Participation at the university (contributing teacher)
Participation at the university (contributing teacher)
Working as a teacher at the university
As part of the teacher training programme at the University of Oldenburg, so-called "cooperating teachers" from schools support university teaching by establishing a practical connection to schools, e.g.
- in the preparation of school internships or
- in the planning, application and reflection of teaching-relevant methods, media, experiments and much more.
What are the benefits of participating in the courses?
The aim of participation in the courses is to prepare students for teaching practice and to strengthen and reflect on the theory-practice relationship.
At the same time, the involvement of teachers promotes and improves cooperation between the university and schools:
- Teachers gain an insight into current discussions in teaching and research and gain impetus for their own practical professional work.
- The students and teachers gain valuable practical references for strengthening a theory-practice-orientated teacher training and insights into the practical professional requirements of a teacher.
- The collaboration may also lead to joint approaches to solving specific problems, e.g. in school internships, or to co-operation for research and development work in schools.
How can you become a contributing teacher?
If you are a teacher interested in participating in university teaching, you should contact the respective lecturers in the subject areas that are active in teacher training with a practical school connection (professorships in subject didactics in Faculties I-V, professorships in the Institute of Educational Sciences or Special Education in School I).
Participating teachers require the approval of their school management prior to the official application by the university. Teachers who already have another teaching assignment for the university or who are employed in functional positions at the school are not eligible for approval.
The specific application is then made by the university lecturer. The events are organised exclusively in collaboration with a university lecturer.
Even if you have already worked as a participating teacher, the application for hours must be submitted anew each semester by a university lecturer.
How do I apply for participation?
University lecturers can apply via Stud.IP to the administrative office of the Centre for Teacher Training – Didactic Centre (DiZ) to have teaching staff participate in their courses. Applications can be submitted twice a year: for the summer semester (around November) and for the winter semester (around April). As a rule, school teaching hours can be applied for in return for participation in a course; this corresponds to two credit hours per week for the teacher in question.
University lecturers who wish to apply for participating teachers can register their interest with the relevant administrator at the DiZ, Lena Leisner, to be informed in good time about the application periods and the registration procedure.
The hours applied for by university lecturers are then forwarded by the DiZ to the Regional State Offices for Schools and Education and the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs for review and approval.
It should be noted that factors such as regional teaching provision and the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs’ overall capacity considerations may result in proposals not being approved. Furthermore, proposals cannot be approved for teaching staff who already hold another teaching post at the university or who are employed in administrative roles within a school.
Application periods
University lecturers may apply to be a contributing lecturer during the following periods:
- 2 March 2026 – 20 March 2026 for the 2026/27 winter semester
- 5 October 2026 – 23 October 2026 for the 2027 summer semester
Business trips by participating teachers
Business trips for the participation of participating teachers in events as part of teacher training and/or practical school studies (SPS) in accordance with the assignment can be settled. This applies to teachers whose place of work and residence is outside Oldenburg, as the events usually take place at the university. The cut-off period for claims for travel expenses ends 6 months after the end of the business trip to be settled.