«Mr Minder, why are there so few suitable headteachers?»

Those who arrange to meet at Eschlikon station quickly find each other. Only a few passengers get off the train. Thomas Minder waves to his visitors and leads them to the nearby car park. «It's best to have the meeting at the school administration centre. It's not far away,» says the new president of the VSLCH umbrella organisation for headteachers. Once there, the photographer and journalists are amazed: Thomas Minder's place of work is a 130-year-old elegant villa with Tuscan shapes and lavish décor. After a brief tour, the interview can begin.

Mr Minder, what makes a good headteacher?

Quite simply, he or she has to be the jack of all trades. No, seriously, dialogue skills, patience, empathy and the ability to resolve conflicts are important qualities in a headteacher. In addition, he or she must also be able to set themselves apart and not let problems get too close to them. Then there are also business management aspects and leadership skills.

If we were to ask your colleagues what characterises you as a headteacher, what answer would we get?

I am someone who supports my colleagues and listens to teachers' concerns. Someone who can admit when he has made mistakes and seeks dialogue.

Let's say a new pupil comes to your school who was difficult at her previous school. The new teachers also have problems with the girl. What is your task as head teacher?

My job would be to build a network so that things don't escalate. Especially on the stress side for teachers. Because although the situation is incredibly stressful, they should be able to do their work in good health. Even if it happens very rarely in our school, there are children who simply freak out. And that is extremely challenging for teachers.

Do you see yourself as a kind of arbitration centre?

There are situations where I sit down at a table with parents and teachers. Then I listen to the parents and take on board their concerns, but I feel more committed to the school as an organisation. I know the teachers and their strengths and weaknesses, and when parents criticise, it's often about something we're already working on anyway. It would be unprofessional to comment on this publicly. And just because parents don't hear anything else from me on this matter doesn't mean that we're not working on it internally.

Has the job of headteacher become more demanding than it used to be?

Certainly in the area of communication. The speed at which news spreads is increasing, as is the frequency. Parents hear a rumour and share it with other parents via WhatsApp.

Parents are better connected today.

But they are not using this network to better support their children.

What do you mean?

In this matter, I agree with the Israeli psychologist Haim Omer, who says: If there are problems with the child, mothers and fathers should make use of the entire support system offered by the school as an institution, teachers, head teachers, school social workers and psychologists, but also peers and their parents.

And parents don't do that enough?

Basically, most parents do very well. However, there are mums and dads who don't make use of this support network or don't make enough use of it, they just get upset together with other parents.

Which bodies can headteachers ask for support or help?

For example, I use the collegial network consisting of other headteachers, get opinions or enquire about specialists. The point of contact for headteachers is usually the president of the cantonal headteachers' association. He sends the enquiries to his network by email and asks for feedback to the sender.

You run a primary school in a rather rural region. You know each other from clubs, your wife meets the fathers or mothers of your pupils when she goes shopping. Is it more difficult to set yourself apart in this case?

It's also an opportunity if you work in a smaller community where you live. But yes, my wife has certainly had to learn to set herself apart. My children were still small when I took up the position of head teacher. Now they go to school and the parents of my pupils also know me as a father. That makes you more human and makes the situation a lot more relaxed.

Do your children go to the school where you are headmaster?

Yes, I didn't want my children to be treated differently. Even if it's not always easy for the teachers. They have me breathing down their necks as their boss and father.

You have been President of the Swiss Association of Headteachers since 1 August. To do this, you have reduced your workload as a headteacher to 60 per cent.

Up to now, I had two school locations under me, one of which I was able to hand over to a younger colleague. He was my preferred candidate for the position. It is not a matter of course to be able to fill a school management position from within your own ranks.

You are alluding to the shortage of head teachers.

Which, in my opinion, is even more serious than the teacher shortage. I don't think it's a good idea to «only» talk about a qualitative shortage - rather than a fundamental shortage of teachers or headteachers. This means that positions are being filled with the last available person, and that is not a good starting point for a school community that has to find the ideal person and not take the last available one.

