Teacher education curricula in Europe have several elements in common. However, language problems and international differences in school systems and rules and criteria for training and hiring teachers complicate the creation of a common European labor market for teachers. Nevertheless, international teacher mobility could help address teacher shortages, which exist, for example, with regard to STEM subjects in secondary education. As a location in a highly internationalized and STEM-oriented region, our teacher education program has risen to the challenge of taking concrete steps toward truly internationalizing teacher education. Although the teacher education as such is and will remain Dutch speaking, we have established an ‘International Bridging Group’. This preparatory introductory program for newcomers to Dutch society, along with parallel classes in Dutch language, prepares candidates for the STEM Dutch teacher education program. The presentation discusses the goals of the program, informs participants about the various components, and discusses the results of the 2 cohorts conducted to date. This presentation highlights important lessons learned and also addresses the important dilemmas we encountered.

Keywords: Teacher education, STEM, internationalization, integration of minorities.