Netherlands · Havo and vwo · Live online

Coding alongside informatica for havo and vwo

Informatica is a small subject in Dutch secondary schools, and it is hard to staff. In the national measurement of teacher shortages for October 2024, only one subject, NASK, had a larger shortage as a share of its teaching than informatica, at 10.0 percent. Most of that shortage does not show up as empty posts. It is hidden: lessons that go ahead, but not always with a fully qualified informatica teacher. For a pupil who chose informatica because they love programming, or whose school offers it with a teacher stretched thin, that can mean a subject that covers the programme without ever going deep. This page is for those pupils, in havo 4 and 5 and vwo 4 to 6, and for their parents. Our classes sit beside informatica, not instead of it: Python, algorithms, data and projects taught by a specialist, live online and in English, at a pace that fits the school year.

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Teaching live since 2020 · more than 10,000 students · every lesson with a specialist teacher

In short

Modern Age Coders teaches coding live online to havo and vwo pupils in the Netherlands who take informatica, or who would like to but cannot at their school. The classes run beside the school subject: Python written properly, algorithms and data structures, data and databases, and projects that can support a profielwerkstuk, taught by a specialist teacher in groups of five to ten at one level or one to one. We do not replace the school's informatica or its assessment. A trial lesson costs nothing. Continuing costs USD 100 a month in a group or USD 150 a month one to one.

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Three courses that sit well beside informatica

One for programming depth, one for data and databases, and one for the algorithms that informatica touches and university computing assumes. Each opens its own page.

Python for Teens course thumbnail

INF / 01

Python for Teens

Python taught in depth over two years, so a pupil's programming goes beyond what a stretched school timetable allows.

Open the syllabus →
MySQL for Teens course thumbnail

INF / 02

MySQL for Teens

Databases and SQL from the first query, a topic informatica pupils meet and often want to go further in.

Open the syllabus →
Data Science for Teens course thumbnail

INF / 03

Data Science for Teens

Real data in Python, from cleaning to a first model, a strong base for a profielwerkstuk with a technical side.

Open the syllabus →

The shortage

Informatica has one of the largest teacher shortages of any secondary subject

The figures below come from the national report "Personeelstekorten voortgezet onderwijs, peildatum 1 oktober 2024", published in December 2024 by Hendri Adriaens, Benjamin Feher, Suzan Elshout and Maartje Elshout for the education ministry's labour market reporting.

Teacher shortages in vmbo, havo and vwo, reference date 1 October 2024
MeasureFigure
Shortage across all subjects in vmbo, havo and vwo4.8 percent
NASK10.3 percent, the largest by share
Informatica10.0 percent, the second largest by share
Nederlands8.1 percent
Techniek8.0 percent
Informatica nationally, in full-time equivalentsabout 433 fte of employment, with a shortage estimated at 39 fte
Of informatica's 10.0 percent, hidden shortage8.5 percent
Second-degree informatica teachers11.6 percent, the highest of any subject
First-degree informatica teachers7.7 percent

The headline is the second row of subjects: after NASK, informatica has the largest shortage as a share of the teaching it needs. In absolute numbers it is small, because informatica is a small subject; the largest shortages in full-time equivalents are in Nederlands, about 550 fte, and wiskunde, about 400.

For a pupil, though, the percentage is what counts. A small subject with a large shortage is a subject where many schools struggle to find or keep a qualified teacher.

The report separates open vacancies from hidden shortage, such as lessons given by someone not fully qualified for the subject. For informatica, 8.5 of the 10.0 percentage points are hidden: the lessons happen, but not always as the subject intends. The report also finds the shortage of second-degree informatica teachers, at 11.6 percent, to be the largest of any subject.

How many schools offer informatica at all, and how many pupils take it, is set out on the national academy page; it is not repeated here.

Source: Personeelstekorten voortgezet onderwijs, peildatum 1 oktober 2024 (December 2024), summary and tables 4, 20, 21 and 22. Read 15 September 2026; figures quoted as published. The report is in Dutch.

Beside the subject

What classes beside informatica can do, and what they should not try to do

Outside classes cannot fix a staffing shortage, and they should not compete with the school. They can add depth where a pupil wants it and a specialist where a school cannot always provide one.

Add depth in programming

Informatica covers programming among many other topics. A pupil who wants more can learn Python thoroughly with us, writing larger programs and reading their own errors, so that school assignments feel like practice rather than first contact.

Support a profielwerkstuk

Every havo and vwo pupil writes a profielwerkstuk. A pupil with a technical topic can build the software or data analysis with a specialist teacher alongside. We teach the skills; the research and the writing remain the pupil's own, as school rules require.

