About the recognition

Who needs recognition?

To qualify for the professions in Norway, it is mandatory to have a kindergarten teacher's education or an equivalent qualification in kindergarten/pre-school pedagogy and kindergarten management. A Norwegian kindergarten teacher’s education qualifies for both professions and we give a joint recognition for both head of kindergarten/educational supervisor.

It is only head of supervisor and educational supervisor that are regulated professions in kindergarten, and only these professions require recognition.

There may still be a requirement for recognition if the position is to help fulfil the requirement for pedagogical staffing in kindergarten, even if the position has another name than educational supervisor. The kindergarten should at least have one educational supervisor per seven children under three years of age, and at least one educational supervisor per fourteen children above three years of age. If your position is to contribute to fulfil the requirement for pedagogical staffing, you need to have the recognition as head of supervisor/educational supervisor.

Can I work in kindergarten without recognition?

If you do not have recognition, you can work as head of kindergarten or educational supervisor in kindergarten if your municipality gives you a dispensation from the education requirement. If you apply for a job as educational supervisor in kindergarten, it is up to the employer to apply for dispensation from the municipality. In other words, you can apply for all types of positions in Norwegian kindergartens, also before you receive a recognition.

You can also work as kindergarten teacher or educational supervisor without recognition if the kindergarten has covered the minimum criteria for the number of educational supervisors and your position comes in addition to this.

If you have a kindergarten teacher’s education or similar education from abroad, it can be a good idea to apply and see if you meet the requirements.

If you wish to apply for other positions in Norway, you do not need a recognition of your professional qualifications from abroad. It is up to the employer to assess if you have the necessary qualifications for positions that are not regulated by Norwegian law.

What do I need to obtain recognition?

To get a recognition as head of kindergarten and educational supervisor, you need a professional qualification from abroad that is equivalent to the education requirements for both professions, and/or foreign education that is comparable to the Norwegian kindergarten teacher’s education.

We assess if your professional qualification fulfils the requirements to level, scope, subject competency, pedagogical competency, and knowledge about kindergartens in Norway.

We require that the educational program is within kindergarten/pre-school pedagogy and management in kindergarten, and that the education contains:

• equivalent to 30 Norwegian credits in pedagogy directed towards children in kindergarten age (0-6)
• Level and scope – three years of higher education/180 ECTS
• Supervised teaching practice in kindergarten or pre-school during your education
• Subjects within at least three of these subject areas:
  • Communication, language and text
  • Body, movement, food and health
  • Art, culture and creativity
  • Nature, environment and technology
  • Quantities, spaces and shapes
  • Ethics, religion and philosophy
  • Local community and society

Additionally, you need to provide documentation of your knowledge about kindergartens in Norway.

The requirements for level and scope vary, depending on whether you have rights through EU’s Professional Qualifications Directive. Normally, this applies for people with teaching qualifications from an EEA-country or Switzerland.

How can I provide documentation regarding knowledge about kindergartens in Norway?

To fulfil the requirement, you must have worked in a Norwegian kindergarten for at least six months. You must have held a position equivalent to at least 50 percent during the six-month period. Work experience may include work practice, work training, and language practice. You do not have to work as a head of kindergarten or pedagogical supervisor in this period, it is sufficient that you have worked in the capacity of a kindergarten teacher or similarly.

If you have completed and passed studies or courses that provide knowledge about kindergartens in Norway, this may help fulfill the requirement. The studies or course must provide knowledge of the Norwegian kindergarten system, including its characteristics, history, social mandate, legal basis and governing documentation. The study or course must be taken at a public provider (municipal, regional or national) or an accredited higher education institution, and you must provide documentation that you have completed the studies or course.

If you have completed courses or studies that do not award credits (ECTS), you must still have at least three months of work experience from a Norwegian kindergarten in addition to the study/course to meet the requirement. The work experience must correspond to at least 50 percent during the three-month period.

If you have completed studies that award credits, the study must provide at least 15 ECTS to meet the requirement on its own. Shorter studies may, in combination with work experience from a Norwegian kindergarten, fulfill the requirement.

Other documentation beyond what is described here, will be assessed as part of an evaluation of each individual case.

This requirement does not apply for applicants who have Norwegian, Sami, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish or Faeroese as their first language.

Regulations

• Requirements for head of kindergarten or educational supervisor in kindergarten is regulated in the Kindergarten Act §§ 24 and 25 (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian).
• Requirements for recognition is regulated in forskrift om godkjenning av yrkeskvalifikasjoner for styrer og pedagogisk leder i barnehage fra annen stat (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian).
• General rules for recognition of professional qualifications is regulated in the Professional Qualifications Act and forskrift om godkjenning av yrkeskvalifikasjoner (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian).
• Rules for the recognition of professional qualifications is regulated in the Professional Qualifications Directive: Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (eur-lex.europa.eu).
• Requirements for educational personell is regulated in forskrift om pedagogisk bemanning og dispensasjon i barnehager (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian).
• Requirements for Norwegian language skills is regulated in the Kindergarten Act §§ 27 og 28 (lovdata.no) (in Norwegian)
• Rules for appeals is regulated in the Public Administration Act chapter VI (lovdata.no).