Yes, there is indeed a not insignificant difference. But first to the similarities: Both terms refer to newcomers to the teaching profession who did not study to become a teacher in the traditional (undergraduate) way. Their path was more or less straightforward via another degree programme and perhaps also professional experience in other sectors. People then decide to enter the teaching profession for a variety of reasons. Lateral entrants are people who have had their professional training recognised for (at least) 2 school subjects and are now entering the preparatory service (also known as traineeship). In contrast, side entrants and lateral entrants start directly into the teaching profession and complete their practical school training alongside their work. By studying one of our teacher-optimised degree programmes, you can choose either path. We recommend the lateral entry route.

It depends on your question ;-)

• Study programme and deviations: When it comes to deviations from the usual study programme, the education officer of your degree programme is your first port of call.
• Advice on building teaching skills: If you want to know whether this path is right for you, how you can gain access to (paid) practical teaching experience and work placements at schools or how you can further develop your skills in this area, the best thing to do is contact us at Lehramt4you. Our services are aimed at students on both degree programmes, but also at older semesters and doctoral students.

Your educational advisor and we at Lehramt4you work closely together to help you in the best possible way. At the start of the winter semester, there will also be a flyer containing all the information about the necessary modules and the lateral entry option. Important: This track does not restrict you in other career paths, e.g. in business or science. Your options therefore remain open.

Yes, that's possible! If your current study programme does not exactly match the requirements for lateral entry, you should simply seek advice from us or from your education officer . You may have to take a few additional modules or integrate some as elective modules into your study plan. Students on the Applied Natural Sciences degree programme can probably benefit from this programme with minimal effort, especially if they choose specialisation A or B in the NAT Master's degree. If you are studying maths or computer science and are interested, this would have to be checked individually. You may then also need a few additional modules.

If you are currently studying for a doctorate, it is also best to get in touch with us at Lehramt4you. The closer your own studies are to the content of the now optimised degree programmes, the easier it will be for you to integrate into this programme. You may still have to take certain modules. We must always keep an eye on the requirements of LaPo I. Here it is precisely regulated whether you are recognised with 2 subjects and can start the lateral entry directly. We will be happy to look at this with you and consider how we can manage this with as little effort as possible.

It depends on the degree programme, but to really keep all your options open until the end, you need to make a few considerations at the beginning:

• Applied Computer Science (Bachelor): In order to keep your options open for a lateral entry into the secondary school teaching profession for mathematics/computer science later on, you should choose the applied field of mathematics. You will receive a list of the required modules at the start of your studies. If you choose a different field of application, you can still enter the teaching degree programme for computer science, but you would need additional modules for mathematics. If you have any questions about this, we at Lehramt4you will be happy to help you.
• Applied Natural Sciences (Bachelor with Master): Here it is important which specialisation you choose at the beginning of your Master's degree. At the moment, we recommend specialisations A ("Environmental Biotechnology Analytics") or B ("Solid State Physics") for an easy lateral entry.

There is no fixed start date for the accompanying programme "Pedagogical Skills Development". We recommend that you first arrive at the university and your degree programme in the first or second semester, from the end of the second semester you are welcome to look for options with us at Lehramt4you together to gain your first teaching experience.

No, the 65 ECTS points per subject that you need for lateral entry into the secondary school teaching profession are already fully included in the optimised degree programmes. You do not need to make any additional effort. However, we recommend that you gain some teaching experience, preferably through paid work as part of our accompanying programme "pedagogical skills development". Also remember that you should aim for a Master's degree, as this is the second requirement for entry into the preparatory service (traineeship) and has a major influence on your financial placement.

Our accompanying programme consists of 3 parts and (with the exception of the module "Fundamentals of Teaching Skills Development") is located outside of your regular studies.

1. Attendance at the Fundamentals of Teaching Skills Development module (5 ECTS)
2. First teaching experience at schools (paid if possible) or co-design of project days at the university / student labs
3. Accompanying the pedagogical assignment: Attendance at the case supervision groups in the Lehramt4you project

Of course, we'd love to. We will be happy to help you gain initial practical experience and will also be happy to discuss your plans with you. Together, we'll look at what options are available to you and how you can best achieve your goal. Just get in touch with us! lehramt4you [at] tu-freiberg [dot] de

In theory, you can also teach at schools directly after completing your Bachelor's degree in one of our optimised degree programmes. However, we strongly recommend the Master's degree and traineeship route. This gives you a much better chance of becoming a civil servant and a significantly better salary classification.