Stand in where the subject is missing

For a pupil whose school does not offer informatica, or cannot run it this year, our classes cover the programming, data and algorithms a future technical student will need. They do not give school credit, but they give real ability.

Topics informatica pupils often want to take further
TopicWhat we addCourse
ProgrammingDepth, larger programs, debugging on their ownPython for Teens
DatabasesSQL, design, queries on real dataMySQL for Teens
AlgorithmsSearching, sorting and their cost, reasoned outAI and Machine Learning for Teens, then data structures
DataCleaning, plotting and a first modelData Science for Teens
WebBuilding a real site with a front and back endFull Stack Web Development for Teens

A common pattern runs like this. A pupil in havo 4 or vwo 4 chooses informatica because they have enjoyed a little programming, and finds that the subject spends a term on something else entirely: how computers represent data, or how organisations use information. That breadth is the point of the subject, and it is valuable. But the pupil who came for programming can feel the programming arrive in small doses.

Classes beside the subject let that pupil keep programming every week while the school covers the rest, so that when programming returns in the school programme they are already comfortable with it.

The opposite pattern matters too. Some pupils take informatica without much prior experience and find the programming parts hard to follow at the pace of a full class. An hour or two a week with a specialist, going over the same ideas slowly and with more practice, often turns the subject around.

In both cases our teacher asks what the school is covering this term and fits the lessons around it, without doing the pupil's graded work for them.

This section is our teaching plan. It makes no claim about any school's informatica provision and does not replace the school's programme or assessment.

Beyond school

From informatica to a technical degree

Many informatica pupils are heading for computing, AI or engineering at university. The step up is large, and preparation shows.

The Groningen academy page sets out what a university AI first year asks, and the college students page covers the skills students add once they arrive.

For pupils drawn to AI in particular, machine learning for school students goes further while still at school.

The wider teenage route, including pupils not taking informatica, is on coding classes for teens. The language most pupils start with is covered on Python classes in the Netherlands.

Projects that could support a profielwerkstuk are described on building real AI projects.

The ladder

The upper-school route, beside informatica

The rungs follow the bovenbouw years. A pupil can join at any point; the free lesson decides where.

Coding beside informatica, havo 4 to vwo 6
RungUsuallyWhat the pupil builds
1. Python in depthHavo 4, vwo 4Larger programs written and debugged without help
2. Data and databasesHavo 4 to 5, vwo 4 to 5SQL queries and data analyses on real datasets
3. AlgorithmsVwo 5, havo 5Searching and sorting with their costs understood
4. A projectProfielwerkstuk yearSoftware or analysis for a technical profielwerkstuk
5. A portfolioThroughoutA public repository for university applications

Why depth before breadth

Informatica is broad by design. Pupils who want to become strong programmers need one area, usually programming itself, taken deep. Everything else becomes easier after that.

Our coding roadmap shows how the programming, data and algorithms rungs connect to everything that follows them.

Around toetsweken and the eindexamen

Lessons usually pause during school test weeks and ease off in the exam year. The profielwerkstuk year is often the busiest, and one-to-one lessons fit it best.

Pupils at international schools join the same route by ability.

The catalogue

Eight live courses for upper-school pupils

Grouped by what informatica pupils most often want more of. A card leads to the full syllabus and timetable, and the trial lesson settles the starting point.

I

Programming

Depth beyond the school programme

INF / PROG / 01

Python for Teens

Two years of Python, from variables to classes and files, with no topic rushed.

Open the syllabus

INF / PROG / 02

Java for Teens

A second, stricter language, useful for pupils heading into computing degrees.

Open the syllabus

INF / PROG / 03

Git and GitHub for Teens

Version control and a public portfolio, from the first commit.

Open the syllabus
II

Data and databases

Topics informatica pupils want to take further

INF / DATA / 01

MySQL for Teens

SQL and database design on real data.

Open the syllabus

INF / DATA / 02

Data Science for Teens

Data in Python from cleaning to a first model.

Open the syllabus

INF / DATA / 03

AI and Machine Learning for Teens

Models trained and tested properly, for pupils drawn to AI.

Open the syllabus
III

Building

Projects and the web

INF / BUILD / 01

Full Stack Web Development for Teens

A working website with its own front end, back end and data.

Open the syllabus

INF / BUILD / 02

App Development for Teens

A real app, often a pupil's first public project.

Open the syllabus

How the classes run

After school, beside the timetable

Teachers work from India, where the clock stays the same all year, while the Netherlands switches between winter and summer time. That gives a gap of four and a half hours in winter and three and a half in summer, so upper-school pupils usually learn in the late afternoon, early evening or at the weekend. The regular slot is agreed with the family in the free lesson.

