The Teaching Profession Law aims at regulating teacher assignments and their career steps based on their professional improvement.

 

The law defines teaching as "special expertise profession, which undertakes the training and education and related administration tasks of the state" and obliges teachers to carry out their duties in line with the fundamental principles of national education and teaching profession ethics rules. Working conditions of teachers will be organized according to the purposes defined in order to increase the quality of education.

 

The new law separates teaching professions into three career steps namely, "teacher", "expert teacher" and "head teacher".

 

Qualifications of teacher candidates will be defined by the Ministry of National Education.  Teacher candidates must be the graduates of higher education institutions defined in the law and must be successful in the exams conducted by the Ministry and/or Director General for Assessment, Selection and Placement in order to be appointed.

 

Duration of candidacy will not be shorter than one year and longer than two years. Teacher candidates will not be assigned to other schools during this duration. They will also attend the "Teacher Candidate Placement Program". Those who succeed in the assessment of the Candidacy Assessment Commission will be appointed as teachers.

 

Teaching career steps  

The new law defined career steps for teachers. Teachers who worked at least 10 years in the profession, completed Expert Teacher Training Program and other similar training programs and have a clear record will enter a written examination in order to become an expert teacher. Those who succeed in the exam will get expert teacher certificates.

 

Teachers who worked as an expert teacher at least for 10 years and successfully completed the "Head Teacher Training Program" and other programs required to become head teacher will enter a written examination. Those who get 70 or higher grades will receive the Head Teacher Certificate.

 

Teachers who completed post graduate programs will be exempted from the expert teacher exam and those who completed doctorate programs will be exempted from the head teacher exam.

 

Additional indicator and compensation  

In the situations for which there are no provisions, articles of Primary Education and Training Law, Civil Servants Law and National Education Basic Law and other related laws will be applied.

 

An amendment in the Civil Servants Law foresees improvement in the compensations which will be paid to expert teachers and head teachers.  According to the new regulation, compensation paid to expert teachers will increase from 20 percent to 60 percent and compensation of head teachers will be increased from 40 percent to 120 percent.

 

Moreover, the new law increases the additional indicator of first degree teachers to 3600.