Fewer teachers start teaching straight after qualifying

Within a few years, a shortage of teachers is expected in the Netherlands. In recent years, students with a teaching qualification at higher profession level (hbo) have been delaying their start in the classroom. In addition, those who do start teaching immediately after graduation are leaving after only a short period.

Back at the level of 2000

Seventy-two percent of students who graduated from teacher training at hbo level in study year 2004/’05 started to work in education immediately after qualifying. Following a previous increase to 82 percent for graduates in 2001/’02, the percentage was back at the level of 1999/’00.

Graduates with an hbo teaching qualification working in education immediately after graduating

More outflow too

In recent years, more and more teachers who did go into teaching directly after qualifying, have moved out of teaching to other jobs. The percentage no longer working in education one year later rose from 4 for graduates in 2000/’01 to 8 for graduates in 2003/’04. The percentage stopping after two years is also increasing. After five years 9 percent of 1999/’00 graduates were no longer working in education.

Graduates with an hbo teaching qualification working in education

One in ten go into teaching later

Just over one in ten graduates with an hbo teaching qualification who did not start teaching immediately, did go into teaching later. This percentage has been stable for years. Some 30 percent of this group did a continuation course in the intervening year.
More than 4 thousand hbo graduates with a teaching qualification who graduated in 1999/’00 started working in teaching immediately after graduation. Around 500 hbo 1999/’00 graduates with a non-teaching qualification also went into teaching directly after graduation. Five years after graduation this number had risen to more than 1200.

Graduates (1999/’00) with non-teaching qualifications working in education

Andrea Annema and Kasper van der Heide