Part-time work, which is widespread

Part-time work, which is widespread in many countries, may best be authorized at school level, according to local requirements.

A desire for increased flexibility in the labor market, including to accommodate maternity/paternity leave, has led to increased part-time employment across many sectors of the economy, among them teaching. On average across OECD countries, about one in six teachers works on a part-time basis in public institutions at primary and lower secondary levels of education.25 In some countries, part-time work is common among teachers: between one out of five and one out of three teachers in Australia, the Flemish Community of Belgium, Iceland, and New Zealand work part time, as do more than one-third of teachers in Norway and Sweden, and nearly half the teachers in Germany (primary education) and the Netherlands.

In the majority of OECD countries, part-time employment opportunities depend upon a decision taken at the school level or by local authorities/government; in five of the countries with the largest proportions of part-time employment, the decision is taken at the school level. Schools recognize that their teaching and school organization requirements change; and these countries have some flexibility in their teacher workforce that reflects the changing requirements of the schools.

Probationary periods can be crucial in ensuring that suitable people become teachers; but the length of these periods varies greatly across countries.

There is considerable evidence that some beginning teachers, no matter how well prepared and supported, struggle to perform well on the job, or find that the job does not meet their expectations. In a number of countries, a formal probationary process, combined with adequate teacher support, provides an opportunity for both new teachers and their employers to assess whether teaching is the right career for them.

In some countries, the successful completion of probation is acknowledged as a major step in the teaching career. Among 26 countries with comparable data in OECD’s Education at a Glance, 16 countries have a mandatory probation period for teachers. This period usually lasts for one year, but in some countries (Greece, Luxembourg) it lasts for two years, and in Germany it can even be extended to three years. In seven OECD countries, teachers receive job tenure after completing their probationary period. In some countries, such as Austria, six years are necessary to achieve job tenure, whereas there is only a one-month probation period. In some countries a period of time is necessary to hold the tenure, even if there is no probation period. For example, a teacher needs six months to get tenure without any probation period in Mexico, two years to achieve tenure in Iceland, and three years in the Flemish Community of Belgium.

Education systems could become more dynamic if teachers became more mobile…

Limited mobility of teachers between schools, and between teaching and other occupations, can restrict the spread of new ideas and approaches, and result in teachers having few opportunities for diverse career experiences. It can also lead to an inequitable distribution of teachers, where teachers do not move from the most favored schools. In some cases the lack of mobility means that some regions of the country might have teacher shortages while others have an oversupply of teachers. In some countries, providing incentives for greater mobility and removing barriers are important policy responses. In countries with different educational jurisdictions, such as federal systems, the mutual recognition of teaching qualifications is crucial, as it ensures that entitlements to leave and retirement benefits move with the teacher. Recognizing the skills and experience gained outside education is also an important means of encouraging greater career mobility among teachers, as is providing flexible re-entry pathways to the profession. International mobility of teachers is also a growing phenomenon, raising issues of recognition of qualifications, certifications and
procedures for recruitment and induction.2629©OECD2011

Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession: Lessons from Around the World


Chapter 2

Te a ch e r D e v e l o p m e n t , S u p p o r t , C a r e e r s a n d E m p l o y m e n t C o n d i t i o n s


… and information flows in the teacher labor market were improved.

Given the large number of teachers and applicants involved in most school systems, it is often difficult and costly for employers to use extensive information when selecting candidates. It can be just as difficult for candidates for teaching positions to have precise information about the schools to which they apply, or even about broad trends in the labor market and the available vacancies. Such information gaps and limitations mean that many application and selection decisions are sub-optimal. The development of transparent and prompt systems to close the information gaps between teachers and schools is essential for an effectively functioning teacher labor market, especially where schools are more directly involved in teacher recruitment and selection. Some countries require all teaching vacancies to be posted, and create websites where the information is centralized or establish a network of agencies to co-ordinate and foster recruitment activities. Since imbalances in the teacher labor market can take a long time to be rectified, tools for monitoring and projecting teacher demand and supply under different scenarios can also help.

