Study financing for aspiring Waldorf teachers

Waldorf teachers wanted? – Calling found, degree program found, funding found!

This is roughly how it went for Hero Schild, who qualified for the profession of Waldorf teacher in the part-time degree program at Alanus University. Half of his tuition fees are covered by a university-funded support program. Since 2018, students aspiring to become Waldorf teachers have been supported through a funding program that reduces tuition fees to as little as 120 euros per month.

“The funding helps me concentrate fully on studying Waldorf education and finally realize my career goal of becoming a class teacher,” says the Waldorf education student. The Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools finances the program called “Special Funding for Waldorf Education.” Annette Neal and Uwe Dombrowski from the training council of the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools welcome the support for Alanus students: “Waldorf teachers are urgently needed in Germany. We are pleased that, with the scholarship from the Special Funding for Waldorf Education, we can support high-quality Waldorf teacher training.”

In the part-time master’s degree program in Waldorf education at Alanus University, future class, subject, or upper school teachers qualify for the profession. “With the scholarship, we are able to reduce the financial burden for students,” says Jost Schieren, Dean of the Department of Educational Science. “We are pleased that this allows us to offer prospective students an easier start,” says the professor of Waldorf education. The part-time degree program takes place on weekends and in block weeks, making it compatible with employment. “The degree program is based on an intensive yet critically discursive engagement with the foundations of Waldorf education. At the same time, it imparts the educational, artistic, and practical skills that every Waldorf teacher needs,” says Schieren.

Students whose career goal is to become a Waldorf teacher and who do not receive any other financial support for their studies can apply each year for the Special Funding for Waldorf Education, for a maximum of the standard study period of six semesters. Hero Schild is now in his 6th semester and will soon be able to turn his calling into a profession.

Further information on funding and the degree program can be found at www.alanus.edu/waldorfpaedagogik