Institutions, level and models of training
Early childhood education and care
Luxembourg’s education landscape includes more than 880 education and care services, mini-crèches and 360 parental assistants who offer educational care spaces to more than 68 000 children aged 0 to 12 (as of 31 March 2024). These facilities are educational living spaces applying the pedagogical principles of non-formal education to promote the development and well-being of the child. They contribute to providing all children with equal opportunities to start and succeed, regardless of their background.
The importance of non-formal education in education policy was recognised in 2013 with the creation of a broad-based Ministry of Education, Children and Youth. Since 2016, education and childcare facilities have had a public service mission, which consists in integrating children into the life of their community and preparing them for society and school.
The structural quality of education and care facilities is defined by the amended law of 8 September 1998 regulating relations between the State and bodies working in the social, family and therapeutic fields.
The quality of the educational work of education and care services, mini-crèches, parental assistants and youth centres is essential to foster the development of children and young people and to promote their social integration. The national reference framework for non-formal education for children and young people is the cornerstone of the quality assurance system.
The 2008 Youth Law aims to support educational quality and provides for a quality assurance system to monitor the quality of educational processes.
Childcare and education facilities and mini-crèches as well as youth centres have a quality assurance policy which includes:
- The obligation to draw up a general concept of action
- Keeping a logbook
- The obligation of continous training for the socio-educational staff
- External evaluation by regional agents.
Childminders (parental assitants) apply a quality assurance policy which includes:
- The obligation to produce an establishement project
- The obligation to follow continous training
- External evaluation by regional agents.
Continuing professional development is compulsory for all ECEC providers. It is specified in particular in the amended grand-ducal regulation of 28 July 2017, in Annex II "Guidelines for the elaboration of the general action concept and the logbook applicable to education and childcare services".
Additionally, guidelines on language education in early childhood care were introduced by the grand-ducal regulation of 1 March 2019 (see 4.3 - Educational Guidelines)."Professionals in the sector (...) need in-depth knowledge about children's language acquisition in mono- and multilingual conditions, which must be imparted to them in the context of initial and continuing training measures."
ECEC providers
Article 7.(1) of the amended grand-ducal regulation of 14 November 2013 on the approval to be granted to managers of childcare and education services specifies the professional competences of ECEC educational personnel:
- For at least 60% of the hours of childcare in settings for young children, staff members must have either a diploma of secondary education (classic or general) or a recognised higher education qualification in the psychosocial, pedagogical or socio-educational fields
- For a maximum of 30% of the hours of supervision, the staff may have one of the following qualifications:
- (a) Authorisation to practise a health profession in Luxembourg
- (b) Professional qualification (or higher education certification) in the fields of music, art, language, or motor skills
- (c) Vocational capacity certificate (CCP) or a vocational aptitude diploma (DAP) in the psychosocial, pedagogical or socio-educational fields.
Supervisory staff undergoing training for one of the above-mentioned professional qualifications may only account for a maximum of two-thirds of the 30% quota of supervisory hours.
Parental assistants
According to the law of 15 December 2017 regulating the activity of parental assistance, Art.5, the approval as parental assistants is granted only to persons who can prove that they have the required professional qualification meeting the cumulative following conditions:
1. One of the following training courses:
- (a) Diploma in the psychosocial, educational, socio-educational or health fields
- (b) Training certificate for socio-family assistant
- (c) Training certificate for parental assistance
2. Pre-training in preparation for the practice and organisation of parental care activities
3. Ability to understand and express oneself in at least one of the three languages specified in the law of 24 February 1984 on the language regime.
Persons who have so far only completed the pre-training course may, pending fulfilment of the other conditions above, be granted a non-renewable provisional authorisation for a period not exceeding three years.
Elementary education
Initial training for elementary school teachers is held by the University of Luxembourg. Leading to a Bachelor of Science in Education (bachelor en Sciences de l'Éducation, 240 ECTS credits), this training is based on a concurrent model: From the very beginning, general courses are combined with pedagogical projects and internships inside and outside the school context.
The four-year programme (8 full semesters of study, including 1 compulsory semester at a foreign university) prepares students to work in the 4 cycles of elementary school, in classes of preparatory track of general secondary education, and in the supervision of children with specific and individual needs. It thus replaces the former, separate programmes for primary and pre-school teachers.
Additionally, future teachers may also undergo teachers’ training in foreign countries:
- Qualifications issued by EU-member States have to correspond to the European Commission’s Directives on the recognition of diplomas.
- Diplomas issued by non-EU countries have to be recognised by the ministry of Research and Higher Education.
Secondary education
Training of secondary school teachers corresponds to the consecutive model: future teachers first complete higher studies of four or more years in the subject of their choice. In order to get access to the profession, they then take an entry examination, which is organised by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth. Successful candidates get enrolled into a two-year training period during which they are already teaching at a secondary school while attending a teacher education programme at the Training institute of national education (IFEN). The training is organised in modules and leads to a certificate which is issued on the basis of a completed portfolio which has to be evaluated by a commission. At the end of the training, nominated teachers benefit from a one-year period for further training in order to reinforce their professional skills.