After school

Late afternoon, Dutch time, the usual choice.

Early evening

By arrangement, for pupils with afternoon sport or work.

Weekend

Saturday or Sunday, useful in the profielwerkstuk year.

A free first lesson

The pupil writes code with a specialist teacher, who sees how far they are beyond, or behind, the school programme.

Groups of five to ten

Pupils at the same level from several countries, many of them also taking a school computing subject.

One to one for projects

For a profielwerkstuk, an exam year or a pupil who prefers a teacher to themselves.

Families in the loop

Nothing is arranged without a parent on the call, and parents hear what the pupil is building as the months go by.

In English, with Dutch school terms

Lessons are in English; informatica, profielwerkstuk and toetsweek are used as pupils use them.

Work kept

Every program goes into the pupil's own GitHub repository, ready for applications.

Student work

Projects our students built

Four live projects by our students. More on the student labs page.

NutriLife AI nutrition coach project screenshot

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

Misti AI chatbot for maths and coding screenshot

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

GuardianX AI internet safety assistant screenshot

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

SkyCast weather forecast application screenshot

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees

Charged each month in US dollars, at one rate for every country outside India. There is nothing to pay to register and no year-long commitment.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

  • A real lesson with a specialist
  • Places the pupil at the right rung
  • No card needed
Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

  • Five to ten pupils at one level
  • The same live teacher each week
  • Code reviewed every week
  • A certificate at the end
Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

  • A teacher for one pupil
  • Paced to the school year
  • Best for the profielwerkstuk year
Enquire

What families say

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

From Google, word for word. We do not write or pay for reviews.

★★★★★

"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."

Ria Mukherjee

Parent

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

Samriddha Mondal

Student

★★★★★

"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

Vansh Agarwal

Student

★★★★★

"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

Sonam Oswal

Parent of Dhairya

★★★★★

"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."

Sonu Goyal

Parent

★★★★★

"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."

Ritu Kedia

Parent

Questions from pupils and parents

What informatica pupils and their parents ask

Is there really a shortage of informatica teachers?

Yes. In the national measurement for 1 October 2024, informatica had a shortage of 10.0 percent of its teaching, second only to NASK, and 8.5 of those percentage points were hidden shortage rather than open vacancies.

Do your classes replace informatica?

No. They sit beside the school subject and do not give school credit or replace its assessment. They add depth and a specialist teacher.

My school does not offer informatica. Is this useful?

Very. Our classes cover the programming, data and algorithms a pupil would otherwise miss, and they prepare a pupil well for a technical degree.

Can you help with a profielwerkstuk?

We teach the programming and data skills a technical profielwerkstuk needs. The research, conclusions and writing remain the pupil's own, as school rules require.

Which language should an informatica pupil learn?

Python for most, taught in depth. Java suits pupils heading for computing degrees who want a second, stricter language.

Is it suitable for havo as well as vwo?

Yes. Pupils are placed by ability, not by school type.

Will this help with informatica grades?

It often does, because a pupil who programs every week finds the programming parts of the subject easier. But we teach skills, not the school's assessments, and we never complete graded work for a pupil.

Are the lessons in English?

Yes, with Dutch school terms kept. Programming is written in English anyway.

What does it cost?

After a free trial lesson, a place in a small group is USD 100 per month and a private teacher USD 150 per month. Payment is in US dollars; you can stop at the end of any month, and there is no registration charge.

When are lessons held?

After school, in the early evening or at the weekend, Dutch time. The teacher is four and a half hours ahead in winter and three and a half in summer.

What happens after we send the form?

A member of our team rings the parent back, at a time that suits a Dutch evening, and fixes the trial lesson. You pay nothing unless the pupil carries on afterwards.

Elsewhere on this site

More for upper-school pupils

Pages for the wider route and for what comes after school.

AI and Python Academy, Netherlands

How many schools offer informatica, and how many pupils take it.

Coding classes for teens

The wider teenage route.

Machine learning for school students

For pupils drawn to AI.

Python classes in the Netherlands

The language most pupils start with.

AI and Python Academy, Groningen

What a university AI first year asks.

Build real AI projects

Projects on real Dutch data.

Start here

Book a free lesson beside informatica

Give us a parent's phone number and we ring back when it suits a Dutch household. During the trial lesson the pupil writes real code with a specialist, which shows exactly which rung to begin on.

Prefer to look around before calling? Our teaching method, the full list of courses and the roadmap of subjects are all open to read.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

WhatsApp from a Dutch phone is free and usually quickest. The number is Indian; we have no office or premises in the Netherlands.

No card, no commitment. One call with a parent.

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