Providing for attractive careers

Teacher policy needs to ensure that teachers work in an environment that facilitates success and that encourages effective teachers to continue in teaching. There is concern in a number of countries that the rates at which teachers are leaving the profession are compounding school staffing problems and leading to a loss of teaching expertise. Also of concern is that teacher attrition rates tend to be higher in the first few years of teaching, while they decline the longer that teachers are in the profession, before they increase again as teachers approach retirement27. This implies that large private and social costs are being incurred in preparing some people for a profession that they found did not meet their expectations, or that was insufficiently rewarding, or which they found difficult, or some combination of these factors. It underlines the importance for beginning teachers to participate in structured induction programs involving a reduced teaching load, trained mentor teachers in schools, and close partnerships with teacher education institutions, and for school systems to ensure that the criteria and processes used to allocate teachers to schools are designed such that new teachers are not concentrated in the more difficult and unpopular locations.



Box 2.2. Providing greater career diversity in Australia, England and Wales, Ireland and Quebec (Canada)

In Australia, teachers typically have access to a career structure that involves two to four stages, with annual salary increments within each stage. The stages normally range from beginning teacher to experienced teacher, to experienced teacher with responsibility (leading teacher) or learning area or grade-level co-coordinator, assistant principal, principal, and regional/district office positions. Advancement from one stage to the next, especially at the higher levels, usually requires applying for widely advertised vacancies. As they move up the scale, teachers are expected to have deeper levels of knowledge, demonstrate more sophisticated and effective teaching, take on responsibility for co-curricular aspects of the school, assist colleagues and so on. By “leading teacher” stage, they are expected to demonstrate exemplary teaching, educational leadership, and the ability to initiate and manage change.

In England and Wales, the new career grade of Advanced Skills Teacher (AST), introduced in 1998, is designed to provide an alternative route for career development for teachers who wish to stay in the classroom. Their role is to provide pedagogic leadership within their own and other schools.

Results (Vietnamese) 1:

Công việc bán thời gian, mà là phổ biến rộng rãi tại nhiều quốc gia, tốt nhất có thể được cho phép ở trường cấp, theo yêu cầu của địa phương.Một mong muốn cho tăng tính linh hoạt trong thị trường lao động, trong đó có để đáp ứng thai sản/cha để lại, đã dẫn đến tăng việc làm bán thời gian trên nhiều lĩnh vực của nền kinh tế, trong số đó giảng dạy. Trung bình quốc gia OECD, khoảng một trong sáu giáo viên hoạt động trên một cơ sở bán thời gian trong các tổ chức công cộng tại trung học chính và thấp hơn mức độ education.25 trong một số quốc gia, công việc bán thời gian là phổ biến trong số các giáo viên: giữa một trong số năm và một trong số ba giáo viên tại Úc, các cộng đồng Flemish ở Bỉ, Iceland, và New Zealand làm việc bán thời gian, như nhiều hơn một phần ba của các giáo viên ở Na Uy và Thụy Điển , và gần một nửa các giáo viên ở Đức (giáo dục) và Hà Lan.Trong phần lớn các quốc gia OECD, cơ hội việc làm bán thời gian phụ thuộc vào một quyết định thực hiện ở mức độ trường học hoặc bởi chính quyền/chính quyền địa phương; trong năm của các quốc gia với tỷ lệ lớn nhất của việc làm bán thời gian, quyết định ký học cấp. Trường nhận ra rằng giảng dạy và học tổ chức yêu cầu của họ thay đổi; và các quốc gia này có một số tính linh hoạt trong lực lượng lao động giáo viên của họ phản ánh các yêu cầu thay đổi của các trường.Thời gian thử việc có thể là rất quan trọng trong việc đảm bảo phù hợp mọi người trở thành giáo viên; nhưng chiều dài của những thời kỳ khác nhau rất nhiều quốc gia.There is considerable evidence that some beginning teachers, no matter how well prepared and supported, struggle to perform well on the job, or find that the job does not meet their expectations. In a number of countries, a formal probationary process, combined with adequate teacher support, provides an opportunity for both new teachers and their employers to assess whether teaching is the right career for them.In some countries, the successful completion of probation is acknowledged as a major step in the teaching career. Among 26 countries with comparable data in OECD’s Education at a Glance, 16 countries have a mandatory probation period for teachers. This period usually lasts for one year, but in some countries (Greece, Luxembourg) it lasts for two years, and in Germany it can even be extended to three years. In seven OECD countries, teachers receive job tenure after completing their probationary period. In some countries, such as Austria, six years are necessary to achieve job tenure, whereas there is only a one-month probation period. In some countries a period of time is necessary to hold the tenure, even if there is no probation period. For example, a teacher needs six months to get tenure without any probation period in Mexico, two years to achieve tenure in Iceland, and three years in the Flemish Community of Belgium.Education systems could become more dynamic if teachers became more mobile…Limited mobility of teachers between schools, and between teaching and other occupations, can restrict the spread of new ideas and approaches, and result in teachers having few opportunities for diverse career experiences. It can also lead to an inequitable distribution of teachers, where teachers do not move from the most favored schools. In some cases the lack of mobility means that some regions of the country might have teacher shortages while others have an oversupply of teachers. In some countries, providing incentives for greater mobility and removing barriers are important policy responses. In countries with different educational jurisdictions, such as federal systems, the mutual recognition of teaching qualifications is crucial, as it ensures that entitlements to leave and retirement benefits move with the teacher. Recognizing the skills and experience gained outside education is also an important means of encouraging greater career mobility among teachers, as is providing flexible re-entry pathways to the profession. International mobility of teachers is also a growing phenomenon, raising issues of recognition of qualifications, certifications andprocedures for recruitment and induction.2629©OECD2011 Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession: Lessons from Around the World Chapter 2Te a ch e r D e v e l o p m e n t , S u p p o r t , C a r e e r s a n d E m p l o y m e n t C o n d i t i o n s… and information flows in the teacher labor market were improved.Given the large number of teachers and applicants involved in most school systems, it is often difficult and costly for employers to use extensive information when selecting candidates. It can be just as difficult for candidates for teaching positions to have precise information about the schools to which they apply, or even about broad trends in the labor market and the available vacancies. Such information gaps and limitations mean that many application and selection decisions are sub-optimal. The development of transparent and prompt systems to close the information gaps between teachers and schools is essential for an effectively functioning teacher labor market, especially where schools are more directly involved in teacher recruitment and selection. Some countries require all teaching vacancies to be posted, and create websites where the information is centralized or establish a network of agencies to co-ordinate and foster recruitment activities. Since imbalances in the teacher labor market can take a long time to be rectified, tools for monitoring and projecting teacher demand and supply under different scenarios can also help.Providing for attractive careersTeacher policy needs to ensure that teachers work in an environment that facilitates success and that encourages effective teachers to continue in teaching. There is concern in a number of countries that the rates at which teachers are leaving the profession are compounding school staffing problems and leading to a loss of teaching expertise. Also of concern is that teacher attrition rates tend to be higher in the first few years of teaching, while they decline the longer that teachers are in the profession, before they increase again as teachers approach retirement27. This implies that large private and social costs are being incurred in preparing some people for a profession that they found did not meet their expectations, or that was insufficiently rewarding, or which they found difficult, or some combination of these factors. It underlines the importance for beginning teachers to participate in structured induction programs involving a reduced teaching load, trained mentor teachers in schools, and close partnerships with teacher education institutions, and for school systems to ensure that the criteria and processes used to allocate teachers to schools are designed such that new teachers are not concentrated in the more difficult and unpopular locations.Box 2.2. Providing greater career diversity in Australia, England and Wales, Ireland and Quebec (Canada)In Australia, teachers typically have access to a career structure that involves two to four stages, with annual salary increments within each stage. The stages normally range from beginning teacher to experienced teacher, to experienced teacher with responsibility (leading teacher) or learning area or grade-level co-coordinator, assistant principal, principal, and regional/district office positions. Advancement from one stage to the next, especially at the higher levels, usually requires applying for widely advertised vacancies. As they move up the scale, teachers are expected to have deeper levels of knowledge, demonstrate more sophisticated and effective teaching, take on responsibility for co-curricular aspects of the school, assist colleagues and so on. By “leading teacher” stage, they are expected to demonstrate exemplary teaching, educational leadership, and the ability to initiate and manage change.In England and Wales, the new career grade of Advanced Skills Teacher (AST), introduced in 1998, is designed to provide an alternative route for career development for teachers who wish to stay in the classroom. Their role is to provide pedagogic leadership within their own and other schools.