Admission requirements
Elementary education
Candidates may study in Luxembourg or abroad. In order to study at the University of Luxembourg, they have to hold a secondary school leaving diploma from a Luxembourgish school or a recognised diploma from a foreign country. Future students further have to take an entry examination in mathematics and sciences as well as in reading comprehension in French, German, Luxembourgish and English.
Secondary education
In order to take part in the teacher education programme organised by the Training institute of national education (IFEN), teacher candidates are required to have successfully passed the entry examination organised by the Ministry of Education. Applicants must meet the following admission criteria:
- they need to be citizens of an EU Member State in which they hold citizen’s rights
- they have to offer guaranties on their morality
- they have to be physically and psychologically able to teach
- they have to prove adequate language skills in the three administrative languages: Luxembourgish, French and German. Language teachers must have spent at least two academic years in a country where the target language is spoken.
According to the type of career envisaged, candidates have to hold the following qualifications:
- Secondary school teachers need to hold a bachelor and a master diploma
- Technical education teachers need to hold a bachelor diploma
- Masters of technical education need to hold a master craftsman’s diploma or an advanced vocational diploma.
Further details concerning the recruitment procedure are given in article 9.2 on teachers' conditions of service.
Curriculum, level of specialisation and learning outcomes
Curriculum definition
According to the law of 30 July 2015 establishing a Training institute of national education (IFEN), a training period is defined at the beginning of the career for all teachers in elementary and secondary education.
All courses are based on a reference framework of professional competences to be developed by teachers, trainees and employees, (grand-ducal regulation of 22 August 2019), which determines the practical arrangements for the course, the early career training cycle, the teacher training certificate and the period of advanced training.
During the probationary period for civil servant teachers, or the initial training cycle for employees, nine areas of professional competence are to be developed:
- Acting as a professional
- Integrating one's action into a collective dynamic
- Cooperating with parents
- Designing and implementing learning situations
- Organising the functioning of the class group
- Assessing learning
- Mastering psycho-pedagogical and disciplinary knowledge
- Communicate with pupils and partners inside and outside the school
- Mastering information and communication technologies (ICT) applied to teaching.
Nine areas of competence are organised around:
- Knowledge (legal, disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, epistemic and procedural knowledge)
- Know-how (cognitive, social and emotional skills, enabling teachers to act appropriately in professional situations)
- Self-management skills for each teacher.
Teaching staff
Teaching is provided by University staff and by external experts. During their internships, pupils are accompanied by a tutor from the University of Luxembourg and an experienced teacher of the given elementary school (formateur de terrain).
Elementary and secondary education
Curriculum
The programme of the Bachelor of Science in Education is built along three main axes: pedagogy, research and professionalisation. It aims at developing six domains of competence:
- Targeted mediation of basic knowledge, skills and methods
- Supporting and encouraging the development of socially responsible adults
- Diagnosis and assessment of performance
- Communication, support and advice
- School organisation and development
- Self-reflection and continuous development of professional skills.
The programme is structured in modules, which take the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials, mentorships, fieldwork and online courses.
During the first two years, students follow compulsory courses, often in the form of lectures. From the 5th semester onwards, lectures are increasingly replaced by seminars. During each semester (expect during the obligatory mobility semester), students need to complete a field time. This way, they learn to develop and implement their own interventions as a teacher, taking into account the individual and socio-cultural resources of the students.
Students carry out theoretical and practical projects in different areas of education: language learning, mathematics, science, arts and aesthetics, sport and health.
Secondary education
The teacher education programme (formation pédagogique des enseignants du secondaire) prepares teachers for three fundamental missions:
- Developing the pupils’ knowledge and competences
- Regulating, evaluating and supporting the pupils’ socialisation
- Managing a classroom.
Curriculum definition
The curriculum has been defined in the annexe of a grand-ducal decree regulating teachers' training as well as their probationary period (règlement grand-ducal du 22 août 2019 concernant la formation théorique et pratique ainsi que la période probatoire des enseignants de l’enseignement postprimaire).
The council will:
- Issue an opinion on the programme and budget proposals submitted by the teaching institution (the university)
- Issue an opinion on the implementation of the training
- Propose the overall direction that should be given to the teacher education programme
- Evaluate the training according to the agreement that has been concluded between the university and the minister.
The council is composed of three representatives of the minister of Education, three principals of general or technical secondary schools and five secondary school teachers.
