NRW starts teacher training: 3,000 trainees defy acute teacher shortage!

NRW starts teacher training: 3,000 trainees defy acute teacher shortage!

On November 2, 2025, there was a remarkable start in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) for over 3,000 new teacher candidates starting their traineeship. The swearing-in ceremony took place in Gelsenkirchen, where, among others, Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst and School Minister Dorothee Feller were present. While the traineeship lasts 18 months and ends with a state examination, the reality in schools is tense: despite an increase in the number of teachers, the shortage of teachers in various regions and school types remains hungry for new talent. This reports WDR.

Six trainees took the opportunity to share their goals and personal experiences. Simon Brach, who teaches sports and chemistry, wants to make his lessons exciting and respond flexibly to the needs of his students. Lukas Steinhoff aims to arouse enthusiasm for chemistry and is clearly in favor of making all teachers permanent. Nadine Asiz focuses on combating discrimination so that all students feel comfortable. Carla Gabriel, who teaches math and physics, states the importance of providing support against bullying, but also expresses concerns about civil service. Martina Kuhl wants to focus on the human component of teaching in English and educational science lessons. Finally, Özlem Cömert sees major challenges in educating students without an educational background and emphasizes the need for parents to be involved.

Acute teacher shortage in North Rhine-Westphalia

The shortage of teachers in North Rhine-Westphalia is particularly noticeable in primary schools, where 2,570 positions are currently vacant, followed by 2,013 positions in high schools and 939 in special schools. The staffing ratio has reached 93.37% at high schools, 93.80% at special schools and 94.90% at primary schools. This shows that there is a lack of resources in the area to adequately organize teaching. However, the continuing education colleges actually have a surplus of teachers at 110.74%. The situation in the Düsseldorf district government is particularly challenging, with 93% funding and over 3,500 unfilled positions WDR.

The fact that NRW has been unable to fill 8,000 teaching positions in recent years despite numerous measures speaks volumes about the urgency of the situation. To counteract the shortage of teachers, the state government has announced additional measures. From the winter semester of 2025/2026, 80 new study places in primary school teaching will be offered, meaning that universities such as RWTH Aachen and the Bergische Universität Wuppertal are cooperating in this regard for the first time Ruhr24.

Long-term perspectives

This initiative is part of the “Student Place Offensive II”, which is supported with over 11 million euros in the 2025 budget. Since its introduction, a total of 465 new bachelor's degree places have been created in teaching and special education. Even more measures are required for the coming year to address the tense situation.

In Germany as a whole, the shortage of teachers will continue to shape the next few years: The Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) predicts that there will be a shortage of over 17,400 teachers by 2024. Particularly in the eastern federal states, a high demand for new teachers is expected due to impending retirements. The increasing number of students, caused by a baby boom in the 2010s, also contributes to the problem Statista.

It remains to be seen whether the new training opportunities and planned measures will sustainably address the teacher shortage in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond. The challenges are great, but the initiative of the new trainees could be the key to a better education system.