Hiring record: 445 new trainees start in MV!

Hiring record: 445 new trainees start in MV!

On October 1, 2025, 105 new trainee teachers began their preparatory service in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This is a positive trend, as a total of 445 new teachers were hired this year - a record number in the last three years. As a reminder: 405 trainee teachers started their service last year and 384 in the previous year. But despite this positive development, the situation in schools remains tense NDR reported.

The distribution of new trainees shows that the demand for teachers is diverse. There are 47 future high school teachers, 37 will become primary school teachers and the rest are distributed between special education, regional schools and vocational schools. Interestingly, around 25% of new trainees took their first state examination in another federal state, which underlines the mobility of teachers.

Challenges in the education system

Education Minister Simone Oldenburg emphasizes how important it is to attract young talent from beyond the region in order to combat the existing shortage of teachers. A look at the statistics makes the urgency clear: more than 600 to 700 teachers have to be hired every year to compensate for age-related departures. There are currently around 12,600 teachers working in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's public schools, although many work part-time.

Despite the increased number of trainee teachers, there is not enough young talent to meet demand. This is just one part of the nationwide problem that also exists in other federal states. Loud Statista There is generally a significant shortage of teachers in Germany. The trend shows that some federal states, such as Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, have major problems filling vacancies. Almost half of the new hires here are made by people without formal teaching training.

Lateral entrants and reforms

This circumstance has led to more and more newcomers teaching in schools. Although they have professional qualifications, they do not have the necessary pedagogical training. Last year, 96 of the 139 teachers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania who had completed their preparatory service were taken on on a permanent basis. But in order to minimize the high dropout rates in teacher training courses - up to 70% of students drop out of their studies prematurely - reforms are necessary. A change in the law to combine study programs for regional school and high school teachers has already been passed.

Another aspect is digitalization in teaching. The Ministry of Education has recommended not using cell phones in grades one to nine and is relying on clear rules instead of a general ban. In view of the digital challenges – also caused by the corona pandemic – this decision is understandable.

Future prospects

With the start of 105 new trainee teachers in their preparatory service, there is a ray of hope, but the challenges remain. The Conference of Ministers of Education predicts that the shortage of teachers will only decrease slowly in the coming years. The need for teachers, especially in secondary schools and vocational schools, remains high.

The current call for applications for the next preparatory service runs until October 13, 2025, and the start is scheduled for February 1, 2026. Those interested can submit their applications via the career portal www.lehr-in-mv.de submit. In this context it becomes clear that the road to solving the teacher shortage is long, but every new trainee teacher is a step in the right direction.