Continuing education and international affairs
About the program
The aim of the LehrkräftePLUS Siegen program is to qualify teachers with a refugee background or from non-European countries who have a degree and professional experience as a teacher in their country of origin and would like to work as a teacher in Germany again. As part of a one-year qualification, the participants' existing linguistic and professional knowledge and skills are taken up and expanded with a view to working in schools in Germany - especially in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The qualification within the framework of LehrkräftePLUS Siegen is mainly for a later job at lower secondary level (grades 5-10) at Hauptschule, Realschule, Gesamtschule and Sekundarschule, in some cases also for a job at elementary school or vocational colleges. Teachers who have a qualification or professional experience in only one subject can also explicitly participate in the program. The program is conducted full-time at the University of Siegen and at schools in the region; 20-25 people can take part in each round. The courses are mainly held in person at the university and are supplemented by learning opportunities in online format.
Participation in the program is free of charge. All participants are admitted as guest students of the University of Siegen for the duration of the further qualification.
Program elements
The program includes the following elements: (To open the overview as a PDF document, please click on the graphic)
Language qualification
- To prepare for the German course in the first semester, participants take part in a three-week German preparatory course (level B2) in September before the start of the program, which is conducted online.
- Participants are gradually brought up to level C1 in a general German course in the first half of the program. Preparation for the "Deutsch Telc C1 Hochschule" exam takes place in the second half of the program; the exam itself is held around the beginning of July.
- In the second half of the program, the language qualification is also continued in a vocational German course (German for teachers). The content relates in particular to skills and routines for using German as the language of instruction.
- In both half-years of the program, all participants take part in technical German courses in which basic technical vocabulary and typical language structures of the respective teaching subject are taught. In the second semester, the focus is on acquiring language skills in their own subject area.
- In both semesters, participants in the English subject take part in a "Refresher Course English" to reactivate their English language skills with a view to their future teaching activities.
Pedagogical and didactic qualification
Participants expand their pedagogical and didactic-methodological skills, learn about the German school system and deal with practical issues such as lesson planning and design, classroom management and dealing with heterogeneity. In the first semester, basic knowledge is imparted, which is dealt with in greater depth in the second semester and linked to the participants' own experiences from the practical phase (accompanying seminar to the practical phase). The course is offered in cooperation with the AG Schulpädagogik of the Department of Educational Science (Schools II) at the University of Siegen.
Subject-specific didactic qualification
As part of the subject didactic qualification, participants are prepared in a practical way for their future teaching activities in their respective subject. For example, participants deal with curricula, lesson planning, teaching methods and performance assessment. They have the opportunity to test their own lessons and reflect on them together with the lecturer and the other participants.
Practical phase at school
The program includes two practical phases at a school in the region:
- A two-week block internship at the end of the 1st semester provides initial insights into school practice in Germany. Participants have the opportunity to get to know their placement school and school processes and structures.
- In the second half of the semester, an internship lasting several months is carried out during the semester, in which the participants initially observe lessons and later plan and implement their own lessons. Each participant is accompanied by a mentor at the respective school during the internship.
- The practical schools are arranged by the Arnsberg district government.
Intercultural education, exchange and networking
- Participants acquire knowledge and skills in the field of intercultural education by taking part in workshops and training sessions.
- An accompanying program enables participants to exchange ideas with graduates of previous TeachersPLUS Siegen programs at meetings and joint events and to network with stakeholders in the "teaching profession" area at the University of Siegen.
Counseling services
- Throughout the entire program period, participants receive comprehensive individual advice and support, particularly with regard to their career prospects. This is done in cooperation with the Arnsberg district government.
- The counselling services can also cover organizational and content-related questions about the programme as well as personal concerns of the participants.
Optional: Individual offers for in-depth study
After obtaining the certificate at the end of September, participants can take advantage of additional offers from October to January to further develop their professional skills and bridge the time until the start of the follow-up program "ILF - Internationale Lehrkräfte Fördern" of the Arnsberg district government. In-depth language courses are offered; it is also possible to participate in workshops and excursions in the pedagogical-didactic and intercultural field as well as regular courses at the University of Siegen and events at the Lernwerkstatt Lehrer*innenbildung.
Completion of the qualification program
After successfully completing the program, graduates receive a certificate. In order to successfully complete the program, participants must regularly and actively participate in all program elements of LehrkräftePLUS Siegen, provide proof of German C1 (Telc C1 Hochschule, DSH-2, Test DaF 4x4, Goethe-Zertifikat C2) and successfully complete the examination and study achievements of the individual elements.
Career prospects
LehrkräftePLUS Siegen is a further qualification program in which participants are prepared for a job as a teacher at a school in Germany or North Rhine-Westphalia. Participation in the program does not guarantee direct employment or a permanent position as a teacher. However, participants receive comprehensive individual advice and support throughout the entire program period, particularly with regard to their career prospects and follow-up opportunities in cooperation with the Arnsberg district government.
Successful completion of the program and the fulfilment of other formal requirements give graduates the opportunity to participate in the subsequent two-year qualification program "ILF - Internationale Lehrkräfte Fördern" of the Arnsberg district government. ILF participants are employed as part-time teachers at a school for a limited period of two years and receive further qualifications as part of accompanying further training measures.
Possible permanent prospects after successful completion of ILF, or independently of it, are in particular an application for positions as a teacher in lateral entry (e.g. pedagogical introduction for teachers with a teaching subject). Depending on the individual requirements, further follow-up or transitional opportunities in the teaching profession (e.g. as a substitute teacher, teacher for heritage language teaching, specialist in multi-professional teams) as well as the possibility of a supplementary course of study are also examined.