Teacher educators
In order to ensure the principles of the dual training system, different categories of teachers have been specified by the above-mentioned grand-ducal regulation:
- Tutors ensure the students’ gradual introduction to their teaching mission. They are chosen among the civil servant teachers of those secondary schools which are authorised by to train future teachers. Working under the authority of the school’s principal and in close cooperation with the subject coordinators, they are prepared by a specific training provided or authorised by the university
- Trainers intervene in the different modules and may also act as tutors in a secondary school. They may belong to all kinds of staff employed by secondary schools or by the university
- Subject coordinators are appointed for each discipline. They guarantee the coherence between the theoretical and the practical part of the training, ensure the coordination of the tutoring and conceive different stages and modules of the training. They are chosen among the civil servant teachers and need to have a professional experience of at least three years.
The three different functions are compatible.
The initial training for sports teachers and for language teachers is the same as for teachers of the secondary level.
Qualifications, evaluation and certificates
Early childhood education and care
Ongoing training is compulsory in the field of childcare. For the time being, there is no compulsory certification. Language skills are taught by the Institut national des langues Luxembourg (INLL).
Elementary education
Certification
As mentioned above, elementary school teachers should be able to teach children aged from three to twelve years.
Future teachers who successfully accomplish their studies at the University of Luxembourg obtain a vocational bachelor of Science of Education of 240 ECTS credits.
Additionally, qualifications issued in foreign countries may also be recognised:
- Qualifications issued by EU member States have to correspond to the European commission’s directives on the recognition of diplomas
- Diplomas issued by non-EU countries have to be recognised by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education.
Evaluation
Each course of the Bachelor of Science of Education is evaluated by one of the following means:
- Written test at the end of the term
- Continual evaluation throughout the term
- End-of-term work: memo, presentation, essay, project
- Continual evaluation & written test
- Continual evaluation & end-of-term work.
Marks are awarded on a scale of 0 to 20 points.
During the last year of the programme, the student has to draw up a scientifically-founded paper written in French. The paper should demonstrate the student’s aptitude to plan, to conduct, evaluate, analyse and present a work of educational research.
During the preparation of the paper, the student is supported by a tutor. The final work is evaluated by the tutor and a second evaluator.
Secondary education
Certification
The teacher education programme leads to a certification which is recognised by the Ministry of Education and which gives its holders access to the probationary period as a secondary school teacher. The certificate contains a grade, which is defined by the Exam Commission.
Evaluation
At the end of the fourth’s term of the teacher education programme, a final report is established by the subject coordinator and by the trainer who has ensured the student’s mentoring. If a future teacher has successfully passed the four modules, and if he has compiled a complete portfolio on his learning process, the jury suggests the examination commission to validate the portfolio and to award a grade to the student. The grade is proposed by the jury upon consultation with the different trainers. If one or several modules are negative, the jury proposes a prolongation of the training period and the student suggests an individual curriculum addressing the weaknesses that have been observed by the jury.
Alternative training pathways
Elementary education
Supply teachers
In elementary education, supply teachers may enter into education via alternative training pathways:
Persons wishing to work as supply teachers first have to realise a four-week probationary period in an elementary school.
In order to be admitted to this, they have to hold a secondary school leaving diploma or a recognised equivalent. They further have to pass a test on their linguistic competences in the three official languages Luxembourgish, French and German. Persons who have passed the probationary period are awarded, by the regional governing body, a certificate which entitles them to act as supply teachers.
Supply teachers first receive fix-term contracts, which may be transformed into permanent contracts if they successfully pass an in-service training during their first 12 months of service. The training is provided by the Training institute of national education (IFEN). It foresees a pedagogical and methodological part of 120 hours as well as a practical part. Evaluation is based on exams as well as on a portfolio documenting the teacher’s acquisition of competences, a dossier on classroom work and two in-class learning activities. Successful teachers are awarded a training certificate, which allows them to obtain a permanent contract.
Secondary education
Apart from secondary school teachers who follow the teacher education programme of the University of Luxembourg, the Ministry of Education may engage so-called teaching assistants. Employed as public employees, they ensure teaching as well as extracurricular activities.
In order to make up for the shortage of qualified teaching staff in secondary schools and to take on vacant lessons and supervisory activities that cannot be provided either by civil servants, candidates, trainee civil servants or by lecturers, teaching assistants hired for an indefinite period of time and teaching assistants already hired, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth may recruit teaching assistants for an indefinite period of time and on a full or partial basis (75% or 50%) within the limit of the posts allocated annually by the budget law.
Depending on the allowance group, teachers recruited on an open-ended contract must hold a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, a brevet de maîtrise or a brevet de technicien supérieur (for specialities of a craft nature) and be proficient in the country's three administrative languages, i.e. German, French and Luxembourgish.
Candidates for fixed-term teaching posts must be from a European Union member state and meet the same educational requirements as those for permanent teaching posts. They must also be proficient in at least 2 of the country's 3 administrative languages.
During the first year of their contract, lecturers undergo in-service training organised by the Training institute of national education (IFEN). During the year following their induction period, education officers benefit from a period of in-depth training to consolidate their professional skills.