Teacher Training and Education Degrees in Europe: Certification Differences by Country

Why teacher certification is not one system

Teaching is a regulated profession in every European country, but each country decides its own route to classroom certification. A teaching degree from one country rarely transfers directly into another country's classroom without an extra qualification or bridging step, even within the EU.

This matters if you plan to train in one country and teach in another, or if you want to compare training routes before choosing where to study. Two systems illustrate how different the paths can be: England's QTS route and Germany's two-exam Referendariat route.

England: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

To teach in a state school in England you need QTS. You earn it either through a university-based postgraduate route that combines an academic qualification in education with placements in schools, or through a school-based training route where you train largely on the job under a mentor. Both routes end with an assessment against the same set of teaching standards.

The official QTS guidance on GOV.UK sets out the approved routes, including options for teachers who trained outside the UK and want their qualification recognized.

Germany: the Referendariat model

Germany trains teachers in two clearly separated stages. First, you complete a subject-based teaching degree at university, ending in a first state examination (Erstes Staatsexamen) or an equivalent Bachelor's/Master's combination depending on the state (Bundesland) and school type. Second, you complete the Referendariat, a paid, supervised traineeship in real classrooms that runs roughly one to two years depending on the state, ending in a second state examination that grants full certification.

Because education policy sits with each German state rather than the federal government, exact structures, lengths and subject combinations differ by state. Check the specific Bundesland's teacher training authority before planning a route in Germany.

Primary, secondary and subject specialization differ too

Certification routes usually split further by school level and subject. A primary teacher qualification rarely transfers directly to a secondary subject-teaching role, since secondary certification ties to a specific subject or pair of subjects studied at degree level. Vocational and technical teacher tracks often add a further requirement: relevant industry work experience alongside the education qualification.

If you plan to teach a specific subject, check that your intended degree actually covers the subject combination the host country's certification body requires, since some countries expect two teachable subjects rather than one.

A third model: the competitive exam route

France uses a different structure again. After a relevant Master's-level qualification, aspiring teachers sit a competitive national exam, the CRPE for primary school and the CAPES for secondary subjects, and only candidates who pass gain access to a paid, supervised year of practical training in schools. Passing the exam is the entry point to certification, not a formality after training, which puts more weight on written and oral exam preparation earlier in the process than the England or Germany models.

Comparing France, England and Germany shows the range across Europe: an exam-first model, a training-then-assessment model, and a two-exam model with a paid traineeship in between. Most other European countries sit somewhere along this same spectrum, combining subject study, practical placements, and some form of formal assessment before granting full certification.

How EU rules handle cross-border recognition

The EU's Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications covers teachers, but not under the automatic recognition track used for professions like doctors or architects. Teachers fall under the directive's general system, which means the host country's regulator reviews your qualification individually and can require an aptitude test, a period of adaptation, or extra coursework before granting local certification.

In practice, this means a fully certified teacher from one EU country moving to teach in another should expect a review process, not an automatic transfer. The Eurydice network, run by the European Commission, publishes country-by-country reports on initial teacher education that compare structures across the EU in detail.

Choosing where to train

If you already know which country you want to teach in long-term, train there directly rather than training elsewhere and bridging later. Bridging routes exist, but they add time, cost, and sometimes a full extra qualification stage on top of what you already hold.

If you are still deciding, compare not just entry requirements but the length and pay of the practical training stage. Germany's Referendariat pays a trainee salary, while some countries treat the practical stage as unpaid or lower-paid study, which changes the real cost of qualifying.