TEACHERS: Europe Needs You
Qualified secondary teachers from Ireland are being invited to consider moving to a major European city to teach in one of the international schools set up to educate children of EU personnel.
Ads are appearing in national media this week inviting suitably qualified teachers to apply for a posting abroad which has an attractive package for those seeking a wider European experience.
Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin T.D., today said “Ireland already has about 70 teachers working in various parts of Europe, all educating children from primary right through to the European Baccalaureate which is recognised in all Member States. This is a marvellous opportunity for a teacher to gain valuable experience, especially of a second language and to use their skills and experience from Ireland to help children from all over Europe.
The schools are multilingual so from the beginning of primary school, all pupils learn a foreign language. In junior secondary they begin a second foreign language. In secondary they also study some of their subjects e.g. history and geography through their first foreign language.
Students attending these schools are taught in sections corresponding to their mother tongue – all schools have English, French and German sections. There are other language sections in some of the schools, depending on the makeup of the students attending.”
Minister Hanafin said that there are many attractions for teachers who are selected for the European Schools. “Teachers from Ireland get experience working in an interesting international system alongside colleagues from other European countries and sharing experience and expertise with them. Many teachers enjoy living in another European country and getting to know another culture as well an opportunity for professional development or to perfect one’s French, German, Spanish or Italian. It also gives teachers’ families an opportunity for the whole family to spend some years in another European country.”
Under the scheme teachers have the security of knowing they will have a nine-year secondment from their school at home and then return to the seconding school. There are also excellent pay and conditions, including a European allowance, relocation allowance, travel and family allowances, health benefits, etc.
There are 14 European schools in all – the big ones are in Brussels and Luxembourg, and there are others in Munich, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Bergen (Netherlands), Alicante (Spain), Varese (Italy), Mol (Belgium), Culham (England).
These are international schools, serving the children of EU personnel from the various Member States. This year, there are no vacancies at primary level, but there are vacancies at second level.
Each year, in February, the Department of Education and Science advertises for vacancies in the primary and secondary European Schools.
The European Schools website is: www.eursc.org.
Further information and the Application Form and are available to download by clicking on this link |
