More people switch to teaching, training college applications soar

Photo: Depositphotos.com

The number of people leaving the private sector to become primary school teachers has more than doubled compared with last year, according to new figures from the national teacher training institute.

So far this year over 1,000 people with a college or university degree have signed up to train as a teacher after spending several years working in other professions. Last year, 450 people made the move.

Nevertheless, there are still 3,500 unfilled vacancies at the Netherlands’ primary schools and some 1,400 will not be filled before term starts, experts say.

Schools begin in the south of the country after the summer break on Monday.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation