Recognition

General conditions

If you wish to obtain a teaching qualification in the Netherlands, it is important to know the basic requirements:

• you must at least possess a foreign diploma of higher education;
• your foreign education should be sufficiently comparable to the corresponding education in the Netherlands;
• you must be able to prove you possess a similar teaching qualification in your country of origin.   

The profession of teacher in vocational training and adult education does not necessarily require that you have a teaching qualification in your country of origin. In this case a foreign higher education diploma (not a teacher training) may be sufficient, provided your study-course is comparable to a Dutch higher education study programme (not a teacher training).Additional requirements may be imposed in respect of educational and teaching theory and methods.

Keep in mind that sufficient command of the Dutch language may be required. Furthermore recognition may be subjected to submission of a statement of good behaviour. You will be informed accordingly during the procedure.

Legal provisions

Applications for recognition from outside the EU are decided upon on the basis of legal provisions in force in the Netherlands. You will receive further information after your application has been received.

Applications from within the EU are dealt with according the provisions laid down in the EC Directive/2005/36/EC (opens pdf-file on a other internetsite), transcribed into the Regeling erkenning EG-Beroepskwalificaties onderwijspersoneel (opens pdf-file on a other internetsite) (January 16, 2008, WJZ-2008/2010 (1602)) (Decree on the recognition of EU teaching personnel).

Apply for recognition

The form Application for a Dutch teaching qualification contains information about the requested items of evidence.

Legal Security

In case of a positive decision on your request for recognition, DUO will verify your diploma at the educational institute concerned. Verification is done for the sake of legal security of the diploma’s to be recognized.

Teaching Qualifications

You can apply for one of the following teaching qualifications:

Group teacher in primary education
Qualified to teach all subjects in all classes of primary and (continued) special education.

Subject teacher in primary education
A teaching qualification limited to (a) specific subject(s) in primary education. Possession of a foreign qualification as a subject teacher (in Dutch, English, French, German, Frisian, handicraft, drawing, physical education, music, dance or drama) is a basic requirement.

Teacher of secondary education
A teaching qualification limited to (a) specific subject(s) in secondary education. Please state the grade (level) for which you seek qualification (fill in a 1, 2 or 3). 

• First-grade qualification: 
  covers all schools and all classes of university preperatory education (vwo), senior secondary general education (havo) and secondary preperatory vocational education (vmbo)
• Second-grade qualification:
  the same as above except for schools of vwo and havo, where the qualification is limited to the first three schoolyears
• Limited second-grade qualification:
  limited to schools of vmbo. 

Teacher of senior secondary vocational education
A teaching qualification for schools of senior secondary vocational education, the apprenticeship system and adult education. For this sector you do not have to specify a subject since the schools concerned decide in which subject or subject-area a teacher is appointed.