Oposiciones docentes

Overview

Oposiciones docentes are the competitive examinations (concurso-oposición) used in Spain to select permanent teachers for public non-university schools. The general rules come from state regulation, Real Decreto 276/2007. Each education administration (the Ministry for Ceuta and Melilla, and each autonomous community for its own territory) publishes its own convocatoria, so vacancies, dates, fees and some details differ by region. This page describes the general rules; the convocatoria you apply under always takes precedence.

The ministry's own pages list separate procedures for the Cuerpo de Maestros (primary and infant teachers) and for the other teaching bodies such as Profesores de Enseñanza Secundaria. As listed on the ministry site in 2026, its Maestros procedures for Ceuta and Melilla were closed, and its secondary-body procedures had editions for 2023, 2025 and 2026, also closed.

Who can apply

General requirements under the regulation:

• Spanish nationality, or nationality of another EU member state or a state covered by Directive 2004/38/CE.

• At least 18 years old and below the general retirement age.

• No illness or physical or mental limitation incompatible with the duties of the body and specialty.

• Not dismissed through disciplinary proceedings from any public administration, and not disqualified from public functions.

• Not already a career civil servant of the same body (except for procedures to gain a new specialty).

• Where the autonomous community has a co-official language, proof of knowledge of it may be required under its rules.

Candidates who are not Spanish nationals must show adequate Spanish; the convocatoria sets how.

Qualifications depend on the body:

• Cuerpo de Maestros: the Maestro title or the corresponding Grado.

• Cuerpo de Profesores de Enseñanza Secundaria: a Doctor, Licenciado, Ingeniero, Arquitecto or corresponding Grado title (or one declared equivalent for teaching), plus the pedagogical and didactic training required by Article 100.2 of Ley Orgánica 2/2006.

Other bodies, such as Profesores Especialistas en Sectores Singulares de Formación Profesional and the music and arts bodies, have their own title lists in the regulation.

Exam pattern

The system is a concurso-oposición followed by a period of practical training (fase de prácticas), which is part of the selection process. The opposition phase has two tests, each marked from 0 to 10 and each eliminatory.

First test: subject knowledge in the specialty. It has two parts that are scored together.

• Part A: a practical test showing scientific training and technical skills in the specialty.

• Part B: a written development of one topic chosen by the candidate from topics drawn at random by the tribunal. The number of topics to choose from depends on the size of the specialty syllabus: two topics for up to 25 topics in the syllabus, three for 26 to 50, and four for more than 50.

Each part must be worth at least 3 of the 10 points. To pass, a candidate needs at least 5 points in total, and at least 25% of each part's maximum.

Second test: teaching aptitude. It has two elements.

• Presentation and defence before the tribunal of a programación didáctica, a teaching programme for one school year of a subject, area or module of the specialty.

• Preparation and oral presentation of a unidad didáctica (lesson unit). The candidate chooses it from three drawn at random, either from their own programme or from the official syllabus, as the convocatoria provides.

A candidate needs at least 5 points in a test to move to the next one, or, in the last test, to have the concurso phase counted.

Syllabus

Each body and specialty has an official temario (list of topics) that the written topic and the lesson unit draw from. The regulation says definitive syllabuses are approved by separate regulation after consulting the autonomous communities. Where an administration has a co-official language, the convocatoria can add content on that language and its literature to the syllabus.

Marking and results

The opposition mark is the arithmetic mean of the test marks, provided all tests were passed. The concurso phase assesses merits under a scale set by each convocatoria, including academic training and previous teaching experience, and counts only for candidates who passed the opposition. In the final score, the opposition phase has a weight of two thirds and the concurso phase one third.

Candidates are ranked by total score, and those ranked within the number of advertised posts for their body and specialty go on to the practical phase. Having passed the opposition alone gives no right to a post.

Important dates

There is no national calendar. Each administration publishes its own convocatoria with its own application window and test dates. Check the education department of the administration you want to apply to.

How to apply

Applications are made under the convocatoria of the administration concerned, within the window it publishes. The convocatoria lists the documents, proof of qualifications and any fee. For Ceuta and Melilla the ministry publishes the procedure on its own site.

Preparation tips

Learn the official temario of your specialty in full, since the topics are drawn at random on the day. Prepare the programación didáctica early, because it is defended in front of the tribunal. Practise the lesson-unit presentation aloud against the time limit stated in your convocatoria.