"We were forced to switch to a 1+2 system in most transition kindergartens: one teacher and two assistants. This allowed Tallinn to ensure that by September 1, every group had at least one teacher with a C1-level language proficiency or a native Estonian speaker," said Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200), Tallinn's deputy mayor responsible for education.

"If we had stuck with the previous system – two teachers and one assistant – we would have been short about a hundred teachers at the start of the school year. That was not realistic," Jašin added.

The Preschool Childcare Institutions Act permits the 1+2 system, and according to Jašin, some other municipalities in Estonia also use it, primarily to save money, since the salary of a kindergarten assistant is lower than that of a teacher. (For comparison, a teacher's salary in Tallinn is around €1,820, while an assistant earns about €1,100 before taxes.)

Estonian-language kindergartens are largely unaffected by this system change, and in transition kindergartens, the arrangement is temporary, Jašin emphasized.

"Our goal is still to either raise the language proficiency of assistants to C1 or find new colleagues, and return to the structure of two teachers and one assistant," said Jašin.

The deputy mayor also noted that the situation in kindergartens is better than in schools: while 22 percent of teachers in schools lack proper qualifications, in kindergartens the figure is 15 percent.

As of the end of last week, there were 45 active job openings in Tallinn's 125 municipal kindergartens.

Weekly recruitment statistics show that the most in-demand positions in kindergartens are speech therapists, but there are also about ten job openings for kindergarten teachers listed on CV Online.

Difficult to find qualified teachers

Tallinn's Kadaka Kindergarten is also seeking a teacher through CV Online. Director Maili Vaarpuu noted that they have already received applications but added that the teacher shortage is primarily due to the significant and sudden need for teachers following the transition to Estonian-language education in the city.

Anticipating the teacher shortage, Tallinn tried to assist kindergartens and schools by launching a public recruitment campaign over the summer, encouraging people to change careers. Individuals with higher education in other fields, even without specific qualifications as kindergarten teachers, were invited to apply and gain the necessary skills on the job.

"In cooperation with Tallinn University, the University of Tartu, the Tallinn Teacher's House, the NGO ASÕP (Substitute Teachers) and other partners, we help you achieve the necessary certification once you've started working," the city's advertisement stated.

According to Vaarpuu, the campaign was quite successful and many career changers did apply. However, she pointed out that their expectations did not always match the reality of the job.

"Working with a large number of children is challenging – it's not one-on-one work with a child. There are also set standards for teaching, as the children need to be prepared for school. This means that career changers need to learn how to teach them," Vaarpuu explained.

"Many of those teachers left fairly quickly – that's the reality, and it's also the reason why I'm still looking for a teacher," she said.

Vaarpuu added that there isn't a long-term problem with attracting young, well-educated kindergarten teachers, but the timing of the current crisis is the main issue.

"Right now, we urgently need many teachers at once, but universities can't meet that demand quickly enough. There are plenty of wonderful young people in the pipeline, but they still need a couple of years before they're ready to start working," Vaarpuu said.

"We're not the only ones looking – everyone is," echoed Valeria Erm, the director of Linnamäe Kindergarten, which is also undergoing the transition to Estonian-language education.

Meanwhile, the transition kindergarten Seli Kindergarten has found a teacher but is now searching for a teacher for its special needs group.

"This group includes children with special needs, and the requirements for this teacher are higher," said Imbi Raasuke, acting director of Seli Kindergarten.

Raasuke acknowledged that it's not easy to find even a regular group teacher who meets all the qualifications right away. It's often possible to hire someone with a bachelor's degree and provide on-the-job training, such as the career changers already mentioned.

Unlike the experience at Kadaka Kindergarten, Raasuke has had positive experiences with career changers. "Those who have joined us are doing very well," she said.

Currently, former teachers working as assistants at Seli Kindergarten are attending language courses to pass the C1-level language exam. "Once they pass, they can return to their roles as teachers," Raasuke added.

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