Why is there a lack of suitable headteachers? Is the position not attractive?

It's a lonely role. Until a year ago, I was the line manager of 50 people. It's incredibly demanding. Each individual has concerns for their boss, plus communication with parents and the school authorities. Hardly any headteachers manage their job full-time; many teach on the side. The workloads are often too tight.

What needs to be done?

Making education more attractive is not enough, or rather it is the wrong approach. The job of headteacher should be more attractive. One factor would certainly be to give headteachers enough time to fulfil their duties. This is a political challenge.

What do you think of lateral entrants?

Of course, it would be easier if a teacher who knows the system were to become headteacher. But it is more important to choose a person who has a passion for people. It's a common saying, but it's true: a teacher, like a headteacher, has to like people, otherwise you're in the wrong place. There are teachers, even if they are few and far between, who can't deal with people, they have stupidly ended up in the wrong profession. As a headteacher, you have to be passionate about creating good situations with the people who work there, for the children who come to us.

Do you understand teachers who have difficulties with career changers?

Of course they do. They think that this person has no understanding of their situation because he or she doesn't know the system. I myself became a head teacher at nursery and primary level as a secondary school teacher. I was also met with scepticism at the beginning.

Have you made any mistakes?

Yes, but I don't think it's too serious. I once designed a questionnaire for the kindergarten on which the pupils had to tick the following boxes: «applies», «sometimes applies», «doesn't apply at all». The kindergarten teacher pointed out to me that the children didn't understand this at all. She works with smileys at this level. As a newcomer, you might make two or three beginner's mistakes, but if you are generous yourself and your environment is generous, you can manage it together.

What will be the big issues during your term of office as VSLCH President?

On the one hand, I have set myself the goal of promoting better networking between the individual cantonal headteacher associations. On the other hand, I want to develop tools, such as position papers or a communication concept, to support cantonal education work. I also want to raise awareness of the headteachers' umbrella organisation and its work. Our country lacks an idea of what schools should look like in the future. To this end, I would like to influence political decision-makers and associations.

How do you envisage the school of the future?

In my imagination, the perfect classroom will be a mixture of living room, workroom and kitchen - a place where people come together around a large table and work productively together.

Then you are a proponent of multi-age classes and individualised teaching?

School will change in this respect. I am convinced of that. The Prussian-style school system, with the teacher as the authority figure at the front of the classroom, instilling knowledge in their pupils, is a thing of the past.

This idea overwhelms some teachers.

And I can also understand these colleagues. But it's not about immediately offering every single pupil a suitable programme, but rather about allowing the children and young people to create something themselves. Some children will be able to do this very well and independently, while others will need more guidance. And this requires good teachers, who should see themselves as motivators or coaches. The days when children stood up and stood at attention because the teacher entered the classroom are over. Today, it's all about personal contact with each individual pupil, empathy and relationships.

But there may be colleagues who are no longer able or willing to adapt to this new situation.

That is correct. The task of a school management will also be to accompany such colleagues properly into retirement. Their way of teaching is not bad per se. But I prefer personal contact with the pupils.

Do you always manage to build a good relationship with your students?

It is always my goal. But I've always had pupils where I've thought: They actually need someone other than me. If you had a system in which children could freely choose which teacher they had lessons with, someone who was good for them, then you could work differently with these children. Of course, our job is not just to fulfil wishes. A certain amount of general education is necessary. But basically it's about promoting the children's individual strengths.

If your three children could wish for something from Switzerland's headmaster, what would it be?

They wish they had the support they need to realise their own ideas. There is so much creativity in children and yet we always manage to nip it in the bud.

More about the development of schools:

• Daniel Burg, woran krankt unser Schulsystem? Schulleiter Dani Burg hat das System zweier Sekundarschulen umgekrempelt.

• Rituale als Helfer im Alltag. Die Schule wird für Kinder immer mehr zur Lebenswelt, die Strukturen sind komplexer geworden. Umso wichtiger sind stetig wiederkehrende Abläufe.