Teacher joblessness during summer break remains substantial

Teacher Unemployment During Summer Holidays Remains High Despite Fixed-Term Contracts

The issue of fixed-term contracts for teachers continues to be a topic of criticism, particularly in wealthier German states. The summer unemployment of teachers, especially in Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, and Bavaria, has been pronounced this year, with approximately 5,800 teachers with fixed-term contracts registering as unemployed during the summer holidays.

Heinz-Peter Meidinger, president of the German Teachers' Association, reiterates that every available teacher is needed in the current exceptional situation. Marlis Tepe, chairwoman of the Education and Science Union (GEW), shares this sentiment, finding the use of fixed-term contracts incomprehensible given the teacher shortage.

The fixing of employment relationships without follow-up contracts is wrong, according to both Meidinger and Tepe. However, Meidinger notes that it's not always the bad will of the authorities in every individual case, but partly due to the legal situation. Part of the issue with short-term contracts is that they do not provide full entitlement to continued payment during the summer holidays due to insufficient vacation entitlement accrual.

The number of teachers with fixed-term contracts who have registered as unemployed during the summer holidays this year is higher than last year but lower than in the years 2016 to 2018. The search results do not provide specific data on which German federal states had the highest numbers of permanently contracted teachers who registered as unemployed in summer 2021.

Tepe believes that the "on-off practice of relieving the state budget" is a burden for those who pay social security contributions and indecent towards teachers. The image of a locked school gate, taken by dts Nachrichtenagentur, may symbolize the impact of the teacher shortage and the use of fixed-term contracts on school operations.

As the teacher shortage persists, both Meidinger and Tepe call for a more permanent solution to the issue of fixed-term contracts. They argue that every available teacher is essential in the current exceptional circumstances, and the on-off practice of hiring and firing teachers is not only inefficient but also burdensome for both teachers and the education system as a whole.