Substitution, not cancellation

The start-up LehrCraft wants to use its placement platform to help alleviate staff shortages in schools and reduce class cancellations

“What do teachers and clouds have in common? The day improves when they go away.” Everybody knows these types of jokes. But what if teachers really go away and regular classes cannot be guaranteed? The reasons for the staff issues among teachers are manifold: an ageing workforce, lack of new recruits, part-time arrangements. LehrCraft, a student-led start-up, aims to alleviate the staff shortage in schools through a platform designed to reduce class cancellations.

Emily Boybay had her awakening while taking an internship at a school. When a teacher called in sick in the morning, the class was put together with another. Forty students in one room during a hot summer day with 35 degrees. Far from ideal for effective teaching but unfortunately not unusual in Berlin’s schools. “I can handle this,” said the 24-year-old, who was about to finish her business administration degree at Freie Universität Berlin, stepping in to take charge. Soon after, the desperate school principal offered her a job.

Maria Strauß is a physics student who handles technical support and programming for the LehrCraft platform. She was equally shocked when she took a closer look at the conditions at Berlin’s schools. Growing up in a protected environment in a denominational, semi-private school in Bavaria, her research for the LehrCraft business concept left her “in disbelief”, seeing the conditions in Berlin felt like a "reality check.” Manuel Wenzel, the 21-year-old responsible for marketing, organisation, and finances, completes the trio of LehrCraft's “school rescuers”.

The three met at the Funpreneur competition, a university initiative aimed at unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit among students and encouraging them to start their own businesses. The cross-disciplinary course at the FU’s Start-Up Villa is open to all BA-level students from all study courses.

They were quick in formulating their business idea: Teacher shortages are a serious, nationwide issue. For the 2024/2025 school year, there is a shortage of an estimated 24,000 teachers in Germany, severely impacting regular school operations. Especially inclusive schools and schools in disadvantaged areas are affected, where the class cancellations are more frequent and more disruptive. The causes for this are complex and multifaceted, but innovative solutions like those of the LehrCraft start-up might offer a new approach to mitigating the crisis. While the state government in Berlin is attempting to address the issue through initiatives for career changers and incentives for more full-time work, LehrCraft offers a flexible solution by enabling university students to fill the gaps.

LehrCraft, explains Emily Boybay, functions as a workforce leasing service. Through the LehrCraft portal, students—particularly those studying education—can sign up to the platform to cover lessons in schools and thus avoid cancellations. “It’s also a great opportunity to gain practical experience.” A police clearance certificate is essential for applicants. Moreover, students must complete a series of trainings, typically via video courses. Schools post their needs for substitute hours, and, ideally, students can match the requirements.

“Amazing idea—that’s something we hear often,” says Maria Strauß. The response was huge, but the roads into the headmaster’s offices can be rocky at times. Schools are so overwhelmed with their day-to-day tasks that they can hardly find time for a meeting with LehrCraft.

“We need to make it easier for schools,” says Emily Boybay. The team just finished implementing the regulatory requirements of the employment agency. To process it, however, will take “three to five months”.

Rico Bigelmann for POTENZIAL

LehrCraft on LinkedIn