Estonia has seven international schools where instruction is conducted in a foreign language. For instance, the regulations for the European School stipulate that a teacher instructing in a foreign language must speak that language as a native speaker, meaning that teachers are often recruited from abroad. However, Estonia now requires that schools should not enter into long-term employment contracts with teachers who have not passed the Estonian language exam at the B2 level.

Andero Adamson, head of the ministry's language policy department, said there is nothing new in the language requirements, and an exception has already been made for teachers at international schools.

"They actually have five years from the time they arrive in Estonia to bring their Estonian language skills up to the B2 level," Adamson told ERR. He believes that the requirement for a language exam should not deter people. "Yes, if a person has not acquired primary, secondary, higher or vocational education in Estonia, then indeed, language proficiency can only be proven with a level examination, but essentially, a similar system exists in other countries."

At the Tallinn European School, about half of the teachers are required to demonstrate B2 level language proficiency by August 1. The school's director, Ian Karell, is concerned: "The hardest part is that we may have to start in August without teachers. We know how difficult it is to bring teachers to Estonia."

Olavi Otepalu, the director of the Tallinn International School, mentioned that currently, about half of the school's teachers are on indefinite contracts. If a language exam is required after five years of staying in Estonia, teachers may not agree to long-term contracts, and the school will have to search for new teachers more frequently, Otepalu believes.

"Bringing foreigners to the country entails significant expenses for the school, including administrative expenses related to visas and residence permits. The school also has to pay fees to overseas recruitment portals, and training is extremely expensive," listed Otepalu.

Both Karell and Otepalu stressed that they fully understand the need for language proficiency and integration, but they believe the language requirement could be more lenient.

"The B2 level may seem somewhat too stringent; B1 level might be sufficient," said Otepalu. He hopes for a flexible approach even for those who have worked for more than five years.

"One should also consider how long they will continue to work in Estonia after that. If the employment contract ends within a year or two thereafter, it could be stipulated that the employee can at least finish the current academic year. But beyond that, an extension should not be granted," said the director of Tallinn International School.

"In the future, there is also the concern that it will be difficult to attract teachers to Estonia if they know such a language requirement exists. We want teachers to stay in Estonia. We don't want them to come to Estonia for just one, two or three years but rather, we hope they would stay here," added Ian Karell.

The Ministry of Education and Research is expected to finalize the draft regulation and send it to the government within a few weeks. Andero Adamson mentioned that additional exceptions are unlikely to be made.

"The decision is up to the government, but the stance of the Ministry of Education and Research is that we see no reason to make such relaxations. If we start making relaxations, then Russian-speaking schools would likely demand the same exception. The state must have a uniform policy. The larger goal is to create a cohesive society in Estonia, so everyone would manage in every aspect of life with the Estonian language," said Adamson.

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