Lateral entry (training for general education)

Lateral entry courses are intended to help people with specialist academic training and corresponding, pertinent professional experience to switch to a teaching career.

For several years lateral entry has proved very successful in secondary level vocational education (teaching pupils aged 14-19 years in schools for intermediate vocational education and colleges for higher vocational education – BMHS). The Common Study Law (in force since 1 October 2017) has also enshrined a new model for career changers in the area of secondary level education (teaching pupils aged 10-18 years at new secondary schools, pre-vocational schools and academic secondary schools). In both models it is a requirement for admission to a corresponding lateral entry course that course applicants have already completed a specialist degree course which corresponds to a specific teaching subject or subject area, in accordance with the subject teacher system. The specialist training should be supplemented by academic, subject teaching and practical pedagogical content as part of a lateral entry course.

At secondary level (academic education) appropriate study programmes must be established exclusively according to the need for graduates in the respective teaching subjects and are to be run in cooperation with universities and university colleges of teacher education.