Exemption for the employment of an employee in secondary school

According to the Act on the education, competency and recruitment of teachers and administrators of preschools, compulsory schools and upper secondary schools, No 95/2019, school administrators can apply to the Ministry of Education and Children for an exemption to hire a person who does not have a teacher´s license, temporarily, in a teaching position.

The exemption applies in the following cases and with certain conditions fulfilled, as further described in Article 19:

• If no teacher applies for an advertised teaching position at a primary or secondary school despite repeated advertisement the Ministry may issue a permit for a one-year hire on the basis of a proposal from The teachers' exemption committee, see Article 19(2).

• If neither the school administrator nor at least two school committee members recommend the hiring of a teacher who applied for an advertised teaching position the Ministry may grant permission to hire an applicant who does not have a teacher´s license to work as an instructor for one year, see Article 19(7).

Supporting documents with the application:

• Copy of the advertisement and information on where and when the job was advertised and how the advertisement was repeated.

• Information on the applicant's education, teaching and work experience, as well as the applicant's professional competence.

• The proposed employment period.

• Justification from the principal and the school committee if an applicant without a teachers’ license is hired instead of a teacher.

Application process:

• The Ministry of Education and Children examines whether all required documents are in place and calls for further information if needed.

• When all documents have been received, the Ministry sends the case to

  the committee for exemptions regarding teaching positions which gives its proposal on the application to the Ministry.

• The Ministry reviews the application and the committee's proposal makes a final decision on the matter and informs the school administrator.

The Ministry of Education and Children supervises the implementation of Act No. 95/2019 and is permitted to call upon information from schools on the recruitment of teaching staff and schools are obliged to provide this information.