How can I become a teacher at a bilingual school in the Netherlands?

Are you curious about teaching possibilities in bilingual education? There is a growing number of Dutch schools where many of the subjects are taught in English. These are called bilingual schools (tweetalig onderwijs; tto). In this article, we explain what bilingual education is, how it works and how you can become a teacher at a bilingual school.

Bilingual education is a part of secondary education (voortgezet onderwijs). Both teachers and students at a bilingual school speak English in subjects such as history, geography, biology and gymnastics. English is not only the instruction language, but also the language in which students and teacher communicate during these classes. This means that every teacher at a bilingual school must have a high command of English, and, in a way, also functions as a language teacher. Students also speak English among themselves when they work together or have questions.

In the first three years (onderbouw) at bilingual schools, at least half of the subjects are taught in English on havo/vwo level, and 30% of the subjects at vmbo level. In the final three years (bovenbouw), the percentage is lower: about 25%. This enables students to practice and get familiar with the subjects in Dutch before they participate in the national final exams, which are in Dutch. After graduation, students obtain a diploma at one of the following education levels: university preparatory level (vwo), senior general secondary level (havo) or preparatory vocational secondary level (vmbo). Havo and vwo students from bilingual schools additionally obtain an International Baccalaureate (IB) certificate for the subject of English, or a Cambridge International (CI) certificate for the subject of Global Perspectives and another subject of their choice.

At bilingual schools, the goal is to teach as many subjects as possible in English. Mathematics, biology, geography, history, art, physics, chemistry, economics, gymnastics and of course English are examples of subjects taught in English instead of Dutch. Dutch and other modern languages such as French, German, Spanish and Chinese are often taught in the language of that same subject. Individual school boards decide which subjects are taught in English and which subjects are taught in Dutch.

For teachers at bilingual schools, the same criteria apply as for teachers at other secondary schools (middelbare school). Thus, teaching at a secondary school requires a second or first degree teaching qualification (or a foreign equivalent that has been certified by DUO). With a second degree qualification, you can teach in mbo, vmbo and the first three years of havo and vwo. If you want to be able to teach the final three years of havo and vwo as well, you must have a first degree qualification. These qualifications can be obtained by following a fulltime or parttime teacher training program at a research university (universiteit) or a university of applied sciences (hogeschool), or through a side-entry program (zij-instroomtraject).

There are currently 130 bilingual schools in the Netherlands. Bilingual education is mostly offered at havo/vwo level, but the number of bilingual vmbo schools is continuously increasing. You can find an overview of all bilingual secondary schools here. There are several primary schools in the Netherlands that participate in a bilingual education pilot, and there are also bilingual mbo schools (post-secondary vocational education and training).

There are different types of international education in the Netherlands. Most international, foreign and embassy schools are categorized as b4-schools, which means that they are private schools which are not funded by the Dutch government. The language of instruction differs per international or foreign school, depending on the country of authority. The rules of their respective country or school board apply to these schools. For example, if you want to teach at a French school, you will need the qualifications and diplomas that France requires from teachers. The Dutch requirements do not apply.

Bilingual schools are Dutch public schools that are internationally oriented and have international departments. As explained above, the Dutch requirements for qualification do apply at bilingual schools, because they comply to the Dutch law.

In the Netherlands, bilingual education is a part of secondary education. A large number of the subjects are taught in English, and teachers and students speak English both inside and outside the classroom. For teachers in bilingual education, the same criteria apply as for teachers at other (non-bilingual) secondary schools. If you want to teach at any secondary school, you will need to possess a second or first degree teaching qualification. Additionally, teachers at bilingual schools must also have sufficient command of the English language: level B2 or C1 at the minimum.