Teachers in the Unaffordable Land

Being a teacher in a rural area offers a unique and enriching experience with invaluable advantages over working in a big city school. In rural areas, people often know each other, which creates a family atmosphere. This close connection not only makes it easier to work with parents, but also creates a supportive environment for students. The less hectic pace and the proximity to nature create a relaxed environment that allows teachers to relax and recharge their batteries. This leads to a better balance between professional and private life. Anyone who lives and works in Unaffordable Land quickly develops close ties to the local community. It is easy to get involved in various social and cultural activities and thereby bring about a positive change in the community.

You can find an initial selection of specific job offers at Jobs-Oberlausitz.

The “Perspective Land” study support program offers teacher training students and trainees extensive opportunities to get to know the Saxon school landscape . Using a wealth of information and clear school portraits, prospective educators can find out whether the country school is a good choice for them.

The Become a Teacher in Saxony portal offers extensive information about the teaching profession in Saxony. The offering ranges from how to make a career decision to explanations of a teacher's tasks and earning potential to a guide through the jungle of subjects. There is a blog from the teaching world and numerous inspirations for choosing and pursuing a career. The Görlitz district presents itself as an attractive future place to work.

Sylvia Wackernagel originally studied ethnology, Spanish, peace and conflict studies for a master's degree and worked as a museum educator. She also worked at the Silesian Museum in Görlitz. At some point she felt that the time had come for something new. She thought more and more about wanting to experience school not only in a professional partnership, but also from the inside. “Teaching is one of the jobs that allows me to have an impact on society,” reports the young woman. After five years now, she is close to completing all of the training modules. She has already earned money the entire time.” Anyone who has studied a recognized school subject at university is classified in salary group A12. If you have a university degree in several subject areas, the classification is even faster. At the start, career changers complete a three-month crash course. This is followed by a one-year traineeship. Sylvia Wackernagel completed this traineeship at the inner city high school in Görlitz. She has now long since settled into her new job.  

Daniela Zlobinski grew up in Bavaria. She studied in Augsburg. It was difficult to get a permanent employment contract in Bavaria after the traineeship. “Personal reasons brought me from Augsburg to Görlitz in 2015. I immediately got a permanent employment contract at the Rothenburg high school and later I was also made a civil servant.” She appreciates the work at the rural school. The number of students is manageable, the “we-feeling” is strong and the solidarity of the parents is great, because they have known each other since kindergarten and elementary school. The feared culture shock when moving from the big city with 350,000 inhabitants to the tranquil town of Görlitz did not materialize. “There is so much to discover and experience here. We love going hiking in the Zittau Mountains and being able to quickly be out in the country with our dog. And if we should miss the big city, we can be in Dresden in less than an hour.”