If you walk through the large school building of the grammar school in Markneukirchen with Mirko Schiller, he is constantly coming up with new ideas on how teaching and learning can be adapted to the current age. As a teacher of social studies, the basics of law, economics and information technology, it is certainly his job to press ahead with the school’s digitalisation in a responsible manner.

But there is something more important for the 30-year-old. “I can make my dreams come true here.” That is one of the reasons why, having spent almost 10 years in the German army, at university and completing his teacher training, he has now returned to the Vogtland region.

Having gained his school leaving certificate at the Julius-Mosen Grammar School in his home town, the native of Oelsnitz studied to become a teacher of information technology and economics at Bayreuth and successfully completed his teacher training in Nuremberg; he even had offers of gaining the status of civil servant as a teacher in Munich.

“But I wanted to return to my home region,” says the teacher, but does not deny that he was thinking more about teaching in northern Bavaria because of a possible career as a civil servant.

“In Bavaria as a teacher with civil servant status, I’d have three fewer lessons every week and earn EUR 300 – 500 more every month – and that’s a house in 40 years,” he says, giving the reasons for the way he was thinking; “it’s true that my earnings are anything but bad here, but the differences are simply unjust, particularly as I know how much my subjects are in demand.”

However, as he always had strong links with his home region and is a family person, he had applied for a teaching job in Saxony too. That is how he arrived at the grammar school in Markneukirchen in February 2016. “I found great staff members, fantastic colleagues, friendly pupils, a relaxed and informal atmosphere and good contacts with the parents. I really liked all that,” he says, explaining things in his outgoing manner. So he stayed.

He is now not just a teacher, but also the school’s data protection officer and the head of the social studies, basics of law, economics department and the educational coordinator for information technology. He also leads the information technology extracurricular group.

He has guided the pupils in this group to great success in Germany with a very special project known as the RoboCup. This involves pupils directing robots, which they have built and programmed themselves, through several different labyrinths. Four teams had qualified for the finals in Germany in spectacular fashion – and Felix Nauruschat and Tim-Linus Lederer managed to win 2nd place in Magdeburg and the others finished in leading positions.

This has given birth to an idea in Mirko Schiller to establish what he calls the Vogtland Robo Championships.

“I’ll talk to colleagues in other schools about it and they can come to our building and practise in our labyrinth,” he says, issuing his invitation.

However, that is not the only project that the dedicated teacher would like to introduce.

“It’s well-known that Markneukirchen specialises in artistic subjects. We now need to strengthen the work in social studies too. We’d like to set up pupils’ companies so that they can cooperate with firms in the region.”

Achieving something together is what defines some of his leisure time too. Diving, volleyball, hiking, skiing and cycling are some of his hobbies.

“This reflects the Vogtland mentality too – tackling lots of things without making a fuss,” says Mirko Schiller, a teacher with many visions, reflecting on his experience.