Secretary of State Mariëlle Paul: “Working in education means working for the future of the Netherlands. It is about developing students as well as yourself. It ensures that children enjoy going to school and that you return home feeling good. Thanks to you, students learn something new every day. It is so important that this story is told. I hope more people choose this wonderful profession. Good education depends on well-trained people in the classroom and at school. Every student deserves a good teacher.”
Positive and Realistic
The education sector is in dire need of good, motivated people. The shortage of teachers in primary education is 8.1% (7700 FTE) and in secondary education 5.1% (3800 FTE). The shortage of school leaders is 9.8% (850 FTE). There are many misconceptions about working in education, such as the underestimation of salaries and the belief that it is monotonous or a dead-end job. These misconceptions do not help the image of education.
The new campaign Working with the Future is the largest national campaign about working in education ever. It focuses on the significance of the work, development opportunities, and salaries. These are the most important aspects for potential career changers, study choosers, and education professionals. The campaign aims to create a positive and realistic image of working in education. It highlights that while it can be hard work, you can make a difference for students every day.
Moreover, you earn a decent salary. As a teacher, you earn around 6,200 euros gross per month on average. The campaign also addresses the fact that education is a very diverse sector where you can fully develop as a person: within your subject (e.g., becoming a specialist) or in terms of role (from teacher to internal supervisor and school director). You can also switch subjects or schools, from Montessori to special education.
The campaign aligns with measures to make working in education attractive and sustainable. Efforts are being made to reduce workload. School boards are also being supported to be good employers. In the next 10 years, around 60,000 teachers from primary, secondary, and vocational education will further professionalize. Teachers can also receive a teacher grant to continue their development.
Combating Shortages
The campaign is a new step in combating the shortages of teachers, school leaders, and support staff in education. Together with the education sector, the government is pulling out all the stops. As a result, over 2,200 career changers applied for the career changer subsidy last year, and more than 900 current education support staff receive financial assistance for teacher training. Additionally, the network of education regions has become nationally covered this year. Within these regions, schools, teacher training institutions, municipalities, and educational personnel collaborate to address personnel shortages. These education regions ensure that interested individuals are warmly welcomed and guided within their region. Furthermore, increasing the number of hours worked has the potential to significantly contribute to addressing the teacher shortage.
Joint Campaign
The multi-year campaign Working with the Future has been developed together with all partners in education and the education regions. In these education regions, school boards, teachers, teacher training institutions, and partners like municipalities and the UWV work together to combat the teacher shortage, including supporting career changers. The first part of the campaign mainly targets potential career changers, with a focus on study choosers later this year. The campaign includes digital billboards, online videos, and radio spots. From now on, the website www.werkeninhetonderwijs.nl is also online.