Tetiana Pasternak arrived in the Netherlands at the start of the war. In Ukraine, she worked as an English and German language teacher at a private school in Vinnytsia. She also taught Ukrainian to foreigners. Here, she started looking for work in education. She succeeded because, at that time, the Netherlands had a special program: children from Ukraine didn’t need to learn the local language or education system; they worked according to the New Ukrainian School program.
“Ukrainian children spoke Ukrainian, and I worked alongside a Dutch psychologist. We communicated in English at the time.”
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Tetiana quickly figured out that learning Dutch would open new paths for career development and social integration here.
So from April 2022, she started learning Dutch. Tetiana was fluent in English and German, and Dutch is a mixture of English, German, and a bit of French, in her words. So mastering the local language happened quite quickly.
“Our Ukrainian class operated for 4 months, then it was disbanded. I studied the language even more intensively, so after six months, I had reached level A2. This opened the door to working with a group of children called Nieuwkomers. These are children who don’t know Dutch and communicate in their native language. I worked with them for six months and taught in Dutch.”
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Currently, Tetiana has been working in a Dutch school for three years, and now her students are children for whom Dutch is their native language.
But it wasn’t as easy as it might seem. To work with Dutch children, she needed to validate her Ukrainian education diploma. This meant passing state exams that cost 200 euros. But money wasn’t the main issue.
“I studied extensively to prepare for these exams, through paid courses, free courses, and individual study. I passed them successfully and have a certificate that allows me to work with native Dutch speakers. This is the highest level.”
Additionally, to validate her diploma, she had to translate it into English or Dutch. This is only possible with a sworn translator, of whom there are only 10 in all of the Netherlands. This cost 300 euros at the time.
The Education System in the Netherlands
In this country, children start school at age 4. And it’s actually school, not kindergarten. The Netherlands is an international country. They start learning Dutch in kindergarten, and from age 4, it’s formal schooling.
“Children attend school for 4 years, called group #1, and education continues from ages 4 to 12 in primary school.”
Some interesting features – there are no bells for lessons. There’s only a first bell, and then each group has its own learning schedule.
Groups have outdoor time for 15 minutes and then another 30 minutes during the main break. There’s no school-provided food, so children bring food and water from home. There’s almost no homework, maybe once a week. A children’s group consists of two age groups, for example, 4-5 year-olds are combined with 5-6 year-olds so younger ones can learn from older ones. Learning involves not just language or school subjects; for instance, older children help younger ones get dressed or eat.
They pay great attention to personal child development. They don’t pressure with tests and assessments if a child is struggling. If necessary, they involve a psychologist to work with the child.
Schools work closely with parents. Once a week, each parent can spend half an hour in the classroom, asking questions to the teacher or playing with their child. It’s a child-teacher-parent collaboration.
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A teacher’s salary in the Netherlands depends on education and experience. There’s a certain gradation – from first to tenth level. And there are three degrees of teachers.
Officially, Tetiana holds the position of teacher’s assistant. To apply for a teacher position, one needs a Dutch education diploma in this field.
“There’s also a teacher’s aide who helps the teacher but doesn’t teach. But a teacher’s assistant helps teach children. For example, I work twice a week as a teacher and three times a week as a teacher’s assistant. Dutch schools are facing a severe shortage of teachers. This year, they’re short 31 thousand teachers. Next year, they predict over 40 thousand, as more people are moving to the Netherlands.”
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The minimum teacher’s salary after taxes is 1900 euros.
“My salary is 2500 euros for five days a week. From next month, I’ll work 4 days a week because I don’t have enough time for studies. Although I’ll work less – my salary will increase because I’ll pay less tax.”
Currently, Tetiana is studying at university; she received a state scholarship for Ukrainian teachers – 10,000 euros. She’s studying an abbreviated course for working with children aged 4 to 6 years.
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The school employment contract is only for one year. It will likely be extended, but there’s no stability. Therefore, last year, Tetiana registered as an entrepreneur and started her own Dutch language courses. This is in demand because it’s difficult for Ukrainians to learn the language from native speakers.
“I tried it, and the school developed with incredible success. I also improved my vlog, growing from a thousand Instagram followers to 9,600. People recognize me in my city. My school’s director now orders advertising from me because we have an advertising budget at the school.”
Tetiana has always been active on social media. Starting her own business pushed her toward professional blogging. This idea emerged to promote the Dutch language among Ukrainian speakers. Many Ukrainians have been here for 2 years without learning the local language, communicating in English. Now people can’t get jobs in their field due to not knowing Dutch.
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“There are haters. Sometimes they point out that the pronunciation isn’t quite right. They also say I’m lying. For example, in December, I received up to 7 thousand euros in school salary because of the 13th salary. They wrote, where can you earn such a salary? It’s a lie.”
Tetiana says she shares this information not to boast, but to show that opportunities exist here for everyone. The stereotype “we’re not needed by anyone” can remain just a stereotype.
By Inna YAKYMENKO