Planning Policy

Planning policy for teachers that work in the early childhood and school education is done at regional level by Regional Education Units (Directorates and Offices). They send a list to the Minsitry of Education, Sports and Youth which approves such list. Admission to the system by teachers is organized by means of a national exame.

Entry to the Profession

The teachers in education institutions must possess the following diploma in the field of education or  their equivalents:

• The teachers of pre-schooling education: university diploma of the first cycle of university studies "Bachelor";
• The teachers of the initial education, the teachers of the low secondary education and the teachers of the gymnasium: second cycle diploma of the university studies.

The teachers of vocational education, holding professional subjects, such as that of the oriented education and the teachers working with disabled students shall have obtained the second cycle diploma in the field of education. The diplomas being equivalent to the above-mentioned diplomas shall be determined upon the instruction of the Minister. The teachers of the initial education and secondary education shall be entitled to practice the profession of the teacher following successfully completing the professional internship and having successfully passed the state exams, as provided for in the Law no 10 171, dated 22.10.2009, "On regulated professions in the Republic of Albania", as amended, and subordinate legal acts, issued for its implementation. The educational institutions, serving for performing the teaching practice of teaching students and professional internship of those having obtained the teacher's diploma shall be selected based on the criteria and procedures determined by the instruction of the Minister.

Professional Status

The teaching personnel, being employed on permanent contract and having the respective university qualifications, shall maintain their jobs and be subject to training for updating the profession-related knowledge. This provision is also valid for teachers having completed the 3-year pedagogical higher education, prior to the entry into effect of Bologna system. The teaching personnel, being employed on permanent contract and having completed the secondary pedagogical education or another specialised school in teaching design, such as the secondary schools of music, arts, foreign languages and physical culture and having passed through the three levels of qualification, shall maintain their jobs and be subject to training for updating the profession-related knowledge.

Procedures for appointment and dismissal of teachers are administered by local educational units, educational institutions and representatives of parents and guided by the principles of legality and accountability, as well as the values of professionalism, transparency, merit, equality and the best interests of students. In the public educational institution, for a teacher vacancy, teachers are nominated by the director of an educational institution, with open competition. The competition process for the appointment of teachers is held for all candidates who fulfill the criteria’s established in the applicable legal framework for teaching profession.

Interested candidates for the profession of teachers participate in the competition, which takes place in three stages: a) Competition with the personal file; b) through the portal "Teachers for Albania"; c) job selections .

In the first phase, interested candidates for teacher send their personal file for the competition in local educational units, where they want to be employed. The application file submitted to the local educational unit through the postal service, within deadlines set by the local educational unit. Commission after the deadline of receiving applications, assesses the documents submitted by candidates, compiles the list for each profile / subjects and candidates ranked according to points accumulated by the review of files. The ranking starts with the candidate with the most points and follows in descending order. The ranking is public via the official website of the local educational unit, where candidates are identified with personal code. Candidates have the right to appeal the local educational unit regarding the evaluation and ranking.

The candidate, who in the overall standings by profiles / subjects has been ranked with the highest number of points, has the right of choice for vacancies in educational institutions. The candidate with the highest number of points is invited by the committee to select one of the vacancies (full load or partial, temporary or permanent), according to his preference, in the presence of directors of educational institutions where are the job vacancies. [3]

Teachers are appointed by school directors by means of individual contracts that least for one academic year. At the end of this period and following approval of the parent’s council of the respective institution and that of the commission of psychosocial service established by the head of regional education office, school directors can make definitive positioning of teachers.

Replacement Measures 

When a teacher withdraws for health reasons such as birth or other healthcare needs for a short time the director of the education institution (school) in question as a rule replaces that teacher with another teacher or the director. When the absence of the teacher occurs for a long time the director of the institution prepares a list of the candidats for the replacement of the teacher in question composed by: teachers that have applied at RED/EO; applicants that contact the school following announcement by the last of the place in question; following each replacement the school director notices in written the RED/EO in question.

Supporting Measures

Salaries 

Salaries of teachers and assistants in the pre-university education system are established based on the structure of salaries approved by Decision of Council of Ministers No. 194, dated 22.04.1999 (as amended “For the approval of the payment structure of the teachers in pre-university education system”.

When teachers do extra hours of teaching compared to their yearly planned teaching hours in the contract, supplementary teaching hours are paid based on the legal acts in force. Teachers that work away from their place of residence receive additions to their salaries as predicted by Decision of Council of Minister No.194, dated 22.04.1999 mentioned above. The measure of supplementary payment for teachers that work within the administrative unit of respective RED/EO and that return within the same day at home is done based on respective decisions of local authorities for these payments.

Working Time and Holidays 

In pre-university education system the five days working week is executed save for specific agreements between the employed person and the employer.

In basic education (classes 1-9) and in upper secondary education working hours are composed by two components:

• From the daily time during which the employed is at disposal of the employer. In conformity with this request the parties confirm that teachers working in basic education and in upper secondary education are presented at school 20 minutes before the start of the lessons and leave school at the end of the teaching programme which is composed by no more than 6 hours of 60 minutes each per day.
•  By the weekly and yearly working norms for each cycle established by guidance of Minister of Education and Sports in consultation with syndicates that signed the respective working contract.

Teaching hours per teacher in pre-school education amounts to 36 hours per week.

Extra hours that teachers executed above their specific norms predicted for in the respective guide of Minister of Education and Sports are paid as supplementary hours. 

Extra hours above the norm for teaching activities in week holidays for realization of different teaching activities or for conducting activities predicted for by RED/EO will be paid based on Article 91 point 3 of the Labor code.

The holiday time is composed by weekly holiday and by yearly holidays. Weekly holidays include Saturday and Sunday while yearly holidays are predicted by Article 92 point 2 of the Labor Code and respective decision of Council of Ministers. Based on the above mentioned dispositions yearly holidays cannot be more than 56 working days including summer holidays and national holidays.

School personnel (director and teaching personnel) of the preschool Education Institutions have 32 days annual holidays. For purposes of holidays, working time including also the time of temporary disability at work.

Promotion, Advancement

Candidates for qualification are employees of educational institutions, public and private, who have teachers diploma, according to prescribed criteria and applicable national law. Subject of qualification procedures are all teachers, that meet the following conditions for seniority of work in education: a) at least 5 years working for the qualification category of "qualified teacher"; b) at least 10 years working for the category of qualification "teacher specialist" and at least 5 years of work after receiving the category of teachers qualified "; c) at least 20 years working for the category of qualification" master teacher "and at least l0 working years after receiving the category of specialist teachers. "

Starting from 2014-2015 onwards, teachers who met the above criteria are eligible to apply for the category of the qualification if they have completed at least 3 days of training in academic year, which are equivalent to 18 hours reflected in training with six (6) credits. If a candidate does not participate in this qualification process or do not obtain the qualification is entitled to participate next year.

Mobility and Transfers, Dismissals, Retirement/Pensions

The employee who works in education institutions may finish the labor relations at his request or the employer, as long as that the employee has met the conditions that contain the provisions and the innate right to full retirement. In this case, in order to do not cause disturbances in the learning process, especially in relation to students, employers are prohibited to terminate the employment relationships of employees due to the completion of the retirement age in the last 2 months of the school year.[10]