In primary education, your child is taught all day by the same teacher. This teacher is responsible for the class. Often, children are taught by multiple teachers who alternate during the week. Every teacher has a diploma from the teacher training college.

There are extra requirements for gym lessons. Any teacher can give gym classes to groups 1 and 2, but to teach groups 3 to 8, a special qualification is needed. In special education, any teacher can give gym lessons until children reach the age of 7.

Secondary school

In secondary school, children have a different teacher for each subject. These teachers are responsible for the results in their subject. The mentor is often the contact person for students and parents. The mentor gives regular hours and mentor hours. In secondary education, teachers can have two types of qualifications:

• First-degree teaching qualification: these teachers can teach all classes of senior general secondary education, pre-university education, and preparatory vocational education.
• Second-degree teaching qualification: these teachers can teach the first three classes of senior general secondary education and pre-university education, and all classes of preparatory vocational education.

Class and teaching assistant

The class assistant helps the teacher set up and clean up teaching materials. The teaching assistant also guides small groups of students in the learning process. Both work under the responsibility of the teacher. They should not teach the class alone or do tasks they are not trained or paid for. If a teaching assistant teaches the class, it must always be under the responsibility of a qualified teacher. That teacher is also the contact if problems arise.

Trainee

A trainee in training is not qualified to teach a group of students alone. The student can teach and do tasks alone under the supervision and final responsibility of a qualified teacher. How this independence works depends on the context and is decided by the qualified teacher and the school governing body.

Teacher in training

A teacher in training is a student who almost finished teacher training and teaches at a school at the same time. This person does not have a teaching qualification yet but can teach without supervision. The school and the teacher in training agree on the tasks and activities. The government gives more information about the rules for a teacher in training.

Teaching without qualification

Education can also be given by an unqualified teacher in exceptional cases. These are situations:

• The teacher is still in training, see above.
• If a teacher is sick, an unqualified teacher may take over lessons for a maximum of one year. This is only allowed if the school has no other options.
• The teacher is a career changer: someone who wants to become a teacher from another profession or wants to get a teaching qualification in another subject. They must get the qualification in two years.
• Second-degree teachers may teach in the upper classes of senior general secondary education or pre-university education for a maximum of one year. This can be up to 50% of their lessons. They teach the rest in the lower classes. The school must report this to the education inspectorate.
• For some subjects, there is no teacher training. A teacher may teach if they meet the competence requirements.

Declaration of Admissibility

All teachers and many other school staff must have a Declaration of Admissibility.