Information for Ukrainian applicants who want to work in the North Rhine-Westphalia teaching profession

Employment is possible as a teacher or as other (social) pedagogical staff with the corresponding tasks.

The assignment is intended in particular to help children and young people who have fled to North Rhine-Westphalia with their arrival and integration in their new school. This refers in particular to children and young people who are attending a German school for the first time or who do not yet have sufficient German language skills to follow the lessons and other educational offers of the schools (e.g. in the context of the (open) all-day programme).

The performance of tasks is therefore oriented towards the needs of the children and young people and, depending on the activity as a teacher or as (socio)pedagogical staff, can, if the necessary prerequisites are fulfilled, include a teaching activity and, alternatively or in addition, these fields of activity:

• Participation in the acquisition of the German language with the inclusion of the languages of origin
• Teaching support activities as part of the teaching staff of a school
• Work group opportunities for integration into everyday life both inside and outside the school
• Supervision and assistance - also at extracurricular places of learning, e.g. on excursions, during (vocationally oriented) internships, during activities supporting everyday life, etc.
• Support in exercising opportunities for school participation (for parents as well as for pupils)
• Bringing the views of newly immigrated children and young people into the school committees

Applications for vacancies for teachers can be submitted by persons who have obtained a teaching qualification (teacher training course and preparatory service) in Germany or abroad, as well as by other qualified applicants. These can be, for example, university graduates, retirees, students or persons who have completed vocational training, if they are suitable for the teaching profession (cf. "General information" at www.verena.nrw.de).

In the case of advertisements for other pedagogical or socio-educational staff, the requirements for the qualifications of the applicants set out in the relevant decrees apply. For example, persons with at least a Bachelor's degree in social pedagogy or social work or pedagogical training may apply for a job as a specialist in a multi-professional team. The respective concrete requirements can be found in the legal basis at www.andreas.nrw.de.

If you have any further questions or would like to make an appointment for counselling by telephone, please contact the staff of the counselling offices of the Landesprüfungsamt für Lehrämter:

https://www.pruefungsamt.nrw.de/beratung/beratungsstelle-lehraemter-schulen

Telephone: 0231 9369777-0

Counselling services are also available at the five district governments at

• Arnsberg District Government 

  • Telephone: 02931 82-3139
  • Email: ZentraleBeratungsstelle [at] bra [dot] nrw [dot] de (ZentraleBeratungsstelle@bra [dot] nrw [dot] de)

• Detmold District Government 

  • Telephone: 05231 71-4711
  • Email: poststelle [at] bezreg-detmold [dot] nrw [dot] de (poststelle@bezreg-detmold [dot] nrw [dot] de)

• Düsseldorf District Government 

  • Telephone: 0211 475-4377
  • Email: Dez47 [dot] Zentrale-Beratungsstelle [at] brd [dot] nrw [dot] de (Dez47 [dot] Zentrale-Beratungsstelle@brd [dot] nrw [dot] de)

• Cologne District Government 

  • Telephone: 0221 147-3518
  • Email: lev [at] brk [dot] nrw [dot] de (lev@brk [dot] nrw [dot] de)

• Münster District Government 

  • Telephone: 0251 411-4467
  • Email: seiteneinstieg [at] brms [dot] nrw [dot] de (seiteneinstieg@brms [dot] nrw [dot] de)

The call for tenders for temporary work within the framework of educational offers for school projects in the Immigration Society will be published in the portal www.verena.nrw.de.

Employment opportunities to support refugees can be found on the VERENA homepage under the link: 
NEW: Organisations to support refugees or, alternatively, 
Search jobs → Subjects/Professional Group/School Form Group → Search for: Support for refugees 

It is also possible to apply for other employment opportunities mentioned in the www.verena.nrw.de portal.
The advertisements contain contact details and more information about the planned activity at the respective school.

In addition, you can enquire directly at the schools about temporary employment. Likewise, school headmasters can approach suitable persons directly.

If you would like to apply for an advertised position, please contact the advertising school directly.

As a rule, the job requires German language skills and will be specified in consultation with the school management involved. Alternatively, proven English language skills may also fulfil the requirements.

Before taking up employment, proof of residence status in accordance with § 24 Residence Act with permission for gainful employment must be presented. Alternatively, a fictitious certificate from the foreigners authority with the entry "gainful employment permitted" can be presented. (faq-ukraine.pdf (bamf.de)).

No employment may be taken up during a visa-free short stay.

In principle, the individual qualification must be proven by appropriate evidence. If this proof cannot be provided due to the specific situation, the existence of the qualification must be credibly assured in writing.

They must be in good health for the teaching profession.

In particular, you must prove that you have sufficient vaccination protection against measles, measles immunity or a vaccination contraindication before starting employment.

There is a temporary exception for hires with a contract term up to July 31, 2025 at the latest. A missing vaccination against measles can be made up for within three months under certain conditions. The competent district government or the education authority will advise you under which conditions this is possible.

In principle, an extended certificate of good conduct (§ 30a BZRG) must be submitted before working with pupils at schools.

Due to the current situation in Ukraine, special rules temporarily apply to applicants with previous residence in Ukraine.

If the duration of stay in the Federal Republic of Germany exceeds four months, an extended certificate of good conduct (§ 30a BZRG) must be submitted before the start of employment.

This must be applied for at the registration office of the city in which you live. The request from the hiring authority to submit the extended certificate of good conduct must be submitted there. You can find further information on the websites of the respective cities or at BfJ - Führungszeugnis Antrag (Verwendung Inland) (bundesjustizamt.de).

In the case of shorter periods of stay, a declaration must be made as to whether you have a criminal record and whether any preliminary proceedings or judicial criminal proceedings are pending against you.

You must also provide evidence comparable to the German certificate of good conduct for the period of your previous stay in Ukraine. Citizens of Ukraine can apply for a Ukrainian criminal record extract for themselves on the single portal of the civil services “Diia” and on the page of the main service centre of the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine (https://vytiah.mvs.gov.ua). The extract from criminal records can also be applied for via the “DiiA” app and made available digitally.

There is a temporary exception for hires with a contract term up to July 31, 2025 at the latest. Under certain conditions, such a document can be submitted later or replaced by a notarial affidavit until the end of the probationary period. The competent district government or the education authority will advise you under which conditions this is possible.

Remuneration is determined by the grouping and is based on the collective agreement. It depends on the work performed and on the individual's proven qualifications. Concrete statements can only be made by the hiring authorities after individual examination within the framework of the hiring procedure.

In general:

When hired as a teacher, employees without a university education or employees who cannot provide proof of their qualification are classified in pay group 9b (primary schools and lower secondary schools) or pay group 10 (upper secondary schools). In pay group 9b, full-time employees earn from EUR 3.336,59 EUR (gross), in pay group 10 from EUR 3.723,62 (gross).

When recruited as a specialist in a multi-professional team in shared learning, employees who cannot provide proof of their qualification are classified in pay group 8. Full-time employees earn from 3.146,46 EUR (gross).