NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences
Bachelor in International Teacher Education for Secondary Schools (ITESS)
Meppel, Netherlands
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
31 Oct 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Feb 2027
TUITION FEES
EUR 10,335 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU students | January 15th for EU students
** for non-EU/EEA students | EU/EEA students: EUR 2,694 per year
Key Summary
About: The Bachelor in International Teacher Education for Secondary Schools (ITESS) at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences gives extensive teaching practice in the Netherlands and Europe, with a semester abroad. You'll develop subject teaching, inclusive practice and classroom management skills, join an ITE community in Meppel and draw on NHL Stenden’s experience. The programme prepares you to teach at international secondary schools with strong job prospects after graduation.
Career Outcomes: You can pursue roles such as teacher at an international secondary school, bilingual education teacher, coordinator of school programmes or projects, counsellor, career counsellor, special education needs teacher. Related pathways include curriculum developer and education consultant.
Why choose the International Teacher Education for Secondary Schools (ITESS) program offered by NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences?
- Gain extensive teaching experience in each year of your study in the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond
- Learn to teach your subject and become an experienced, inclusive, and skilled teacher
- Draw on NHL Stenden’s extensive experience in international teacher education
- Benefit from the personal approach and lively ITE community on our campus in Meppel
- Get the skills needed to teach at international secondary schools
- Have outstanding job prospects after graduation
- Spend a semester studying abroad at a partner university
Unique offering for the Netherlands
NHL Stenden offers first-year students a housing guarantee through its accommodation partners. Sign up on time, and you’ll easily find the right place for you. Check out our housing page for more information and the terms of our housing guarantee.
The practical way you learn
During your studies, you carry out practical assignments from real companies, working in groups and coached by lecturers and professionals with relevant professional experience. It’s a way of learning, an educational concept, we call DesignBased Education. You learn to draw on feedback to adapt your ideas and become more flexible, while also developing your teamwork and leadership skills.
There’s a world to explore
Our international community brings together over 80 nationalities on our campuses. It’s an open environment that will help you broaden your horizons in many respects. And we offer more options to get you ready for an intercultural work environment. For instance, you could do one of the programmes offered by RUNEU or, depending on your degree, do your internship abroad or follow a minor subject in a different country through our Grand Tour or Exchange programmes. You get to put together the right combination of courses and internships for you and develop both your professional and personal skills.
Course structure
- Year 1 – Explore what it means to be a teacher in international education and examine your own cultural identity and intercultural skills. As well as studying the subject you want to specialise in, you learn about the world of international education, citizenship and educational studies and intern at an international school for a period of 3 weeks.
- Year 2 – Teach your subject at an international school abroad during a 9-week teaching internship and develop your knowledge of your main field and your didactical and pedagogical skills.
- Year 3 – Focusing on differentiation and pedagogy, you do another 9-week internshipas well as advanced research into didactics Spend the second semester studying a minor subject abroad.
- Year 4 – Develop your teaching skills and subject knowledge and put this in practice in your final Teaching Practice.
The ITESS programme is accredited by:
- The NVAO (The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders).
- The International Baccalaureate Teaching and Learning Certificate.
Over the course of four years, you become a qualified and world-wise teacher who can teach at a wide range of international secondary schools. Job prospects are great, as this field is still rapidly growing. And you will have plenty of experience before that, as you practice teaching during your studies at international schools in the Netherlands, Europe and beyond.
Currently, you can choose any of these main subjects: Mathematics, History, Science, Geography or English.
Bachelor of Education
If you are thinking about applying to NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, you may be eligible for a scholarship. NHL Stenden offers 2 different scholarships for Non-EU/EEA bachelor students.
NL Scholarship
The NL Scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. These scholarships award selected international undergraduate students from outside the EU/EEA with a one-time financial contribution of € 5000.
NHL Stenden Excellency Scholarship
The NHL Stenden Excellency Scholarship is a performance-based scholarship for 1st and 2nd year non-EU/EEA students at NHL Stenden.
Your future
Unlock global opportunities, inspire learning, start your career at ITESS and teach your subject at an international school, anywhere in the world.
Career opportunities
- Teacher at an international secondary school
- Teacher in bilingual education
- Coordinator of school programmes or projects
- Counsellor (growth opportunity)
- Career counsellor (growth opportunity)
- Special education needs teacher (growth opportunity)
Online Open Day | Join our students in the live stream, sign up for live talks on international opportunities, student life, career opportunities, and housing, and, of course, ask your questions during the live Q&As hosted by each study programme.
Excellent education
Higher education in the Netherlands is known worldwide for its high quality and its international study environment. Dutch educational institutes score well internationally, and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, for example, is highly regarded for the quality of its education.
For the third consecutive year, we have been listed as one of the top 3 best large universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands according to the Dutch Higher Education Guide 2021.