School management at the pre-school level (day nurseries) is the responsibility of the director of the institution, while monitoring of the institutions is exercised by the Welfare Services of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance.
Management at school level is the responsibility of the school head assisted by the deputy headteachers, while monitoring of schools and staff is exercised by the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
General matters relating to the management and administration of schools are described in Chapter 2: Organisation and Governance.
Requirements for appointment
The positions of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the deputy headteacher A’ are promotion positions at the school level. Vacant positions are announced by the Educational Service Commission (ΕΕΥ) in the Official Gazette, and the teachers who are interested for promotion submit an official application to the ΕΕΥ.
At the primary and pre-primary level, teachers must have at least thirteen years of service, five of which spent in public schools, in order to apply for the position of the deputy headteacher. Deputy headteachers with a minimum of three years in the post are eligible to apply for the post of the headteacher. At the secondary school level, teachers must have at least twelve years of service, five of which spent in public secondary schools, in order to be eligible for promotion to the post of deputy headteacher. An applicant for the position of deputy headteacher A' must have at least two years of experience as a deputy headteacher and ‘Very Good’ knowledge of Greek language. Applicants for the post of the headteacher must have served at least two years as deputy headteachers A'.
After the period for applications to be submitted is over, the ΕΕΥ sends all the application forms to the Advisory Committee at the Ministry of Education, which suggests a list of names (three times as many as the vacancies available) and ranks them according to certain criteria - high standard achieved on regulated evaluations, additional academic qualifications and length of service. The list of names is then announced by the Ministry of Education and Culture, and for a ten-day period after the announcement of the list, each candidate has the opportunity to submit an objection to the quantitative assessment assigned by the Advisory Committee. Such an objection may lead to changes in ranking or in the names on the list.
Following an interview with the ΕΕΥ, promotion is offered to those selected by the Commission, after evaluation of the interviewees’ performance at an interview on a scale of 1-5. One representative of the respective Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Culture participates in the interview and expresses an opinion, which may or may not be taken into consideration by the Commission when making a final decision.
Conditions of service
The conditions of service for the management staff at all levels of early childhood and school education are prescribed in the schemes of service for each post and the governing legislative framework for each level of education.
Details on the conditions of service for school heads and other management staff, especially as regards professional status, salaries, working time, dismissal, retirement and continuing professional development can be found in Article 9.2: Conditions of Service for Teachers Working in Early Childhood and School Education.
Further information on school heads' salaries in Europe is also available in the EURYDICE publication: Teachers'and School Heads' Salaries and Allowances in Europe, 2012/13.