Apart from the pension system that continues to fall under the responsibility of the Federal State, the Parliament and the Government of the German-speaking Community in Belgium are responsible for the conditions of service of teachers and other educational staff.
Planning Policy
Teacher shortage has become more imminent in the German-speaking Community. In 2022 the Ministry started a project to identify teacher demand based on student numbers and to collect data on teacher migration and new recruitments. Teacher shortage per subject is determined yearly. As the data collection project is still being evaluated no data has yet been published.
Entry to the Profession
Staff recruitment is centralised at school provider level:
- The Community Education System (Gemeinschaftsunterrichtswesen, GUW) is organised by the German-speaking Community and staff recruitment is centralised at the Ministry of the German-speaking Community.
- The Free Subsidised Education System (freies subventioniertes Unterrichtswesen, FSU) is organised by the Association of Catholic Episcopal schools (VoG Bischöfliche Schulen in der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, BSDG) also responsible for staff recruitment.
- The Official Subsidised Education System (Offizielles subventioniertes Unterrichtswesen, OSU) is organised by the nine municipalities in the German-speaking Community also responsible for staff recruitment.
Staff regulations are based on positions and qualifications. Decrees determine which qualification (diploma, training) is necessary to access a specific position. In addition, every staff member must proof their profound knowledge of the language of instruction. Positions and required qualifications may vary depending on the school network.
A teachers career always starts with a temporary designation or employment contract:
- a temporary fixed-term designation or contract if the position is not available for the whole school year, i.e. until 30th June or if the candidate does not fulfil the qualification and language requirements, or
- a temporary open-ended designation or contract from start of the teaching career if the position is available for the whole school year and if the candidate fulfils the qualification and language requirements.
If the teacher has a fixed-term contract, an application is required for every new school year.
The selection of candidates is based on statutory regulations, that vary according to the school network.
To get an open-ended designation or contract as well as a permanent appointment, staff members must fulfil statutory requirements regarding their age of service (per position and school provider) and all qualification and language requirements. The level of job security and career planning possibilities are widened once the staff member attains one of these statutory levels. Appointed staff members are entitled to a public service retirement scheme.
In addition to the so-called recruitment positions (pre-primary teacher, primary teacher, SEN-teacher, teacher for general courses at lower or upper secondary level…) there are so called selection and promotion positions that usually involve advisory or leadership tasks. Such positions are the school head, the SEN-advisor or the middle manager at a secondary school. There are specific statutory regulations governing access, qualifications and employment conditions in these positions (see chapter 10).
Induction
To support new staff members starting in the teaching profession, measures are taken at various levels in the German-speaking Community. However, these offers either only concern a specific target group or are organised within the school.
For example, the career entry phase at the Higher education institution in the German-speaking Community (Autonome Hochschule in der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, AHS) is primarily aimed at beginners in the pre-primary and primary school system.
Some schools pair up new staff members with experienced colleagues and offer tours or information brochures. At some schools it is possible to sit in on classes or new colleagues are integrated into existing specialist teams.
With the schoolyear 2022-2023, the Ministry started a mentoring pilot-program for all schools.
Professional Status
Job security
The number of positions organised at a school depends on the number of students enrolled in this school. The job security varies therefore according to the student numbers.
Appointed staff members or staff members with open-ended contracts have a higher job security due to their priority in job placing. Appointed staff members continue to be employed or paid by their school provider even if their position can no longer be organised.
Staff Regulations
Royal Decree of 22nd March 1969 on the statute for staff members of the Community Education System (GUW)
Decree of 14th December 1998 on the statute for subsidised staff members of the Free Subsidised Education System (FSU)
Decree of 9th March 2004 on the statute for subsidised staff members of the Official Subsidised Education System (OSU)
Decree of 31st August 1998 on the mandate of school providers and school staff as well as on general educational and organisational provisions for mainstream and special education schools (Basic Decree on Education)
These main staff regulations lay down the conditions and rules for access to the recruitment, selection and promotion positions, as well as the conditions that must be met to be temporarily or definitively appointed or recruited. They contain provisions on basic obligations, major incompatibilities, permanent withdrawal from office, temporary suspension and a disciplinary code. They also provide for the establishment of a board of appeal and - in the OSU and FSU - a joint commission and define its tasks.
The Basic Decree on Education lays down regulations regarding among others:
- the mandate of school providers,
- teaching content and assessment of student achievements and qualifications,
- special education,
- mandate of staff,
- continuous professional development of staff,
- weekly working time.
Replacement Measures
In the event of the absence of a teacher, the recruitment of a substitute and the salary payment at the expense of the German-speaking Community from the first day of absence is permitted only if the absence is due either to a sick leave of at least five consecutive working days or to a reasoned and approved request for leave. When selecting substitute teachers, the statutory priority rules must be taken into account.
In one-class pre-primary and primary schools, a teacher may be replaced by a substitute teacher even if the absence is for only one day.
