A teacher at a vocational high school in North Rhine-Westphalia will be required to undergo a state-ordered medical examination after an internal audit found she had been on continuous sick leave and paid in full for about 16 years.
The woman, a biology and geography teacher employed at the Berufskolleg in Wesel since 2003, went on sick leave in August 2009 citing a chronic illness and psychological problems. Under the rules, a staff member absent for longer than three months should be assessed by a medical officer, but the review never occurred and her leave was repeatedly renewed, the school and regional authorities said.
The teacher received 100% of her salary throughout the absence despite never returning to the school, which is administered by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. According to media reports citing the German public pay scale, she was paid between €5,051 and €6,174 per month, roughly equivalent to the reported full-year figure of about £48,000. Local outlets also reported she owns two apartments in Duisburg.
The oversight came to light after a change of management at the Berufskolleg and an internal audit in 2024. The current director, who took charge in 2015, said he had never met the teacher and was unaware she was nominally on his staff roster.
When state authorities learned of the case, they ordered a medical examination intended to verify her fitness for work. The teacher refused and launched legal action against her employer; her appeals were rejected and the examination is now set to proceed, officials said.
Dorothee Feller, North Rhine-Westphalia's education minister, told Bild she had many questions about the case and had not previously encountered such a situation. Officials have said it will be difficult to demand repayment of the sums already paid because proving deliberate deception about medical status is legally complex.
Local media reports have raised questions about the teacher’s activities during her absence, including unconfirmed claims that she may have practised as a naturopath while on sick leave. Authorities and the school have not confirmed those reports, and the legal process over the compulsory medical assessment will determine next steps.
The case has prompted broader scrutiny of personnel record-keeping and absence monitoring in the state’s school system. Education ministry officials said the audit that uncovered the case was part of routine checks introduced after staffing and administrative reforms, and that the region would review procedures to prevent similar oversights.
The teacher’s lawyer and the regional education ministry did not immediately respond to requests for further comment. The scheduled medical examination will be conducted under the procedures that apply to civil servants and publicly employed teachers in Germany and may influence any future disciplinary or recovery-of-pay decisions.