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Teachers working in Germany give 26 lessons per week, in two subjects, on six levels from fifth to final year. Not to mention the supervision of the playground, the canteen… and sometimes a good sweep during the interclass… Extract from the magazine “We, the Europeans” broadcast Sunday January 23, 2022 at 10:40 am on France 3.
The average salary of a beginner teacher is 6,300 euros gross per month in Germany… but this requires some consideration. The magazine “We, the Europeans” (replay) followed a working day of Julia Kochanek who arrives every morning at work half an hour in advance to polish her many courses of the day. Like all the teachers in her high school, she teaches two disciplines.
The teacher begins with a course in German literature… and continues an hour later with a French course. And it teaches these two subjects on six levels, because colleges and high schools are merged across the Rhine. German teachers therefore prepare lessons from fifth to final year: “I have a master’s degree in both subjects, so I can teach them. And I give a total of 26 lessons a week. It’s quite dense. I don’t think we can do more. It’s already limited… “ she confides.
One in three German teachers would show signs of burnout
The German teachers ensure twenty-seven hours of presence per week against twenty hours in France, without counting of course the preparation of the courses, the corrections… and a good sweep of the broom at the time of the recess. It is not mandatory but most teachers consider it part of their job: “The image of the teacher has changed a lot in Germany. A teacher is more about being friendly with students, you feel a little more like home. Everyone takes responsibility”, explains Julia Kochanek.
“In my opinion, French teachers are, in my opinion, much more distant from the students. They are more like instructors. there is someone who knows everything and who explains to others how it works”, she says. In Germany, there are no educational advisers, nurses and supervisors. It is therefore the teachers who also perform all these tasks. So, when she’s not sweeping, Julia also supervises the students in the playground or in the canteen, three to four times a week… One in three German teachers would show signs of burnout.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), “Magazines” section.