Anna-Lena - Trainee teacher
Matthias-Grünewald-Gymnasium in Würzburg and the Bavarian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs
Animator, motivator, time keeper, advisor, technical expert, organiser, etc., along with all the bureaucratic tasks that come with it.
I was already very open-minded during my studies and always took on new challenges. Whether as a classic waitress or as a research assistant, it was always important to me to gain new experiences.
The Career Centre and its services were an important part of my professional orientation, but my experiences abroad also influenced my career choice.
In my case, there was no application, at least not in the traditional sense. The teaching degree programme is very pioneering in this respect.
Two years after passing my state examination, I applied through the Ministry of Culture for a traineeship. After submitting all my documents, I was offered a place as a trainee teacher at a seminary school.
Of course, things were very different for job interviews, for example for part-time jobs. After an application by email, for example, there was usually an interview on site. You either received an acceptance directly there or by telephone/email.
After completing my exams for the 1st state examination, I worked as a ski instructor in Switzerland for a short time and then went to Japan for a semester abroad while I waited for my results. After receiving my certificate, I still went back to Switzerland for another six months and then worked as a substitute teacher at a grammar school in Germany for another six months. Since February 2024 I am now in my traineeship.
Why do you want the job? What strengths or weaknesses do you have? Why did you apply for this company? What are your salary expectations? Do you already have personal experience of the job?
After my studies, I needed some distance from everyday life at university in Germany, which is why I quickly started travelling, including to Switzerland. At that time, after corona, it was also nice to get out again and travel to other countries. However, the thought of becoming a teacher never left me and, as life sometimes goes, I was called by my old school while I was still in Switzerland to see if I could help out as they were desperately short of a PE teacher. In this way, I was able to try out the job as a substitute teacher and face the whole "teacher thing" again. During this time, I also realised through my colleagues and my experiences that I wanted to give it a chance and complete my 2nd state examination. I'm still at the very beginning now, but I can say that I'm enjoying being a trainee teacher so far, but I'm also keen to try out other options after my traineeship.
Well, I studied to be a teacher, which is of course designed for a career as a teacher. However, theory is of little use in the working world. Training your own personality, e.g. through workshops, is all the more important.
Many internships and part-time jobs to familiarise yourself with the professional world, but also workshops and seminars to develop yourself further. In addition, always keep an open mind and take advantage of opportunities for further training, e.g. in an association or through voluntary work.
Find out about the company and the job requirements beforehand and analyse your own wishes, goals, strengths and weaknesses. In addition, go through a job interview and get feedback from friends/family. You can think about the interview beforehand: How would I like to present myself...
Learning by Doing! - Theory is good and important, but the more work experience you gain, the more you learn about working life. Also, be curious and learn from others ("See and learn") and dare to ask questions.
I think the best thing I could do was to face everyday life as a teacher and get an idea of the situation in schools for myself. The internships during your studies are all well and good, but they are no substitute for the experience you gain when you take responsibility for a class or several lessons. As there is a shortage of teachers at the moment, I would take advantage of this and look for a small part-time job at a school, or try to find out more about everyday life as a teacher by organising activities for pupils. I would also do a lot of socialising and talk to as many different teachers as possible in order to learn more about working as a teacher. To summarise, I would gain a lot of practical experience and try to work at a school beforehand. Ask lots of questions in the internships and learn from good teachers. Remain open to other opinions and think about where you can improve.
