Appendix B: Teaching in Belgium As a Foreigner

Teaching in Belgium as a foreigner

I. Requirements

Anyone that wants to start teaching in primary or secondary education will have to fulfil certain requirements in order to be hired by a school. Concretely these requirements concern:

a) Nationality b) Civil and Political Rights c) Language d) Teaching Capabilities e) Medical Fitness a) Nationality

If your country of origin belongs to the European Union (EU) or the European Free Trade Association (EVA), you fulfil the nationality requirement automatically. If you are an official Belgian resident, than proof of moral behaviour suffices to fulfil the nationality requirement. If you are an official resident of another EU or EVA country, than you have to provide proof of equivalency. If you have still another nationality, you need to have a labour card. Moreover you can only be hired after exemption of the nationality requirement. The school will request this exemption for you at the Ministry of Education. b) Civil and Political Rights

You can prove your civil and political rights by providing a certificate of moral behaviour. You can get this from the local authorities. Ask for model 2. Do keep in mind you will not receive this certificate immediately. The police will first check your background. Moreover the chief of police is required to give motivated advice. This measure became active in 2002 to optimally protect the children a teacher comes into contact with daily. Should your certificate mention a prior conviction, this doesn’t automatically mean you will not be allowed to become a teacher. Being convicted to a prison sentence of more than four months does mean you have lost your civil and political rights. Remark: A certificate of moral behaviour can not be older than one year to remain valid. c) Language

A teacher has to prove his proficiency of the teaching language, Dutch for the Flemish Community or French for the French-speaking Community. If you have a diploma in Dutch or French, you automatically fulfil the language requirement. If not, it is sufficient to pass a language exam on the ‘thorough knowledge’ of Dutch or French. A language teacher also has to provide the required degree to teach the language he specialized in. If you don’t fulfil the language requirement at the moment, but the school can not find another candidate, the school authorities can request a language diversion for you. This way you might be able to start teaching. It is however a temporary solution. The language diversion can only be requested up to three times for one school year. d) Teaching Capabilities

You also have to prove whether you are capable of being a teacher by providing a copy of your diploma. For each specific teaching job the Community governments determined a capability proof. This proof includes a basic degree (e.g. master degree) and possibly proof of pedagogical capabilities (e.g. teacher training) and/or experience. To teach with a foreign diploma, there are specific rules: If you are a resident of the European Union and you followed a training of minimum 3 years in higher education at a recognised European education institution, than you can let your diploma be professionally recognized following the European Guideline. In other cases you can have your diploma declared an academic equivalent of a Belgian diploma. e) Medical Fitness

You can prove your medical fitness by getting a certificate from your physician. To teach in subsidized education, your health may not endanger the health of the students. In community education you can not have any diseases or handicaps that make it impossible for you to teach. The certificate can not be older than one year.

II. Salary and Benefits

Determining a teacher’s salary is rather complicated, but there are some basic principles. The following factors are important to determine how much you earn exactly: - Your job title - Are you a temporary teacher or permanently appointed? - Your administrative condition: Are you active or put on non-active? - Your degree(s) - Do you work fulltime or part-time? - Is this your main profession, or your secondary profession? - Your years of experience - Civil status and family composition - Extra activities e.g. supervision during lunch break, …

Besides your monthly salary, a teacher is entitled to certain benefits. For some benefits however, you will need to fulfil certain conditions. The possible benefits are:

a) Holiday Bonus b) End of the Year Bonus c) Costs for travel between Work and Home d) Hearth and Status Compensation e) Maternity Bonus f) Child Care Benefit g) Union Bonus h) Extra fee or compensation for special certificates or degrees

2 a) Holiday Bonus

If you worked in education the last year and exercised a principal function, you will receive a holiday bonus. The bonus comprises a fixed amount and a variable amount. The variable amount depends on the time you worked the last year. b) End of the Year Bonus

If your wages are paid by the government and you exercise a principal function you will get an end of the year bonus. This bonus also comprises a fixed amount and a variable amount. The variable amount depends on the time you worked last year and the position you filled. c) Costs for travel between Work and Home

If you come to work by public transportation or by bicycle, your costs can be reimbursed. Expenses for public transportation are fully paid by your employer. If you come to school by bicycle, you receive 0.15 euros for each kilometre. d) Hearth and Status Compensation

Any teachers with a modest income can request an extra compensation. Depending on your income and family situation you can get a hearth or status compensation. To get hearth compensation you need to be married or living together, or be a single parent with at least one child for which you receive child care benefits. Besides, your annual wages can not be higher than a certain limit. If you can not get hearth compensation, you might still be able to get status compensation if your annual wages are lower than the limit set. This compensation is smaller than the hearth compensation. e) Maternity Bonus

If you are going to be a mother or a father, than you can get a maternity bonus. f) Child Care Benefit

Once your child is born, you can get child care benefits. This starts the first month after birth and ends when the child leaves the house or turns 25. g) Union Bonus

If you are a member of a trade union, your employer repays you part of your membership through a union bonus. You are required to be with the union for at least one year. h) Extra fee or compensation for special certificates or degrees

In some cases a teacher can get an extra fee based on a certain certificate or diploma (e.g. degree of higher pedagogical studies, bachelor or master in psychology,…) he has. To get this fee or compensation, you should send a copy of the certificate or diploma to the

3 Ministry of Education.

Source: http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be and http://www.enseignement.be