Study School Subjects in Germany

If you would like to teach at a primary school, for example, you will always have to choose either mathematics or German in addition to another subject, e.g., arts, English, religious education, or sports. For higher forms, you can also choose subjects such as history, social sciences, biology, computer science, or geography and combine them more freely. The possible subjects and their combinations depend on the type of school you want to teach at. Depending on the federal state, the school types are called “Grundschule”, “Hauptschule”, “Mittelschule”, “Realschule” or “Gymnasium”. No matter which subjects and which combinations you choose, you will always acquire general knowledge of teaching. This also includes, for example, didactics and educational sciences.

In addition to your subject combination, you can often expand the content of your degree programme and obtain additional qualifications. For example, you can dive deeper in a psychological/educational area, in a foreign language area or in other school subjects. Today, due to the increasing internationality of schools, the subject „German as a Foreign Language“ (DaF) is often offered as an additional qualification.

Internships will also be included in your studies. They will give you a better understanding of the tasks, requirements, and challenges of the teaching profession and help you find out whether you are suited for your intended profession.

By the way: You can also study to become a teacher of school subjects in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes! Depending on which degree programme you choose, you will complete your studies with a Master’s degree or a state examination. In general, it takes seven to ten semesters to complete your teacher training course and then another one to two years to complete the traineeship (“Referendariat”). After your traineeship, you will take a second state examination (also called Staatsprüfung).

To be eligible for a teacher training course, you need the general higher education entrance qualification or an equivalent certificate. If you want to teach foreign languages, art, music or sports, later on, you may have to take additional aptitude tests.

Some higher education institutions have set a numerus clausus, i.e. a minimum grade, for their teacher training programmes and restrict the number of students who are granted admission to individual subjects or certain types of schools. Since the numerus clausus depends on the higher education institution, the combination of subjects and the type of school, it can vary greatly.

The cost of your studies depends on various factors: How expensive is the city where you are studying? What fees does the higher education institution charge? What kind of lifestyle do you pursue?

The biggest cost for you will probably be rent. Cities and towns in Germany vary in price, which naturally has an impact on your rent payment. As a general rule, popular and/or large (student) cities tend to be more expensive to live in. However, no matter which city and higher education institution you choose, you can use the following as a guideline: With student halls of residence or shared flats, you can save money almost everywhere and also get to know new people! As soon as you have decided on where you want to study, you should start looking, as halls of residence can fill up quickly. Here, you can find information on local halls of residence and the respective application process for most cities.

Another cost factor is tuition fees. You can breathe a sigh of relief here: state higher education institutions mostly do not charge tuition fees in Germany. However, please note that there may be exceptions in the case of long-term students or those studying for a second degree (Master’s degrees mostly do not count here as a second degree). However, you should be aware of the semester contributions. These are usually between 100 and 400 euros. Sometimes your semester contribution covers a ticket for local public transport or you can purchase a discounted ticket. Depending on where you study, this may be valid for the city, the region or even for all of Germany. Ask your higher education institution whether such an offer is currently available.

Of course, you will also have to pay other costs, but these depend very much on you individually and on your situation. For example, after a certain age, you have to pay into the health insurance fund yourself, you have to buy books or you may want to eat out. For everyday life, however, the cafeteria and libraries, for example, offer good opportunities to save money!

To finance your studies in Germany, you should also find out about scholarships. There are many different scholarship programmes and excellent grades are not the only deciding factor. You can learn more about scholarships here and find suitable programmes directly on My GUIDE.

After graduating and successfully completing your traineeship, you can finally teach! Which federal state and which type of school you are allowed to work in depends on your combination of subjects, among other things. Your pay depends on the type of school and the federal state in which you work. You will be sorted into a salary bracket and can predict your expected salary relatively well.

Good to know: The state Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs regularly publish model calculations on the future demand for teachers in their federal state. Among other things, they estimate how many teachers and for which subjects are likely to be particularly needed in the coming years. If you already know in which federal state you would like to work, you can find out which combination of subjects will significantly increase your chances.

If you realise during your studies or your traineeship that teaching is not for you, you do not necessarily have to discontinue your studies. With a teaching degree, you have other career options open to you: For example, you can work in science and research, including at higher education institutions. You can also find employment in the cultural and creative sector (e.g. libraries, museums, and media). Working with children or young people outside of school also remains a possibility. Other job opportunities are also possible in the private sector, for example in human resources, depending on your specialisation.