Poland’s oldest working teacher is a 90-year-old piano instructor who continues to teach at a first-level music school, according to data released by the Ministry of Education to mark National Education Day on Wednesday.
The ministry’s figures paint a picture of an ageing profession dominated by women. Of the 701,120 teachers working across Poland’s education system, 84.2 per cent are female, with the average female teacher aged 46.5 years and male colleagues averaging 48.6 years.
The youngest educator in Poland’s schools is an 18-year-old man, also teaching piano at a first-level music school, according to Bankier.pl.
Education workforce getting older
The data reveals a concerning trend: Poland’s teaching workforce is steadily ageing. In 2012, the average female teacher was 41.5 years old and the average male teacher 43. Today those figures have climbed to 46.5 and 48.6 respectively.
The ministry reported that 711,383.53 full-time equivalent teaching posts exist across the system. Primary schools employ the largest share, with 311,700 teachers, followed by 246,600 in combined school and education centres. Pre-schools employ 90,900 teachers, grammar schools 51,000, and technical schools 7,000.
Women overwhelmingly dominate early years education, making up 98 per cent of pre-school teachers. The proportion drops to 86.3 per cent in primary schools, 72.8 per cent in grammar schools, and 65.6 per cent in technical colleges.
Poland near bottom for young teachers
Eurostat data published last week shows Poland ranks third-lowest in the European Union for the proportion of teachers under 30, at just 4 per cent. Only Portugal (3.3 per cent) and Cyprus (3.1 per cent) have fewer young educators entering the profession.
Nearly 43 per cent of Polish teachers are aged 50 or older, placing the country 11th in the EU for this measure. Across the entire union, 5.3 million teachers work in primary and secondary schools, with women accounting for 72.9 per cent.
More than half of Poland’s teachers – 372,094, or 53 per cent – hold the rank of “nauczyciel dyplomowany”, the highest professional grade. Beginning teachers number 162,582 (23.2 per cent), whilst 166,444 (23.7 per cent) hold the intermediate “mianowany” rank.
The ministry’s data shows 600,151 teachers hold a master’s degree with teaching qualifications or a doctoral degree, while 82,200 have a master’s or bachelor’s degree with teaching training.
Vacancies remain low despite recruitment concerns
As of 6 October 2026 [sic – likely 2025], regional education authorities published 3,860 job advertisements representing 2,488.28 full-time equivalent vacancies across all schools and facilities. This represents approximately 0.3 per cent of total employment in the education system for the current school year.
The highest demand is for teachers supporting pupils with disabilities, followed by pre-school teachers, mathematics teachers, psychologists, English language teachers, special education teachers, Polish language teachers, vocational subject teachers, early years educators, and after-school club supervisors.
What this means for Poles in Poland
The ageing of Poland’s teaching workforce has implications for anyone with children in the Polish education system or considering returning to Poland. With only 4 per cent of teachers under 30, the profession struggles to attract young entrants despite nearly 2,500 vacancies nationwide. Parents may notice particular shortages in specialist areas such as special educational needs support, mathematics, and English.
For Poles abroad considering a teaching career upon return, opportunities exist especially in these shortage subjects. The career structure offers progression from beginning teacher through “mianowany” to the top “dyplomowany” rank, with more than half of current teachers having reached this level. Those with master’s degrees and teaching qualifications are well-positioned to enter the profession, though the low proportion of young teachers suggests salary and working conditions may not be competitive with other graduate careers.