A personal comment / experience report
Hello everyone,
Today I would like to write a little about the dark side of an apprenticeship or study with a focus on education (e.g. educator, teacher or social worker). This should also be a personal comment, since I learned in this direction myself not so long ago.
Only dual is awesome
Germany is the country of dual apprenticeship . Companies and vocational schools go hand in hand to prepare today's trainees professionally for the job. At the same time, the learner earns his own remuneration. In principle, it also conveys that you are recognized for your work and performance. So a good concept.
Educational professions as a dual catastrophe
Unfortunately, this does not apply to educational professions (and certainly others too). In most of the federal states, an educator's course is such that you first go to school for 2 years without any pay and learn the theory that is necessary for the profession. Then you have a year of practice or recognition, where, as the second name suggests, you gain state recognition.
But why is that? Is it because the job is too difficult that you first need theoretical foundations to apply the job? Can you not apply this to other training occupations such as Application developers who should learn programming before going to work? I think it's a weak argument to think so. If I were fresh out of school, maybe still living at home with my parents, and don't have to rely on an income, then I could live like that. But if I am already in professional life and have to finance rent and a life, then it can not be wanted that I should first give up a small income for 2 years right?
The situation is also no different or even worse for teachers and social educators. Before a teacher really has his own income, he has to study in Germany for at least five years. During this time, there is no money and studying, like so much in Germany, is anything but easy. The situation is no different for social educators with at least three years of study until they are recognized by the state.
What you can clearly see: Germany needs and wants specialists, but how they can live during their training or studies is only of secondary importance.
But there are BAFÖG and student loans!
The good old argument that the state provides funds in the form of BAFÖG, unfortunately, I see little in a good light. Where other trainees, for example, can earn money and keep it, BAFÖG relatives (trainees as well as students) should pay half back. A fair deal looks different in my opinion. "If you want to make something of yourself, you have to do without everything." you could say now. Then you should immediately understand the reason why there is such a shortage of skilled workers. Termination of studies and training or another career choice is not uncommon here and only the very few who really want to do without everything have a chance and are of course very popular.
Do not make it so difficult, be cross!
Of course, it is now rightly stated that one could also dare to take the side step and simply make up for state recognition (educator / social worker) or legal traineeship (teacher). For the teacher, a previous master's or diploma degree is still mandatory, but once it is done, there is actually not much in the way of a lateral entry nowadays. As a social worker or educator, it is much more difficult in Germany. For example, a part-time course in social work / pedagogy is at the top of a to-do list. To my knowledge, there is currently no way without a university degree.
And as an educator? It is possible. It was only at the end of last year that it was decided that, for example, lateral entrants without training as educators should be simplified in order to combat the shortage of skilled workers a little. Nevertheless, it is still in focus that lateral entrants also have to catch up with state recognition or have to train again before they become educators. A simple form of retraining is not possible without further ado.
Interesting fact: I called a vocational school for educators and asked how it looked with the external exam, so to speak the final exam for non-trainees. However, this usually requires practical experience of several years in a social pedagogical institution (day care center, day care center, schools).
But here's the crux of the matter: It is hardly possible to get a job there WITHOUT a qualification, since the institutions also have to meet the state's requirements. These then prescribe roughly who can be hired at all and, strangely enough, career changers often do not count. A moving situation.
And the alternative?
I have not yet found such an alternative for studying. Perhaps one should make the course dual with a corresponding job at the schools or social educational institutions. But how are teachers actually paid? Right! The state takes on this honorable task and does the state have money for unskilled teachers? Partly. I myself was a substitute teacher at a high school for a while and the quota for specialists was always somehow limited in a certain way or had to be renegotiated every school year.
Nevertheless, there is currently a trend in practice-integrated training (PIA) for educators in some federal states. PIA stipulates that, like in a "normal" dual training, you go to work a few days a week, the other days at the vocational school you acquire the knowledge of the theory. Of course, there is also remuneration on the part of the carrier, where you work over the practical phase. There is an accusation that the as yet untrained trainees could only be used to a limited extent in the company. After all, working with children is, and rightly so, a sensitive issue and should in principle not be practiced by unskilled people. But isn't this the case in every apprenticeship that you are initially unskilled and that it is up to the employer / trainer to create appropriate environments for learning the protégé? After a few semesters, teaching students have usually first small practical phases, where you can look over the shoulders of more experienced teachers. Â
A conclusion
I personally think that there is more to be done in Germany when it comes to training as a pedagogical specialist (this means all pedagogical professions). There are positive developments and new opportunities are shown, but the situation remains difficult in many places.
How is it with you? What can be seen in pedagogical professions can also be seen in other fields. Computer science is a nice example. Study computer science without denting because there may be more money in it later or prefer to do an apprenticeship with compensation?
I wish everyone a good start to the weekend! Stay in good spirits!
Your
GameMakking Dizzy