You need to apply for an activity licence if you wish to establish a private vocational educational institution and provide education in the relevant curriculum group.
An activity license for conducting vocational training is issued to a company for a fixed or indefinite period, depending on the results of the initial assessment, and is issued by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Legal bases
The activity of and grant of activity licences to private vocational education institutions is regulated by the following legislation:
- Private Schools Act;
- Vocational Educational Institutions Act.
- General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act;
Requirements for the applicant
In order to receive the activity licence, you need to comply with the following requirements:
- the competencies, skills and knowledge established as the objective of the curriculum can be attained under the curriculum;
- the material base of teaching allows for providing education at the respective level and meets the needs of the curriculum;
- based on the development plan, the sustainability of the private school is ensured;
- the head of the private school meets the requirements established in subsection 20 of the Child Protection Act;
- the private school has fulfilled the requirements of processing sensitive personal data pursuant to the Personal Data Protection Act;
- the owner of the private school and the private school comply with the requirements established for the management of a private school;
- the owner of the school is a public limited company whose share capital is at least 63,900 euros;
- the owner of the school is a private limited company whose share capital is at least 63,900 euros;
- the owner of the school is a foundation or non-profit association whose equity capital is at least 63,900 euros;
- you have paid the state fee.
Cross-border operation
If an undertaking has been established in another contracting state of the European Economic Area but also wishes to provide continuous services in Estonia, the undertaking must act in accordance with the present guidelines.
Professional qualification of teachers
If you wish to employ an employee, who has received his/her qualification abroad or has professional (vocational) work experience abroad, the employee must have his/her professional qualification recognised in Estonia. A professional qualification acquired abroad may not automatically comply with the conditions established in Estonia.
For the recognition of professional qualifications and more information, contact the Estonian ENIC/NARIC (Academic Recognition Information Centre) by e-mail address: [email protected].
Completing and submitting an application
An application for an activity licence must be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Research no later than five months before the start of the implementation of the curriculum.
For the grant of an activity licence, please submit an application with the following additional documents:
- the statutes of the private school;
- upon applying for the right to provide vocational education, a respective curriculum that complies with the requirements established by legislation and belongs to the relevant curriculum group;
- development plan of the private school;
- a certificate certifying that the head of the private school and the persons belonging to the management bodies of the owner of the private school comply with the requirements set out in subsections 2 and 3 of § 19 of the Private Schools Act;
- confirmation from the school administrator that the director, head of studies, and educational staff meet the qualification requirements;
- a list of positions of educational staff meeting the qualification requirements;
- information on the existence or use of the premises, buildings, furnishings, land and other property required for the activities of the private school under a leasing or tenancy contract and their compliance with the health, fire safety and rescue requirements (lease agreement, assessments of the Health Board and Rescue Board);
- written consent of the school health service provider regarding the provision of the school health service and information on the existence of the school health service activity licence in a vocational educational institution;
- information about the fulfilment of the capital requirements;
- the reasons concerning the need to open studies, including information concerning the target group;
- a written opinion of the association of local governments on the necessity of opening a school and studies;
- upon applying for the right to provide vocational education, written opinions of the social partners corresponding to the curriculum group.
The application can be submitted:
- digitally signed by e-mail to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected];
- by sending a signed copy by regular mail to the Ministry of Education and Research on the address 50088 Tartu, Munga 18.
NB! Please pay the state fee before submitting your application.
Payment of the state fee
Please pay a state fee of 500 euros to a bank account of the Ministry of Finance, adding the reference number 2900073546:
- SEB – EE891010220034796011
- Swedbank – EE932200221023778606
Processing the application
The Ministry of Education and Research shall start counting the processing period of the application from the date of its submission. The application will be reviewed by the Ministry of Education and Research within 4 months, granted that all the required documents are correctly formalised and submitted.
The Ministry of Education and Research shall check the compliance of the documents with legislation. If the application does not meet the requirements, i.e., the required data or documents have not been submitted or the application has other deficiencies, the Ministry of Education and Research shall notify the applicant thereof in writing, providing a time limit for the rectification of the deficiencies. If the deficiencies are not rectified for the set time limit, the Ministry of Education and Research may refuse to process the application.
A curriculum group shall be assessed upon evaluating the application. The Minister of Education and Research shall form an expert committee, which shall assess the following:
- whether the learning outcomes provided for in the curriculum can be achieved;
- whether the teaching and education employees comply with the qualification requirements;
- whether the learning infrastructure is suitable in order to achieve the objectives established in the curriculum;
- whether the study to be opened is sustainable pursuant to the development plan;
- whether the study to be opened is purposeful in view of the labour market forecast, existence of potential pupils, opinions provided in clauses 9 (2) 7) and 8) and clauses 10 (2) 4) and 5) of the Vocational Education Institutions Act and evidence-based nature of studies.
The applicant shall cover the costs of assessment.
The costs of assessment and the procedure for covering thereof shall be approved with the directive of the Minister of Education and Research, whereas the cost shall not exceed 640 euros. An assessment shall be conducted after the costs of assessment approved with a directive have been covered in time.
Depending on the results of expert examination, an activity license is issued for an indefinite period or for three years or is refused to be granted.
Amendments to the conditions of an activity licence
Once every six years, a vocational education institution conducts an evaluation of the quality of vocational education. This is an external evaluation carried out by independent external evaluators based on internal evaluation. It assesses the effectiveness and sustainability of educational work, including curriculum development, learning and teaching, leadership and management, and resource use.
Suspension of an activity licence and termination of economic activities
If you wish to terminate activity in the chosen field, then please submit a notice of termination of economic activities to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
If you wish to renounce economic activities temporarily, then please state the date of renouncement and re-commencement of economic activities on a notice of temporary renouncement of economic activities to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
Revocation of an activity licence
An activity licence is revoked on the following grounds:
- intentional submission of incorrect information by an undertaking upon application for an activity licence, which affected the grant of a licence, provided that if such information had not been submitted, the grant of an activity licence would have been denied;
- renouncement of economic activities by an undertaking;
- validity of a relevant prohibition on economic activities imposed by a court judgment or arising from law in a relevant area of activity in respect of an undertaking, except for validity of a prohibition on economic activities imposed pursuant to the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
An activity licence may be revoked on the following grounds:
- teaching has not been commenced within 12 months after the granting of the activity licence or teaching has been suspended for 12 consecutive months;
- false information has been submitted upon applying for the right to provide vocational education or upon accreditation.
- failure to commence economic activities within two years after issue of the activity licence or failure to pursue economic activities within two years, and in the case of provision of services of general interest, failure to commence economic activities within 12 months after issue of the activity licence or failure to pursue economic activities within 12 months or failure to commence economic activities within the term prescribed by a secondary condition of the activity licence;
- material violation of the conditions of an activity licence;
- a significant damage or danger caused to public order by the activity permitted by the activity licence, which did not exist or was not known at the time of grant of the activity licence and which overrides the interest of the undertaking in continuing the activity on the current conditions and which can be eliminated by amendment of the activity licence;
- changes to the secondary conditions of an activity licence.
Supervision
State or administrative supervision over the educational activities shall be exercised by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Contact details
Substantive information
Hille Voolaid, Ministry of Education and Research, tel: +372 735 0109, e-mail: [email protected]
Registry information and technical questions
Estonian Education Information System, tel: +372 765 5050, e-mail: [email protected]
Laws
- General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act
- Vocational Educational Institutions Act
- Private Schools Act