Teacher in the Danish Folkeskole (municipal primary and lower secondary school)
Holders of non-Danish teaching qualifications
If you hold a teaching qualification enabling you to teach classes 1 to 10 in the country where you qualified, you can apply to the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation for authorisation to teach in the Folkeskole.
You must fill in this form:
If the agency recognises your qualification at once, you will receive a letter saying that you may apply for teaching postitions in the Danish Folkeskole.
In some cases, the agency gives conditional approval. In order to obtain final approval you must then fulfil one of the following requirements:
-
Complete one or two main subjects or pedagogical subjects at a teacher-training college/university college.
-
Undergo an adaptation period of up to two years (applies only to EU and EEA citizens).
Once you have fulfilled the requirement, you must ask the agency for final approval.
Persons without teaching qualifications
If you do not have a formal teaching qualification, you cannot receive authorisation to teach in the Danish Folkeskole. In that case, you must complete a Danish teacher-training programme. There are two possibilities:
-
Meritlæreruddannelsen: An accelerated primary and lower secondary teacher-training programme with award of credit for prior learning. This programme takes up to two years. Information about the programme is available in Danish at Uddannelsesguiden.dk.
-
Folkeskolelæreruddannelsen: The ordinary teacher-training programme. You may apply for credit transfer. Information about the programme is available in Danish at Uddannelsesguiden.dk.
Other possibilities
-
You may apply for temporary jobs (as a substitute teacher) in the Folkeskole without any authorisation from the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation.
-
Schools may hire persons with relevant qualifications to teach particular subjects (faglærer, in accordance with section 28, par. 2 of the Folkeskole Act), but you should note that schools only do so under special circumstances.
Language
Danish is the language of instruction in the Folkeskole.
Rules and regulations
-
Folkeskole Act – Consolidation Act No. 998 of 16 August 2010 (Bekendtgørelse af lov om folkeskolen)
-
Act on the Training of Teachers for the Danish Folkeskole – Act No. 579 of 9 June 2006 (Lov om uddannelsen til professionsbachelor som lærer i folkeskolen)
-
Ministerial Order on teacher training with credit transfer – Ministerial Order No. 651 of 29 June 2009 (Bekendtgørelse om uddannelsen til meritlærer)
