Advisory and support services
As a teacher, you are a role model for young people: you are a reflected, motivated, curious and experienced professional.
The University of Cologne supports you with individual advisory and support services to help you develop these qualities and pursue your career in a healthy and fulfilling way.
Students can also pursue personal development through individual advisory and coaching services designed to help them cope with the worries and fears associated with choosing a career.
Reflection and advising
To ensure your long-term satisfaction as a teacher, you should carefully consider your choice of profession while you are still in school, and reflect on whether the profession and its requirements suit you.
To honour your responsibility toward children and young people, and for their futures, you must be a motivated and persuasive teacher.
During the practical internships, you will gain initial experience in everyday school life and have the opportunity to try out the teaching profession in the classroom.
The university will support you throughout this process. A portfolio allows you to reflect on your experiences and your development in a targeted manner.
What if I realize the profession is not right for me?
If you realize that teaching is not the right profession for you, this is not a problem. You are making a conscious and well-considered decision.
Your teacher education still opens up a wide range of educational and professional career opportunities for you outside of a school setting.
The University’s Center for Teacher Education (ZfL) will provide you with comprehensive advice and support
- The ZfL’s peer counselling service allows you to talk to other student teachers at eye-level. Many questions can often be clarified through this easily accessible dialogue opportunity.
- The ZfL offers coaching and supervision sessions designed to help you clarify any questions, doubts or thoughts you may have about your professional future.
Get to know yourself better as you progress through your studies, acquiring the specialist expertise needed to competently support young people through their education!
Studying abroad and internationalization
A semester or internship abroad expands your skills and strengthens your character by providing you with valuable experiences.
As teachers, you must prepare pupils for life in a globalised world and encourage them to engage with it productively. Gaining international experience, either abroad or at your home university, can be particularly helpful.
The University of Cologne offers a bespoke programme with over 100 partner schools and institutions worldwide where you can gain international experience.
If you are studying a modern foreign language, a stay abroad is mandatory. However, this option is also available to all other student teachers.
The University of Cologne offers forward-looking teacher education that is aligned with international standards. For example, it is the lead partner of the European Teacher Academy for a Future in Flux (teff-academy).
Even while you are still studying, you can take part in the events and further education and training courses offered by the teff-academy, get involved, and build out your personal profile.
Health and mindfulness
Given the demanding nature of the teaching profession, it is important to take care of your own health.
Learn to take care of your physical and mental health while you are still studying to become a teacher.
Healthy University of Cologne provides an extensive range of courses and events to support you.
Thanks to programmes that have been tailored to teachers, such as those offered by the ZfL, you can learn how to build stress resistance, resilience, and coping skills.
At the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell), the University of Cologne, in collaboration with European partner universities, researches individual and societal Well-Being in order to bring about effective and sustainable changes in degree programmes, teaching, and professional settings.
Make the most of the courses offered during your studies, and build a strong foundation for your personal development.
Prospective teachers will enter the classroom after university with a solid foundation of action-oriented measures and skills!
Further education and training
In order to teach effectively while facing an ambivalent and uncertain future, it is essential to undergoing further education and training.
Stay curious even after graduating and explore new topics, always keeping in mind that your pupils are living in a digitalized, global world.
The University of Cologne provides further education and training for teachers based on the most current research at schools, which you are welcome to attend even if you are not currently working as a teacher. You can take advantage of these opportunities even while you are still studying, shaping your approach to one of continuous learning and professionalism from an early stage.
One central meeting place
The Center for Teacher Education (ZfL) is more than just the central point of contact for all student teachers.
It provides information and advice on the teacher education programme, the practical phases and examination law issues and is available to support you in determining your career choice.
The ZfL’s doors are always open: student teachers, for example, can meet in the teachers lounge to read, study, work, and relax.
At the ZfL, you are always welcome to network with your peers from different institutions, exploring innovative forms of work in order to advance teacher education together.
This will help you shape your teaching style and establish a professional network.