Nicole Maden

We meet Nicole Maden on the sidelines of the U11 soccer practice in Ellingen. She’s currently in the middle of exam season, so every spare minute is set aside for studying. Still, her two daughters’ (ages 8 and 10) activities are non-negotiable. Although she has her study materials with her, she takes the time to answer our questions. Nicole is 32 years old and is in her first semester of elementary school teacher training at the KU.

Nicole attended the Gymnasium in Augsburg through twelfth grade. But when she didn’t pass her Abitur on the first try, she dropped out of school for the time being and wanted to do an apprenticeship instead. But that didn’t quite work out the way Nicole had hoped either. She didn’t get the apprenticeship as an automotive salesperson she had hoped for; her fallback option was an apprenticeship as a legal secretary. But even before finishing the apprenticeship, Nicole moved in with her husband in Weißenburg, became pregnant, and put her career goals on hold for the time being.

It wasn’t until both girls started kindergarden at age three that she began to rethink her professional future. “I asked myself: What do I want to do? Start a new apprenticeship or take any job that pays poorly without training?” Nicole couldn’t imagine going back to school the traditional way. After so many setbacks in school, her fear of exams had only grown. Attending in-person classes and thus earning a general university entrance qualification was not an option. But eventually, she discovered the opportunity to earn her subject specific school-leaving certificate at VIBOS. To attend the virtual vocational high school, Nicole only had to travel to Erlangen once a month; the rest of the classes took place online. This allowed her to balance caring for her two young daughters with her studies. On the side, she started a part-time job to supplement the family income. After graduating from high school, the focus was first on enrolling her two daughters in school before Nicole could think about what she might study with her vocational diploma. “I attended the Open Day at the KU and wanted to find out which degree programs were suitable for me. I thought I only had three options, and my choice would probably have fallen on ‘Social Work.’ But during a personal conversation with the subject advisor Mathias Schmitt, a whole new option suddenly came up. Because after two semesters and 60 ECTS credits in the Social Work program at the Fachhochschule tier, it’s possible to switch to the elementary school teaching degree program. For Nicole, this was the perfect solution: “I could have imagined doing something meaningful with the ‘Social Work’ degree program, but my heart was simply set on something else. The option to study to become an elementary school teacher was my chance to pursue my dream career after all.” Entering the teacher training program via the detour of studying Social Work for two semesters is therefore the perfect way for her to start her degree directly with a vocational diploma and still become a teacher.

For Nicole, however, her choice of study and career is also very pragmatic. “I need to be able to balance family, studies, and work, and of course the good career prospects for teachers are an important factor in my decision.” Nicole’s husband, Tahsin, recently started his own business and works long hours. So she usually has to organize her studies, childcare, and her part-time job on her own. She tries to schedule her seminars accordingly. Nevertheless, she often relies on help from friends—especially during school breaks—and is grateful for their support. Currently, Mondays and Tuesdays are her long days at University. On Mondays, her daughters are at the elementary school’s after-school care until 3 p.m.; on Tuesdays, a mother friend picks them up and takes them to their extracurricular activities. “We also use the KU’s vacation childcare from time to time, but with two children, the costs add up despite the low fees, so I try to organize private help”, explains Nicole.

When it comes to her written examinations, she’s glad that, as a student-mother, she can take advantage of the second exam period. Even though she had to contend with some reservations from her lecturers. “It sometimes seems as though the lecturers don’t like it when you use this option. One lecturer even explicitly advised me against taking the second exam period.” It wasn’t until she spoke directly with the lecturer that Nicole was able to clarify that she wasn’t simply putting off exams, but that the schedule really helps her balance family and studies. But Nicole is gradually discovering the family-friendly opportunities at the KU for herself and realizes—even though she had to overcome a few hurdles at first—that she is getting closer, step by step, to her goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

In her degree program, starting late isn’t unusual. Nicole has already met several career changers—some even over 50—who have been working in schools for years and now want to further their qualifications. Still, especially in her third subject, physical education, she notices that she’s ten years older than most of her fellow students. “I thought that by choosing these subjects, I’d kill two birds with one stone and automatically start exercising more again, but unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple”, she laughs. Instead, she also has to exercise on her own time to keep up with her studies. Still, Nicole is happy with her decision: “I would definitely do it all over again”, she concludes our conversation, just before her older daughter storms out of the gym and asks, “Mom, can we play a game at home?” Nicole agrees: “But first I have to study a little more!”