Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV

What Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV does

Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV is a non-profit professional teachers' association (Verein) headquartered at Ohmstrasse 14, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland. Founded in its current structure in 1995 (with organizational roots back to 1893), ZLV serves approximately 5,000 teachers and pedagogical staff working in the Canton of Zurich public schools (Volksschule), spanning kindergarten through secondary level. The organization is the Zurich cantonal section of LCH, the national Dachverband Lehrerinnen und Lehrer Schweiz, and maintains four member organizations (MLV, SekZH, VKZ, ZKM) plus eight plus sections covering roles such as BBF, Primarstufe I, SHP, Schulumfeld, Stadt Zürich, Stadt Winterthur, and TTG.

ZLV's core product is annual membership, which bundles a set of services: legal advice and coaching (Beratungsstelle), professional development events and Fachtagungen, member discounts (Mitgliedervorteile), liability insurance support, publications (historical print ZLV magazine, now largely replaced by the ZLV-Aktuell newsletter reaching ~6,500 recipients), and a four-times-yearly Schulhausversand mailing to all school buildings in the canton. The association also operates an affiliated support cooperative, GUF – Genossenschaft Unterstützungsfonds Zürcher Volksschullehrpersonen, which provides financial assistance to teachers and their families in difficulty.

The business model is subscription / recurring membership dues, with ancillary revenue from third-party advertising on the website (CHF 350–550/month banners), newsletter text inserts (CHF 300 per placement), and school-mailing flyers (CHF 350 for A5). Membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. The association is governed by a Delegiertenversammlung and an executive committee led by President Lena Fleisch (since 2024) and supported by 19 employees. ZLV's core differentiator is its recognized dialogue-partner status with the Bildungsdirektion, Schulpflegen, political parties, and the Kantonsrat, and its cross-level coverage that single-level associations cannot match.

Name

Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV

Legal name

Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV

Website

https://zlv.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV is a non-profit professional teachers' association serving approximately 5,000 educators across all levels of the Canton of Zurich public school system, providing legal advice, professional development, advocacy, member benefits, and political representation as the Zurich section of the LCH national umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association / Teachers' Union

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civics, Citizenship & Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards Authorities (EDADAEAL)

Keywords

• Teachers union association
• Professional membership services
• Labor law advisory
• Education policy advocacy
• Professional development events

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues / annual fees: ZLV generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees paid by approximately 5,000 teachers and educators in the Canton of Zurich. Members receive benefits including legal advice, coaching, discounts, publications, and access to professional development events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ZLV is a professional teachers' union and membership association for public school teachers in Canton Zurich, Switzerland. Its core offering is annual membership providing legal advice, coaching, professional development events, salary and working condition advocacy, publications (newsletter and magazine), member discounts, and political representation at cantonal and national levels. The association serves approximately 5,000 teachers across all school levels (kindergarten through secondary) in the Zurich Volksschule.

Product overview

Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV is a professional teachers' union and association for the Canton of Zurich, organized as a single unified membership organization with integrated services rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is membership providing advocacy, legal advice, and representation for approximately 5,000 teachers. This membership is supported by advisory services (Beratungsstelle) offering free coaching and legal consultation, a member benefits program (Mitgliedervorteile), publications, and a newsletter (ZLV-Aktuell). The association also operates events and professional conferences (Fachtagungen), a school mailing service (Schulhausversand), and maintains a support fund (GUF) for teachers in financial need. The ZLV is a member organization under the LCH (Dachverband Lehrerinnen und Lehrer Schweiz) umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• ZLV played a central role in achieving parliamentary approval for correction of the Berufsauftrag (professional mandate) in 2025, addressing the structural overtime overload of teachers.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• LCH – Dachverband Lehrerinnen und Lehrer SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZLV is the Zurich cantonal section of LCH, the national umbrella association of Swiss teachers. As a member of LCH, ZLV participates in nationwide education policy and influences the decisions of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Education Directors (EDK). LCH provides additional member benefits and representation at the national level.
• ZAL – Zürcher Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Weiterbildung der LehrpersonencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZAL provides continuing education opportunities for all teachers, school leaders, and interested parties in the Zurich public school system. ZLV member organizations and sections are members of ZAL. ZAL offers courses and programs relevant to ZLV members.
• GUF – Genossenschaft Unterstützungsfonds Zürcher VolksschullehrpersonenmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerGUF is an independent self-help organization for Zurich public school teachers established in 1951. It provides financial support to active or retired teachers and their families who have fallen into difficulty. ZLV works in coordination with GUF as part of its support network for members.
• Various cantonal education organizations and institutionsmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerZLV maintains a network of relationships with cantonal education bodies including the Bildungsdirektion des Kantons Zürich, the Bildungsrat, VSA (Volksschulamt), various teacher training institutions (PHZH, HfH, ZHSF), and other teacher associations (VPOD, VSLZH, VZS). These relationships enable ZLV to participate in education policy consultations and exercise political influence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SER (Société des Enseignants Romands): French-speaking Swiss teachers' union that is structurally analogous to ZLV but operates in the Romandy region. Comparable membership-based advocacy model and similar focus on cantonal education policy, though in a different Swiss linguistic/cultural geography.
• BDL (Bund deutscher Lehrerinnen und Lehrer): German teachers' association that operates an analogous cantonal/state-level federation model. Serves a comparable teacher constituency in a neighboring country with similar professional association structure, though operating in a different national education system.

Others

• Education International: Global federation of teacher unions representing over 32 million education professionals worldwide. Operates at the international policy level as the global umbrella for organizations like ZLV and LCH, comparable mission at vastly larger scale.
• PHZH (Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich): Zurich's teacher training institution and key partner of ZLV. Sits in the same education ecosystem—training prospective ZLV members—and collaborates on professional development programs through the ZAL partnership.
• GUF (Genossenschaft Unterstützungsfonds Zürcher Volksschullehrpersonen): Independent self-help cooperative for Zurich public school teachers in financial difficulty, established 1951. Operates as a partner within ZLV's member support network, providing complementary financial assistance services.
• ZAL (Zürcher Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Weiterbildung der Lehrpersonen): Continuing education consortium for Zurich teachers that is a strategic partner of ZLV. ZLV member organizations are members of ZAL, and both deliver professional development services to the same teacher audience.

Direct peers

• VSLZH (Verband Schulleiterinnen und Schulleiter Zürich): Zurich school principals' association that serves a closely related target market in the same canton. Both organizations engage in education policy advocacy in Zurich and address overlapping member concerns around school leadership and working conditions.
• VPOD (Verband des Personals öffentlicher Dienste): Public sector workers' union that directly competes with ZLV for Zurich teacher membership. Co-organized the 2010 strike that mobilized 6,000 teachers, demonstrating overlap in target market, advocacy mission, and GTM.
• VZS (Verband Zürcher Schulpflegen): Zurich school board association representing the oversight bodies of public schools. Operates in the same canton with overlapping education policy interests and member concerns about Volksschule governance.

Broad incumbents

• LCH (Dachverband Lehrerinnen und Lehrer Schweiz): National umbrella association of Swiss teachers of which ZLV is the Zurich cantonal section. Operates across all cantons with broader geographic scope, providing ZLV national representation while competing for influence at the federal level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zlv.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zlv-zh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zürcher Lehrerinnen- und Lehrerverband ZLV