Training Institutes for Early Childhood Education (BAfEP) and Training Institutes for Social Pedagogy (BASOP)

Training Institutes for Early Childhood Education* (BAfEP)

Training Institutes for Early Childhood Education provide a comprehensive general education along with the professional ethos, specialist knowledge and skills required to fulfil education and care responsibilities in early childhood education institutions – such as kindergartens – for children from the first year of their life until they start school.
*Renamed on 1.9.2016; previously Training Institute for Kindergarten Education (BAKIP)

Training Institutes for Social Pedagogy (BASOP)

Training Institutes for Social Pedagogy provide a comprehensive general education along with the professional ethos, specialist knowledge and skills required to fulfil education and care responsibilities in after-school clubs, boarding accommodation, day-care centres, other services for children and young people related to social pedagogy, and extracurricular youth work.

There are also other training courses for students wishing to work in the social pedagogy field. However, the BASOP course is the only form of training recognised by all bodies (employers) throughout Austria.

Three-year Colleges for Teaching Assistant Careers

Colleges for Teaching Assistant Careers in early childhood education teach the professional ethos, knowledge and skills required for assisting with education and care responsibilities in early childhood education institutions for children from the first year of their lives until they start school.

As teaching assistants have educational knowledge, they help kindergarten teachers to prepare educational work. The kindergarten teacher is still responsible for educational decisions, however.

Inclusive Early Childhood Education Course, Inclusive Social Pedagogy Course

In both the early childhood education sector and the social pedagogy sector, there are special facilities for children, young people and adults with disabilities. There are additional training courses for these special needs facilities. These are the Inclusive Early Childhood Education Course at the BAfEP and the Inclusive Social Pedagogy Course at the BASOP.

The prerequisite for attending these courses is prior completion of basic training as a kindergarten teacher or social pedagogue.

The schools’ locations, websites and curricula can be accessed via the following links: www.schule.at/schulfuehrer.html (in German only)

Links (all in German only)

Links to the final examinations

Legislation on the final examinations (all in German only)

Downloads

Certificate eligibility clauses as of the 2018 examination session (PDF) (in German only)