Elementary teachers are important companions of a child. The external perception of the job is different today: “It’s just a game anyway” is a common cliché. The term “kindergarten aunt” belittles an important profession. An image correction is required because more staff is urgently needed.
5,000 elementary teachers are currently working in Lower Austria. Another 600 are to be added by 2027. However, the number of female applicants in educational establishments has been declining slightly for years. In order to be able to realize the expansion – two-year-olds should be allowed to go to kindergarten from 2024 – everyday work must become more attractive.
Better image of elementary teachers demanded
In order to find enough staff for the kindergartens, it is urgently necessary to improve the image of primary school teachers and to make the general conditions more attractive. That’s what experts demand.
In concrete terms, the groups and the childcare ratio are to be reduced: This means that fewer children will be cared for by more employees in the future. And the preparation time for the educators must also be longer, explains Christof Laumer, spokesman for the educational institutions for elementary education. According to Laumer, this would relieve the strain on the staff and also improve the quality of the work.
150 toddler groups planned
One need that has increased massively in recent years is that of looking after small children. Today, 15 times as many small children are cared for as there were 20 years ago. The childcare rate for children under the age of three is 29 percent in Lower Austria. The rate is highest in Vienna at 44 percent and lowest in Styria at 19 percent. In Lower Austria, 150 additional groups of small children are to be added.
“The kindergarten of the future accepts children from the age of two. 15 children are cared for in these groups. There is one teacher and two additional carers. That is a support ratio of five to one,” explains Hans Zöhling from the Lower Austria staff representation. According to staff representatives, the number of applicants and acceptances was higher last year.
Municipalities must employ caregivers
Elementary teachers in kindergartens are employees of the state of Lower Austria. Additional support staff, which is also necessary for the expansion, will be provided by the respective municipalities. Therefore, the actual implementation of the plans is primarily in the hands of the municipalities. 1,750 additional caregivers are expected, how many are actually needed depends on the demand from the parents.
Laumer also mentions the population as an important factor in the issue of the kindergarten image. In order for the profession of elementary teacher to actually receive the recognition it deserves, society as a whole needs to change its perspective.
Shorten entry phase to earn more
The elementary education schools, the so-called BAfEPs, also play an important role. Although the number of training centers has increased in recent years, the number of graduating students has remained the same. The schools say that “with good reason” not everyone would enter the profession.
“You have to get away from the image that we only train for kindergarten. We are a BHS, just like a HLW or HTL. And there it is also the case that not everyone enters the profession. Pupils graduate with their high school diploma and then have all kinds of opportunities,” says Christof Laumer.
But if you want to start your career right after school, it is said that you should be able to earn more money more quickly in the future. The start-up phase should be shortened. So far, it has not been possible to work the full hourly rate here. The starting salary is currently EUR 2,680 gross.