Teaching in Europe

Teaching Careers in Europe: Access, Progression and Support, a new survey of policies related to teaching careers has just be released by Eurydice, the EU’s education research group. The survey looks at how countries monitor the supply of teachers, how countries license teachers, what professional development is required, what career pathways are available, how teachers are appraised and what kind of professional standards exist.

One notable finding is that while most of the 33 countries in the study monitor teacher supply in the short term, only seven systematically monitor it for the long-term. These include Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Norway. This is a key concern as many countries in the study are confronting teacher shortages and aging teacher populations.

Other findings show that induction and mentoring for new teachers is widespread, as is teacher appraisal. Only three countries — Ireland, Iceland and Turkey — do not require some sort of teacher appraisal.