The Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation supports, through a grant, the work of the non-profit Teach for Belgium as part of the fight against the teacher shortage. For over ten years, this organisation has supported women and men from various professional backgrounds who choose to put their experience to work in teaching.
Given the growing challenges facing schools, it is essential to encourage initiatives that inspire people to teach, support career paths, particularly at the start of a career, and help to strengthen teaching teams in a lasting way.
Teach for Belgium fits fully into this dynamic. Teachers benefit from targeted training and individual support, which helps them settle into the profession and stay in it long-term: important given that one in three teachers leaves the profession within 5 years of graduating. These trainings on classroom climate management and teaching techniques are based on practical cases (role-play, simulations, peer feedback).
Many career-change paths into teaching are concrete proof that it is never too late to pass on knowledge. Former lawyers, trained journalists or professionals from other sectors choose teaching as a second career, bringing with them a fresh perspective, complementary skills and strong motivation.
Since 2013, Teach for Belgium has worked on behalf of more than 155,000 pupils; 418 people have started teaching and 850 education professionals have received other training.
Beyond supporting teachers in career transitions, Teach for Belgium also develops training and support pathways for beginner and experienced teachers, school leadership and educational support staff. These schemes help improve school climate, classroom management and pupil success, particularly in the most demanding contexts.
“Encouraging second careers means recognising that teaching benefits from opening up to diverse career paths. These profiles bring human and professional richness that is valuable for our pupils and for teaching teams, while also helping tackle the shortage. When you consider how crucial the start of the profession is, you realise how welcome this training and support really are,” adds Valérie Glatigny, Minister of Education.
This approach forms part of a broader vision championed by the Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Indeed, other concrete measures have been adopted, notably to better recognise professional experience (up to 7 years) gained outside teaching during a career change. This salary increase for “second career” teachers aims to encourage those wishing to take the leap.