Professional Documents
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4.2.4 Teachers in Finland
4.2.4 Teachers in Finland
– trusted professionals
Teachers are autonomous principals and teachers conduct so called Teachers are recruited in an open
professionals development talks annually, where they process
Finnish teachers have a lot of profession- discuss the past year and the objectives In Finland education providers are
al freedom and opportunities to influ- for the coming year. responsible for employing their teaching
ence their work and the development of staff. They also determine the types and
their schools. They decide Who are the number of posts needed. The recruit-
on the teaching methods, teachers? ment is an open process and the vacant
the teaching materials Teachers A big proportion of posts are advertised in newspapers, pro-
used as well as pupil and
student assessment,
participate in Finnish teachers are
female. This is the case
fessional journals and relevant websites.
Each education provider decides
often in cooperation with developing particularly in pre-primary who is responsible for appointing new
other teachers. Most
teachers also participate
education education, where more
than 90 per cent of the
teachers. It may be the education com-
mittee or another equivalent committee,
in joint decision-making, teachers are female. In the municipal board, the school board
drawing up of local curricula as well as upper secondary education the gender or – especially in the case of temporary
acquisitions. distribution is more in balance. Also in an and short-term substitute teachers – the
Finnish teachers can also influence international com- principal.
the development of education at national parison, the teaching Teachers are
level. Teachers are generally represented profession is slightly Teachers are required a master’s
in the expert groups preparing education
reform and new initiatives. The teachers’
more female-domi-
nated than in other
not evaluated degree and peda-
gogical training, but
trade union, which represents 95 per countries. through external education providers
cent of Finnish teachers, is also one of the
most important stakeholders who con-
The teaching
profession is ageing
or formal set the other criteria.
The aim is to select a
tribute to the development of education in Finland. On the one measures. person who is both
and training. hand, the percentage qualified and suitable
Teachers are not evaluated through of teachers under 40 for both the position
external or formal measures. The princi- years of age is 33 per cent which is below in question and the school community.
pals of the institutions are also pedagogi- the OECD average. On the other hand, Most teachers work full time and
cal heads and thus the quality of teaching the proportion of teachers between hold posts as municipal civil servants or
is their responsibility. In many schools 40–65 years is above the OECD average. employees. Some teachers work part-