Advanced teaching exams in May: "A teacher with a young daughter has given up"

PalmaThe new calendar for teaching opposition exams in the Balearic Islands–advanced from June to May– has turned the 2026 call into a turning point that generates divided opinions among applicants: there are those who view the new fit within the school year favorably, but also those who question that the decision was announced in February and applied in the same year, instead of planning it with more margin for 2027. What had been for years an accepted routine within the educational system has been altered by a reorganization that, according to applicants and tribunals, has intensified pressure (and caused dropouts), altered preparation, and brought the sustainability of the model to the table.

The first test of the opposition phase –the development of the theoretical topic– took place on May 9 and 10, at the very end of the school year, a particularly sensitive time due to the workload of teaching. The change of date was unilaterally decided by the Ministry of Education, after the unions boycotted the meeting that was to choose between May or October, annoyed by how the whole matter had been handled. The Ministry's reason is that it wants to avoid the concentration of administrative processes in the summer and also to facilitate that the school boards are covered by September 1st.

The change has not only affected the calendar, but also the way of preparing. “It has been complicated for everything, it cannot be said otherwise”, explains a candidate for Secondary Spanish, who thus summarizes a feeling shared by many applicants. Both she and the rest of the witnesses have preferred to preserve their anonymity, for protection or for public neutrality.

The advancement has forced to accelerate processes that usually extended until summer. “I had to push myself to the maximum when I didn’t plan to yet”, he adds, in addition to highlighting that the administrative decision was communicated with little margin. Even so, among the candidates there are also those who positively value the change for a better organization of the course, although with critical nuances about the way it has been implemented. The general feeling is that the problem is not only the 'when', but the 'how', especially because it was announced so late for the same call.

Work-life balance, complicated

The intensification of the calendar has fully impacted work-life balance and test preparation. The same Spanish exam candidate describes situations of maximum tension in daily classroom life. “It’s the first time in my life I’ve had to tell students I wouldn’t grade an exam for another month,” she explains. She had to say it because preparing for the exams had left her with little room for maneuver and she needed to concentrate all available time on studying. “I couldn’t grade, prepare for exams, and live at the same time,” she summarizes.

Along these lines, she also points out that the pressure of the process has led some professionals to give up on taking the exams. "This is the case of a Biology teacher I know, with a young daughter, who has ended up giving up on participating in the call due to the impossibility of reconciling all responsibilities. She couldn't manage it," she says.

This reality is repeated in other specialties. A young English Primary aspirant admits having had to prioritize content due to lack of time: he has set aside programming (second test) to focus on the topic. He also admits that the change has caused dropouts: “I have a friend who signed up to take the tests and on the day of the exam, he didn’t show up,” he says.

In parallel, a recurring criticism emerges regarding the content of the exam syllabi. Candidates question that part of the syllabus is outdated or poorly connected with classroom reality, with materials that, as they explain, end up containing nomenclatures or content far removed from the current curriculum.

The tribunals: the invisible piece under more pressure

The calendar change has also strongly impacted the courts, which are assuming an intense and sustained workload for weeks, and now at the most demanding moment of the year: the end of the academic year. A member of the Performing Arts court explains that the process begins long before the exams with the formation of teams and the definition of evaluation criteria: “The work dynamic of a court begins when you are summoned,” he states.

The preparation of rubrics and criteria is one of the most demanding tasks, especially because they must be public and solid against possible claims. Added to this is the immediate correction of tests, often in very concentrated days. “In our case, we have already corrected, because we only had two candidates. The exam lasts three hours and the other three hours are dedicated to correction,” he details. "But in larger committees they can be many and many days," he adds. The intensity of the work is a recurring element: long days, busy weekends, and complicated compatibility.

It is explained by a member of one of the Educational Guidance tribunals, who describes a particularly hard and sustained routine, now in full course. The teaching staff who are part of the tribunal have chained their teaching day with tribunal work, with no real rest for consecutive days. “We have to do our working day and then we have to go and examine and correct”, she explains. This implies working morning and afternoon continuously: “Morning work, afternoon tribunal… this weekend too. And Monday continue all day, with an accumulation of days that extends for many consecutive days", she summarizes. The result is a feeling of sustained wear that directly questions work-life balance: “Where does personal, family life and rest time fit in?”, she asks herself.

Data that consolidates a trend change

The figures for the 2026 call for applications, provided by STEI, confirm a structural change. With 630 places offered and a global ratio of 2.10 applicants per place, the system remains far from the competitiveness levels of just a few years ago (in 2024 the ratio was 4.76). 2025 had already represented a drastic drop to 2.03, and 2026 consolidates this new reality. The territorial differences are significant: Mallorca (2.47), Menorca (2.03), Ibiza (1.46), and Formentera (0.67), where there are more places than applicants in some specialities. This scenario is accompanied by an increase in registrations, but also by unequal participation. According to data from the Ministry of Education, registered candidates have grown to 1,449 in 2026, as has the proportion of attendees.

The set of testimonies and data points to a profound transformation of the teaching examinations system. The change in calendar has opened an immediate debate about its implementation, but the figures reveal a broader trend, characterized by lower competitiveness and difficulties in filling places.