The Balearic Islands became the first autonomous community to link degrees to teaching areas so that no one is excluded from the lists for their degree.

In the next call for applications, more weight will be given to the fact of having participated in competitive examinations and a five-block zoning system will be established in Mallorca.

The councillor for Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the director general of Teaching Staff and Concerted Centres, Ismael Alonso, today explained the new features that will be introduced in the call for interim civil servants, to favour the working conditions and family reconciliation of these teachers, as well as guaranteeing the filling of vacancies at the start of the next school year 2025/2026.

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Education incorporates changes in the call for interim civil servants to improve working conditions and work-life balance

Councillor Vera explained that these measures aim to respond to the needs of schools and, at the same time, to satisfy the demands of trade unions, management teams and the interims themselves. Broadly speaking, Minister Vera indicated that the fact of having passed a competitive examination despite not having obtained a post will be further encouraged, it will be possible for no one to be excluded from the call for interim civil servants for their qualifications, and, for the first time, a zoning system will be established on the island of Mallorca in five blocks to help reconcile work and family life.

In terms of qualifications, the Department of Teaching Staff and Concerted Centres has promoted a reform so that all those with a university degree can participate in the calls for interim civil servants. According to Royal Decree 822/2021 of 28 September, all university degrees are linked to one of the 32 existing fields of knowledge. With the modification of Annex 4, no one will be excluded because their degree is not explicitly mentioned.

Thanks to this change, the Balearic Islands are the first autonomous community to guarantee the inclusion of all university degrees in the process.

This modification of Annex 4 will be assessed on an ongoing basis by a monitoring committee with the unions, which will be convened periodically.

In this way, the Regional Ministry guarantees the inclusion of more teachers in the call for applications and facilitates the filling of vacant posts. In addition, the Directorate General for Teaching Staff and Concerted Centres and the Directorate General for Vocational Training and Educational Organisation have worked together to coordinate the new school curricula and the lists of interims.

Those interested in participating in the call for applications who have not taken part in any procedure during the 2024-2025 academic year will be able to register between 13 February and 13 March. Those who have already taken part in any procedure as of 1 September 2024 will be automatically added to the lists. Some 10,000 people are expected to sign up for the estimated 3,000 vacancies.

This year, the Regional Ministry is bringing back the July procedure during which vacancies for the entire 2025-2026 academic year will be allocated. Teachers who do not obtain a place in this procedure will be able to make themselves available again for the first procedure in September, which is intended to cover leaves of absence and leaves of absence. In addition, interim teachers will be able to change their availability every two months instead of every three months, as was previously the case.

Zoning to promote work-life balance

Another important novelty in the call for interim civil servants is the zoning of the island of Mallorca. For the first time, Mallorca will be divided into five zones (centre, south, north, east and west), of which applicants will have to choose three. With this measure, the Conselleria de Educación y Universidades is committing to improving the work-life balance and facilitating access to a place to prevent possible resignations due to displacement.

Thus, the number of zones in the Balearic Islands will increase from four to eight for the next school year. The islands of Menorca, Eivissa and Formentera will remain as a single zone. Councillor Vera has indicated that this measure aims to improve the work-life balance of interim civil servants, although he has warned that the measure, which will be applied for the next academic year, will be reviewed.

Finally, the Regional Ministry reinforces the recognition of the efforts of candidates who have passed competitive examinations without obtaining a post, which will not have a point limit. Qualifications, training and positions will be assessed jointly with a maximum of 75 points, while teaching experience will maintain its weight with no point limit, in response to the demands of the group of interim teachers.

The draft of the resolution of the Director General of Teaching Staff and Concerted Centres approving the public call to form a pool of aspiring interim teaching staff to cover, in all the islands, vacancies and replacements of all specialities or functions in public non-university schools dependent on the Ministry of Education and Universities of the Government of the Balearic Islands for the academic year 2025-2026 has been approved, vacancies and substitutions of all specialities or functions in public non-university education centres dependent on the Balearic Islands Government’s Department of Education and Universities for the 2025-2026 academic year was approved by majority vote at the Sectoral Education Committee, which was held today at the Department of Education and Universities.

With these measures, the Regional Ministry of Education and Universities aims to guarantee more equitable lists of interims adapted to the reality of the Balearic Islands’ education system.