While school principals say they are worried that they may not be able to find replacement foreign language teachers as a result of these stricter language requirements – referring to teachers who teach in the target language and which is often their native tongue also – the Ministry of Education and Research remains adamant that universities have trained up a sufficient number of philologists specializing in various foreign languages.

This includes not only schoolteachers of the Russian language, but those of foreign languages, referred to as "B foreign languages," meaning those not widely in use in Estonia.

From September 1, the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, these too must have upper-intermediate Estonian language skills (roughly B2 in the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR) – ed.)

Under the new rules, this would apply even to those who teach foreign languages part-time in addition to another, primary job.

Pille Põiklik, chief expert at the ministry's language policy department, told AK: "There will be an exception in the case of a language teacher who came here from abroad and works here on a fixed-term contract. The requirement to have a knowledge of the Estonian language would not apply to them, in the first five years [of being here.]"

"When an individual has been here longer than that, the assumption is that they have started to acquire [Estonian], or can do so if they wish to continue working as a teacher," Põiklik continued.

One such school is the Prantsuse lütseum (Tallinn French School) in Tallinn which, not surprisingly given its name and remit, has teachers – two of them – whose native language is French.

School director Peter Pedak said: "Of these, one has been living here for a very lengthy period of time, and they speak Estonian very well. The other a little less so, so they also have concerns about the [language] exam."

The requirement to know the Estonian language is completely understandable, he added, but said that the state has gone too far in respect of language requirements and foreign language teachers.

According to Pedak, CEFR A2 (elementary to pre-intermediate) or B1 level (pre-intermediate to intermediate; B1 is also the level required when obtaining Estonian citizenship – ed.) would be sufficient here.

Pedak said: "In the case of teachers, it is important that they know a little more than the functional language of communication, the requirements for, for instance, wait staff … But a foreign language teacher should be at the same level in Estonian as a native speaker is not needed."

Above B2 level in the CEFR comes C1-C2 (proficiency), far ahead of B1-B2, and approaching native speaker standard at its upper ceiling.

Schools may have trouble finding teachers, especially when it comes to more "exotic" languages, Pedak went on.

The ministry does not share these fears, however.

Pille Põiklik told AK: "Foreign philologists and teachers have been trained in the Republic of Estonia in various different languages ​​for years and years now, so we have these people to hand who are capable of teaching various foreign languages. The solution does not necessarily have to be bringing anyone in from abroad."

One such person is Javier Dominguez Gil, who moved to Estonia a year ago and is due this fall to start a job teaching Spanish at two secondary schools in Tallinn, Tallinna Saksa Gümnaasium and Püha Johannese Kool.

The school has informed him that he needs to be competent in Estonian at an intermediate level within four years.

Dominguez Gil was not confident about the prospects.

Speaking to AK in another, to him, foreign language, ie. English, he said: "I think it's quite difficult in my opinion because sometimes when you are with the family life, with the work, sometimes I cannot find enough time to learn or to practice, and I don't know if in these four years, it will be possible for me to achieve this level."

AK reported that the Language Board (Keeleamet) will be monitoring the Estonian language skills of foreign teachers.

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