Nearly a third of teachers at schools transitioning to Estonian lack the required qualifications, as heavy workloads and limited pay make recruitment and retention harder.
When Tallinn's Ehte High School of Humanities switched to Estonian-language instruction in 2024, it hired 17 new teachers. One in three has since left, and the school continues to hire 10–15 more a year to replace both retiring teachers and those who leave due to burnout.
Principal Marika Kranisver said teaching students whose first language is Russian can require more work, as teachers have to adapt materials and bridge students' language gaps. Some end up leaving for schools with more native Estonian-speaking kids.
"I have tremendous respect for the teachers who have taken on this challenge and come to a transitioning school," Kranisver said, acknowledging how much more work it involves than teaching at schools where Estonian is already the main language.
Higher pay has helped attract teachers, but increasing funding constraints are making this harder for schools.
Tartu Jogentaga School principal Alina Braziulene said their school has had to cut the bonus pay for qualified teachers from 20 percent to just 3 percent as state support for Ukrainian students has ended and enrollment is down.
"A third of our students came from Ukraine, and the state used to provide substantial funding to support them," Braziulene explained. "That support is gone now."
When schools could no longer offer higher pay, some teachers quit. Meanwhile, the number of teachers required to teach in Estonian has grown, but funding has not, further squeezing budgets for bonus pay.
'The workload is killing them'
At Tallinn's Läänemere High School, principal Deniss Presnetsov said bonus pay is important, but the school can't offer it to everyone, especially as some applicants lack the required qualifications.
He said workloads are also taking a toll on teaching staff, who juggle heavy administrative demands, lesson planning and consultations on top of the teaching itself.
"That kind of constant workload is killing them," Presnetsov stressed, adding that it quickly drives young teachers away. "They end up leaving the school after a couple of years. Some leave after just one."
The Ministry of Education and Research recommends training to help teachers work with students with non-Estonian language backgrounds, adding that with the right methods, teaching Russian-speaking students isn't necessarily harder.
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