Kravchenko K. Professional training of a foreign languages teacher in the system of higher education in Germany

The dissertation is devoted to the issue of professional training for a foreign languages teacher within the higher education system of Germany. It has been established that all implemented models of higher pedagogical education in Germany are divided into two organisational forms: integrated and sequential (multi-level). The sequential (multi-level) model, as an integrative structure with a professional orientation starting from the first semester of studies, adheres to the traditional form of teacher training. University-level training concludes with the First State examination (Erste Staatsprüfung), which grants the right to undertake a referendariat (trainee practice). The second stage (referendariat) involves theoretical training and practical preparation in seminars. The referendariat is a transitional link between academic training and the independent organisation of lessons. At the end of this phase, candidates take the Second State examination. Successful completion of this examination leads to the awarding of the qualification of a "teacher." In the second integrated model, the traditional format is eliminated in favour of the already prevalent polyvalent sequential teacher training model, which complies with general European requirements. In this model, obtaining a bachelor's degree is not directly linked to qualifying as a "teacher." The final career choice is made only at the bachelor's level, meaning that an orientation towards the teaching profession is not mandatory. Based on the scientific and methodological literature analysis, the organisational-practical and methodological aspects of training a foreign languages teacher at German universities have been examined. The national teacher training model in foreign language education is characterised, and the balance between theoretical and practical components is revealed. Trends in the development of higher pedagogical education affecting the process of training a future foreign languages teacher have been identified and described. The structural and content-specific features of foreign languages teacher training in Germany have been identified and characterised as a combination of organisational-administrative, educational , and assessment-certification components. A series of modernisation guidelines needed for the national system of training a future foreign languages teacher has been outlined, including the development and implementation of higher education standards for the field of foreign languages teacher training; a balanced correlation between theory and practice in the process of professional training for a foreign languages teacher; maximum professionalisation of teacher training for foreign languages; minimising theoretical cycle disciplines in foreign languages training that are unrelated to the specifics of the teaching profession; addressing staffing shortages in the field; taking into account the specifics of forming the professional competence of a future foreign languages teacher as a representative of the digital generation and, therefore, the need for the technologisation of foreign languages teacher education; balancing the volume of methodological training for a future foreign languages teacher in line with global standards; detailed study of regulatory documents during the training of a future foreign languages teacher that they will need to work with in their professional practice; ensuring the interaction of educational process participants on the principles of collaboration and partnership; strengthening the role of pedagogical practice in forming professional competence in a future foreign languages teacher through maximum immersion in actual educational processes and collaboration with mentor-methodologists; and organising professional development courses for a foreign languages teacher that take into account contemporary challenges (bilingualism, multiculturalism, etc.). Within the study, the following vectors of comparative analysis of foreign languages teacher training systems in Germany and Ukraine were identified, particularly similarities and differences between foreign languages teacher training programmes in Ukraine and Germany in terms of main characteristics; linguistic competence; pedagogical competence; general competence in the field of knowledge; and compliance with European standards for foreign languages teacher training and foreign languages teaching. The potential for adopting Germany's advanced experience to improve the domestic system of foreign languages teacher training has been revealed to enhance the integration of Ukraine's system of future foreign languages teacher training at the European level, as well as to improve it at the state level and the levels of universities and departments.