Teachers in Transition. A Biographical Perspective on Transnational Professionalisation of Internationally Educated Teachers in Germany

Abstract

Teachers trained in one country are often not allowed to serve as teachers in another country because their teacher’s license is not recognised as equivalent. The barriers these teachers have to overcome in order to work in their profession again are high and often require further (full) teacher training at the university. The paper provides insights into the conditions for teachers who participate in (re-)qualification programmes in Germany and Europe. By linking the theoretical concepts of a biographical approach to teacher professionalisation and transnationalisation in education, the results of an interview study with teachers who have participated in a programme for refugee teachers at a university in Germany are presented. The Grounded Theory analysis reconstructs the strategies of internationally educated teachers managing to keep up their hope to be able to work as teachers again and thus counter the formal de-professionalisation they are facing.

Diversity in the teachers’ lounge in Germany – casting doubt on the statistical category of ‘migration background’

“…However, defining one’s migration background by one’s place of birth does not grasp this aspect, as some teachers categorized ‘with so-called migration backgrounds’ grew up in Germany and/or completed their school career there, whereas others may have acquired their educational qualifications abroad and migrated to Germany after graduation as internationally trained teachers (cf. Terhart, 2021; in this Special Issue). In the same vein, using nationality rather than birthplace also does not shed any light on this issue.…”

Diversification of the teaching profession in Europe and beyond: Ambivalences of recognition in the context of (forced) migration

“…The strategies of migrated teachers to cope with the non-recognition of qualifications and experience in European countries and beyond is focused in the contribution by Proyer et al (2021) as well as the contribution by Terhart (2021). Proyer et al point out that the teachers taking part in a Certificate Course addressing international teachers at the University of Vienna, Austria, are strongly affected in their (professional) self-image.…”

“…In this way, the international teachers counter the experience that their achievements are assessed as not equivalent to the qualification to be proven. To do so, the teachers must ‘manage to keep up their hope’ in order to continue on the uncertain path towards their aim of re-entering the teaching profession (Terhart, 2021).…”

“…Recognition is put into practice by aiming to understand all involved as equal persons in the research process. In the contribution by Terhart (2021) the teachers involved are addressed as actors according to the Grounded Theory Methodology. Following the action-theoretically based scheme of the coding paradigm in the iterative coding process of Grounded Theory a heuristic is given that focuses on the strategies of the teachers involved in coping with formal and informal barriers.…”

Einstiege, Umstiege, Aufstiege. Professionalisierungsforschung in der Lehrer*innenbildung

“…Auch der Zertifi katskurs unterliegt den österreichischen Richtlinien und unterstützt die Teilnehmer*innen dabei, diesen gerecht zu werden, wodurch der imaginier-te Vorsprung westlicher Bildungsinstitutionen verfestigt wird. Terhart (2021) verweist im deutschen Kontext auf die unterstützende Funktion von (Re-)Qualifi zierungsmaßnahmen beim Erwerb von Zertifi katen, die für eine Anstellung als Lehrkraft nötig sind. Allerdings reproduzieren sie dadurch auch bestehende Vorgehensweisen der Nicht Anerkennung der Expertise international ausgebildeter Lehrpersonen (S. 8).…”