For partners 
Today, the teaching profession is becoming one of the most sought-after in the world, yet finding those willing to teach is becoming increasingly difficult. According to UNESCO forecasts, by 2030 schools and other educational institutions will need 44,000,000+ new teachers.
It is not only that young people are in no rush to enter this profession. Yes, in many countries teachers are gradually aging: in OECD member states, already more than a third of educators are people aged 50+, and in some European countries that figure exceeds 40%, so governments around the world are racking their brains over how to attract people to schools and keep them there long-term.
The most obvious step is to raise salaries, and many countries are already going down that path:
- In Mexico, teachers' pay has been increased for the second year in a row,
- In Hungary, base salaries have grown by an average of more than 20% since 2025,
- In Vietnam, a separate Law on Teachers was adopted, outlining new rules on pay and social support,
- In Latvia, young teachers at the start of their careers receive monthly «scholarships» to support them in the early stages.
But money alone cannot fix the situation — increasingly, countries are trying to change society's attitude toward teachers altogether. For example, Australia launched a major campaign called «Be That Teacher»: on television, on social media, and on street billboards, they featured stories of teachers who managed to make an impact on the lives of individual students and even entire neighborhoods.
Another approach is to invite people from other fields into schools. In Denmark, anyone with work experience can retrain as a teacher free of charge. In Belgium, entry requirements for the profession have been relaxed: now they look not only at a diploma, but also at what a person has done before. In Latvia, those undergoing retraining can start teaching before they finish their studies.
Some countries are looking for staff abroad. Canada, for instance, is simplifying the recognition of foreign qualifications and removing unnecessary bureaucratic steps for overseas teachers; New Zealand provides financial assistance to teachers from other countries who decide to relocate; and Denmark is launching English-language STEM programs to «lure» teachers from abroad to areas where educators are in particularly short supply.
At the same time, experts argue that individual measures can fill certain vacancies here and now, but they cannot solve the problem on a global scale. That is why more and more governments are betting on systemic change.
- For example, Latin American countries joined forces in 2025 and launched a shared teacher support program: it covers the preparation of new staff, career development, professional upskilling, and improved working conditions.
- An interesting example comes from Sweden. Since the beginning of 2025, a unified national professional growth system for teachers and school principals has been in operation there, clearly defining qualification levels and helping teachers see their path forward: it is clear where to go and how to grow throughout an entire career. It is precisely these comprehensive solutions that are now becoming the main direction of educational development around the world.
