The shared struggle: Issues faced by foreign teachers in the Dutch classroom

Abstract

In Dutch education there is an increasing emphasis on internationalization and bilingual education. Those factors combined with a teacher shortage have led to an increase in teachers coming to the Netherlands from other countries. A teacher coming to the Netherlands from another country has to get accustomed to the Dutch educational culture. This research seeks to identify issues that foreign teachers struggle with when they come to teach in the Netherlands. This research is interested in looking into differences in educational culture that have a direct effect on the teacher in the classroom (with students) and their ability to function well at school (with colleagues). This research identifies specific issues that teachers from foreign cultures struggle with in the Dutch classroom and looks at what steps can be made to help make the transition process easier for foreign teachers.