Are you a teacher and looking for a teaching position in Germany? You have come to the right palace. This article brings you whatever you must know about immigrating to Germany as a teacher.
How should I move to Germany as a teacher?
To immigrate to Germany as a teacher, there are some steps you must pass. Follow them in order to get to Germany as a teacher:
Step 1. Find a job offer with a German employer or school
The first step to moving to Germany as a teacher is to find a job offer. You need an employment contract with a German school or employer to apply for a work permit. It is the employer’s responsibility to apply for a work permit, and the contract is part of the supporting document.
You can look for a contract through the websites that advertise teaching job positions in Germany. Also, you can move to the country through a job seeker visa and tourist visa to find a job position. But you have no permission to work under these two visas.
If you are among the visa-waived countries, you can enter Germany with your passport and look for a job. You don’t need to apply for a visa.
Step 2. Apply for a work permit
The German employer must apply for a work permit. It is mandatory to receive a work permit. When German officials issue the work permit, they agree that the teacher can move to Germany.
So prepare the complete list of supporting documents and submit them to the offices to get the work permit.
Step 3. Apply for a work visa
When you get the work permit, the employee must apply for a work visa. You must gather a list of supporting documents and apply to the German embassy in your home country.
You can see the work visa article from the right sidebar to know the list of visa supporting documents and get familiar with the application in more detail.
You must visit the embassy in person and submit the documents to them and wait for visa processing.
Step 4. Move to Germany
When you get the work visa, you can move to Germany and begin your work. But you must register your stay with the officials.
Video description
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany tool to know you need recognition or not.
What do you need to immigrate to Germany as a teacher?
To move to Germany as a teacher, you must be qualified to persuade the school or college to hire you. You need a valid teaching license in your home country and internationally recognized. Universities have various requirements, but teaching experience and having a degree in teaching is often preferred.
Here is a list of the requirements to teach in Germany:
- BA or MA degree.
- Teaching experience
- Passport and ability to leave your home country.
- Language proficiency certificate. Unless your native language is English.
- International recognized teaching certificates such as:
- CELTA
- CELTA
- TESOL
- TESOL
- TESL
- TESL
- TEFL
- TEFL
- EFL
- ESL
Work visa
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals do not need a work visa to work in Germany. But, non-EU nationals need a work visa to work in Germany. You must apply for a work visa at a German embassy in your home country and receive it from working in Germany.
You can get familiar with the process in the below section; read the work visa article from the right sidebar.
When is the best time to apply to immigrate to Germany as a teacher?
You can apply to move to Germany as a teacher every time of the year. But, German schools begin working in late summer and end their course in mid-June to July.
The exact dates that schools begin their semester varies in each state. So you would better do research hand find out the dates in the state you want to move to. A few months before school begins could be a time to look for a job position.
Although the entire year could be a good time to look for a job, schools might begin looking for teachers a year before, but there are always situations when a teacher is sick or leaves the school.
International schools in Germany
There is always a chance with international and bilingual schools for a job position. They are the main hiring of teachers in Germany. So you would better know them and visit their website regularly to know the available job positions:
- Berlin international school
- Bavarian International School
- Berlin Cosmopolitan School
- Black Forest Academy
- British Families Education Service
- Deutsch-Französisches Gymnasium
- Dresden International School
- International School Augsburg
- International School Hannover Region
- International School of Stuttgart
- ISR International School on the Rhine
- Leipzig International School
- Munich International School
- Neustadt International School
- International School of New Media
- Städelschule
- State International School Seeheim
- Würzburg American High School
You can find the websites of the above schools easily and see if they have a job opportunity or not. You could also follow them on LinkedIn and other social media to keep up with available opportunities.
Also, if you get familiar with names, you can recognize their job positions on websites that advertise positions easily.
Can you work in Germany without speaking German?
The answer is up to the school and its requirements. Whether they teach in English or German is up to the school’s curriculum. You would better look carefully at the position and see whether it is in German or English.
But, if you are only fluent in English or it’s your native language, your opportunities might be limited. So you would better work on your German language proficiency skills and try to improve it day by day.
Look at the below section to get familiar with the teaching opportunities in Germany. It can give you a useful hint
Teaching opportunities in Germany
The teaching opportunities in a diverse country like Germany, with the strongest economy in Europe, are not limited to the below items. When there is a will, there is a way, and you can always find what you want if you believe in it enough.
Private language schools
There are a number of private language schools in Germany. They accept children from childhood to adulthood. They know the importance of English in today and future life so the parents that leave their children in such schools. So, teaching in English or English is a must for them.
You can find hourly paid teaching positions with flexible working hours. If you want to work with adults, you can find such a position with them.
Bilingual primary schools
For the country that brings skilled workers from everywhere around the world, there are a large number of Bilingual primary schools in Germany. The curriculum is in English and German, and they often need skilled teachers.
You could say that there is better work safety with bilingual schools. The working conditions are better with them, and they often provide packages, perks, and bonuses.
They could be your best option in terms of work safety and getting good features. But their requirements are a bit higher than other schools, and they are strict about hiring the best teacher. You can expect to get from $2.000 to $4.000 in bilingual schools.
Summer camps
There are summer camps for German schools during the summer break. The schooling system is the same as the US system. School begins in late August/early September and lets out in summer.
The requirement for this group is less strict, and you have a higher chance compared with the other two groups. A native English speaker with an acceptable resume can have a chance. It could be a stepping stone and improve your resume to get to the other two groups.
Chance is that you get picked in one of these camps to teach in a school or find a connection that leads to a teaching position in a school.
Websites to find job positions as a teacher
The below list of websites is to find job positions in Germany. You might be able to find a teaching position with them in Germany.
- Indeed
- StepStone
- Arbeitsagentur
- Meinestadt.de
- Jobrapido.de
- Kimeta
- Xing Stellenmarkt
- Monster Deutschland
- Stellenanzeigen.de
However, the below list of websites is precisely to find teaching positions as teachers or English teachers. You have a better chance with them.
- ESLauthority.com
- ESLbase.com
- Glassdoor.com
- ESLcafe.com
- ESLemployment.com
- Craigslist.org
Can I move to Germany to find a teaching position?
Yes. Germany has provided a job seeker visa. You can apply for it and move to Germany for six months to find a job. But you must be eligible to receive this visa. The first requirement is to have enough funds to cover your expenses during your stay in Germany. You can find out more about it from the Visa Library article on the right sidebar.
Also, if you are among the visa-waived countries, you don’t need a visa. You can enter Germany with your passport and stay for up to 90 days. It gives you an opportunity to look for a job. But you have no permission to work and must have enough money to pay your expenses.
Moreover, you can enter Germany through a tourist visa and look for a job. Again, you have no permission to work and must have enough money to pay your expenses.
Let’s sum up…
This article brought you information on how to move to Germany as a teacher. You know the visa and work permit rules and how to get a job offer.
If you have questions we didn’t cover here, write them down in the comment section.
Frequently asked questions about moving to Germany as a teacher
What is my first step in moving to Germany as a teacher?
You must find a job offer from a German school or employer.
Do I need a visa to move to Germany as a teacher?
Yes, you must apply for a work permit and work visa.
What is a work visa supporting document?
Look at the Germany work visa article from the right sidebar.