As the new school year approaches in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland, around 100 teaching positions remain unfilled across Austria, according to Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP).
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Polaschek reassured the public that this figure is within the typical range due to regular factors like leaves of absence. He emphasized that “every lesson will be covered next year” and that the application situation is promising.
Compared to previous years, a significantly larger number of positions have already been secured, with over 125,000 teachers currently employed nationwide. This year, approximately 8,000 full- and part-time positions were newly advertised, with the majority (about 5,200) in compulsory schools such as elementary, middle, special, polytechnic, and vocational schools.
In cases where qualified personnel cannot be secured before the start of the school year, educational directorates are encouraged to recruit teaching students in advanced semesters. Additionally, some retired teachers may be called upon to return to the classroom.
Polaschek expressed satisfaction with the nearly 14,200 applicants, which is 3,000 more than last year. He noted that further job postings are expected throughout the school year due to the usual factors like pregnancies and sick leave.
A key success factor for the Minister is the digitization of the application process. For the second year in a row, all teaching positions were advertised simultaneously on the platform www.klassejob.at, eliminating the need for candidates to apply to multiple educational directorates.
Career changers are also playing a crucial role in addressing the teacher shortage, particularly in secondary education. According to Polaschek, the model introduced last year has successfully expanded the pool of qualified teachers, with 500 career changers set to begin teaching this school year, accounting for six percent of new educators. Last year, there were 700.
Under this program, individuals with relevant degrees and professional experience can work as teachers while completing a career-change study program at a university of teacher education. Certification is required, and 7,500 people have applied so far, with around 3,700 being certified in specific subjects. As head of the certification commission, Andreas Schnider emphasized the rigorous selection process, which aims to maintain quality even during teacher shortages.
The certification process has been mainly focused on areas of high demand, such as computer science, mathematics, and digital literacy. Career changers bring valuable perspectives from fields such as business, research, industry, environmental management, and media—competencies that are increasingly needed in schools.
Despite concerns that many career changers might leave the profession soon after starting, Schnider reported that only 20 had done so, representing just one to two percent of the total. The reasons for these departures are being studied in an ongoing research project.
There has been some criticism from the opposition regarding the government’s handling of the teacher shortage. The FPÖ dismissed the press conference as a “pure PR exercise” by the ÖVP, with education spokesperson Hermann Brückl stating that “we are still light-years away from sustainably combating the teacher shortage.” NEOS education spokesperson Martina Künsberg Sarre echoed this sentiment, criticizing the reliance on teaching students and retirees as a stopgap. She called for a more aggressive recruitment strategy and comprehensive reforms to attract 20,000 additional educators from kindergarten through high school graduation.