If the period of absence due to illness is less than five consecutive days, the school head must, in accordance with his or her mandate, find internal solutions to ensure that lessons are given as far as possible.
Supporting Measures
Various internal and external measures and institutions offer support to teaching staff on different topics:
- SEN-teachers at pre-primary and primary level: low-threshold support in special education
- subject team leaders and middle managers at secondary level: subject-specific and interdisciplinary or schoolwide collaboration and support,
- pedagogical advisory service at the higher education institution in the German-speaking Community (AHS, Autonome Hochschule): subject-specific methodical and didactical advice,
- School inspection, school development counselling service and counselling service on inclusion and integration
- Competency centre at the centre for special need pedagogy (ZFP, Zentrum für Förderpädagogik): counselling service on special educational needs
- Kaleido, centre for the healthy development of children and youth (Kaleido, Zentrum für die gesunde Entwicklung von Kindern und Jugendlichen): cooperation and support in line with psychosocial and paramedical counselling of students
Salaries
The German-speaking Community directly pays the salaries of the staff members of all the education networks monthly. The salaries are calculated according to the same criteria in all networks.
Salaries mainly depend on the following factors:
- highest qualification (master, bachelor, certificate of upper secondary school, no diploma)
- seniority
- position and working regime
- family status
In determining seniority, account is taken of
- services in education
- services in the public sector
- working experience in the private sector or as a freelancer depending on the position
- services provided in associations or foundations directly related to education.
All salaries in the public sector and thus in education are index-linked and are increased by 2% if a specific index is exceeded.
In addition to this salary, all staff members receive a holiday pay in May and a year-end bonus in December. Teachers also receive an allowance to cover home office expenses.
Working Time and Holidays
The working time of teachers in the German-speaking community is mainly defined by the number of lessons to teach per week and a mandate defined in the Basic Decree on Education (1998). According to this mandate the task of a teacher besides teaching are among others also staff meetings, professional development measures or school-parent relations.
Each lesson lasts 50 minutes. The lessons are organised during 9 half days each week. The school must include between 180 and 184 days of lessons.
Working Hours in Pre-Primary and Primary Education
The weekly working time of staff in pre-primary and primary schools is regulated in the Decree of 26th April 1999 on mainstream primary education.
The services provided by the teaching staff in school shall not exceed 26 hours at 60 minutes and include not only teaching hours but also other tasks regulated by decrees, e.g. supervising students during breaks.
A full-time teacher in pre-primary school usually teaches 28 lessons. A full-time teacher in primary school usually teaches 24 lessons per week.
School heads, SEN-teachers or administrative staff work 36-38 hours (60 minutes) per week.
Working Hours in Secondary Education
A full-time lower secondary teacher usually teaches 22 lessons per week. A full-time upper secondary teacher usually teaches 20 lessons per week.
Teachers for technical and professional courses usually teach between 24 and 29 lessons per week.
School heads, educational and administrative staff work 36-38 hours per week. Paramedical staff works 30-36 hours per week.
Working Hours in other institutions
Staff in other institutions in the education system in the German-speaking Community usually work 38 hours per week. This applies to the only higher education institution (Autonome Hochschule, AHS) and all institutions providing counselling services (i.e. Kaleido, competency centre…).
Special Types of Leave
Leave periods are usually treated as equivalent to active service. During the leave periods, a full salary or a partial salary can be paid. These periods are considered when calculating seniority. Certain forms of leave are not available to temporary staff.
Staff members use different forms of leave to adapt their workload for personal reasons or at the end of their career. Other forms of leave are used in case the personal situation of the staff member changes (sickness or resumption of service after sickness, motherhood or parenthood …). Specific forms of leave also permit staff members to fulfil special tasks.
Promotion, Advancement
The teaching career does not offer many opportunities for promotion: there are selection positions and promotion positions in schools related to counselling or leadership tasks. (cf. Chapter 10)
Mobility and Transfers
All Staff Regulations also provide for the possibility of being transferred within schools of the same school provider or network or even across networks (i.e. from a school in one school network to a school in another school network).
Dismissal
The various staff regulations specify the circumstances which may lead to the dismissal of a staff member. A designation or appointment can be terminated due to negative inspection reports or within a disciplinary procedure.
Staff members can resign from their designation or contract with a period of notice.
School providers can end temporary designation or contracts with a period of notice as well.
Appeal procedures apply in all cases, but the level of appeal depends on the statutory status of the staff member.
Retirement and Pensions
Pension regulation remains a national competence. Every teacher retires at the age of 67 at the latest.
An early retirement scheme allows staff members to retire 2 years in advance of their regular retirement date. In the meantime, they will receive a waiting salary at the expense of the Community. The years of early retirement will be counted as normal years of service for later pension calculations.
In addition to this full-time withdrawal from active working life, a half-time and partial early retirement scheme is also possible.