Teacher Education in Germany

Abstract

Teacher education in Germany reflects the tiered structure of the country’s secondary school system. In addition to the common distinction between elementary and secondary education, German teacher education programs differ by secondary school type. Teacher training for the academic-track Gymnasium, which students leave with the general university entrance certificate (Abitur), goes through a rather rigorous training program focused on content knowledge. Teacher training for less-prestigious school types goes through a similar but less content-intensive training program. Regardless of track type, the teacher training program is strictly divided into a first academic phase at university (3–5 years) followed by an in-service training phase (1.5–2 years) run by the respective state’s education authority. Relative to many other countries, the income and job security of teachers in Germany is high. Assessment of teachers or teaching quality is all but unknown.