Why teach German?
German is one of the main modern languages taught in secondary schools in the UK due to its economic and cultural importance. Around 100 million people worldwide communicate in German and it is still a leading language of science, literature, art, philosophy and history.
Being a German teacher requires a creative and enthusiastic mind to inspire students to choose German for their language studies. A career in teaching German can offer a clear progression path where you could earn £36k or more* per year.
Our new enhanced service, Premier Plus, is available to those who wish to start training for a shortage subject such as German, in the academic year 2012/13. You’ll be eligible for exclusive benefits including personalised advice from a named adviser.
Sign up with us to take advantage of our new Premier Plus service to receive one-to-one advice and exclusive benefits.
Sign up with us
Call the Teaching Line on 0800 389 2500 and receive tailored information and advice.
What is life as a German teacher like?
German teachers at secondary schools work within the German Modern Foreign Language (MFL) framework. This framework sets out teaching objectives at key stage 3 (KS3). Bringing the framework to life in the classroom requires a creative and passionate teacher. German teachers across the country share their ideas and techniques with the MFL community as well as with their students and staff.
Watch a video showing how technology in the classroom can be used creatively to teach the more complicated word order rules in German.
Pushing the boundaries
You can also take teaching German to a new level. For example, some specialist language colleges practise bilingual teaching. The goal is to educate students to feel comfortable applying their language skills in a range of situations, not just becoming confident speakers of German as a modern language.
Promoting the German language
Part of the role of a German teacher is to promote German to students, other teachers and parents. Inspiration can be found in a variety of places. The Goethe Institut actively engages in promoting German worldwide, the Why study languages site provides resources for parents’ evenings and the BBC produced a set of short videos with comedian Henning Wehn taking a fun look at the German language.
Find out more
The School Experience Programme (SEP) offers the chance to find out first-hand what teaching German is like. You can contact a school in your area directly or call the Teaching Line on 0800 085 0962.
The Teaching Line can also put you in touch with a teaching advocate; a practising teacher who can answer your questions about becoming an MFL teacher.
How do I become a German teacher?
Initial teacher training (ITT)
There are a wide variety of ITT courses available if you decide to become a German teacher at a secondary school. The best teacher training option for you depends on your qualifications, personal circumstances and experience.
The German postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) is only one of many teacher training options. Others include school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) or School Direct. The School Direct Training Programme and School Direct Training Programme (salaried) allow you to complete your training while working in a teaching environment.
Find out which path into teaching best suits your needs using our interactive tool.
With the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), it is likely that more students than ever before will be studying an MFL.
You can train to teach German as a single subject; German and another language, or German and another subject. If you would like to boost your skills in a second language you can take a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course.
Find out about other shortage subjects on our maths, physics and chemistry pages.
Are you a native German speaker?
You may be accepted into teacher training if you are a fluent and clear English speaker. You can find out if your qualifications are equivalent to the required UK qualifications through UK NARIC.
Already qualified to teach in another country?
You can register for qualified teacher status (QTS) if you are already a qualified teacher in the European Economic Area (EEA) or you can gain QTS through the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme (OTTP) if you qualified as a teacher outside the EEA.
*Average UK teacher salary. More information on teacher pay scales is available on our salary page.
