Formentera, the paradise teachers fear: "Half the staff is temporary"

PalmFormentera is the smallest inhabited island in the Balearic Islands and also one of the most vulnerable when it comes to maintaining a stable education system. Its triple insularity, the lack of affordable housing, and the pressure of the tourism sector make each start of the school year a race against time to fill teaching positions. The island's schools begin each year uncertain about how many teachers will arrive, how many will stay for the entire academic year, and how many will have to leave before it ends. Many professionals fear being assigned to the island. Finding housing is a real problem, but they always have the option, if possible, of staying in the holiday camp (intended for short stays). For much of the year, Formentera accumulates hundreds of empty homes, owned by people who don't want to rent them out because they want them available in March. It is with the arrival of the tourist season that these homes are put up for holiday rentals, driving prices up to the point of being unaffordable for teachers' salaries. This situation systematically forces teachers out and prevents them from establishing even a minimally stable life project. The consequence is constant turnover, especially of temporary teachers from other islands, who often can (or want to) only stay for one year, or even less.

At the Marc Ferrer Secondary School in Sant Francesc, this situation is structural. Principal Jaume Ferrer explains that it's a recurring problem every year. "It's common: there's a growing shortage of teachers because the teaching profession is increasingly undervalued. We can't find people who want to come to Formentera," he laments. Faced with a lack of candidates, the school ends up resorting to extraordinary measures: "In the end, we fill out the lists as best we can, with people who arrive through urgent processes, who don't always have the qualifications to teach, but who come to solve an educational problem. And they do the best they can," he explains.

In Formentera, Ferrer explains, it's common to receive inexperienced teachers because it's one of the last destinations people choose. The problem isn't the arrival of new teachers—"we're happy to welcome people who want to come," the director assures—but rather that, once they've been trained and have gained experience at the school, they leave. "We're stuck in time. Every year is the same, and that fatally affects any medium-term project: we live from day to day," he says.

Starting Over

The lack of continuity forces management teams to restart the school every September. "Every year we have to explain how the school works from scratch and get going again," says the principal, who is calling for specific measures to retain teachers. "The Regional Ministry of Education should issue regulations that reward people who come to work in Formentera," he argues. Proposals such as multi-year guaranteed contracts or special scoring in transfer competitions appear to be some of the few ways to provide stability. The Marc Ferrer Secondary School has 94 teachers, but only about 30 are permanent. The rest of the staff changes constantly, severely limiting the ability to consolidate educational projects. "We do the day-to-day work, but that doesn't allow us to start almost anything educationally, consolidate processes, or have a stable project," Ferrer acknowledges. This temporary nature also affects the internal organization: when positions or responsibilities are proposed, they often all fall to the same people—the permanent staff.

Housing is the crux of the problem. "Why are people leaving? Because housing is unaffordable," the headmaster summarizes. Apartments may be available in winter, but many disappear when summer arrives. "If you have to move out every June, it's very difficult: only newly qualified teachers without family responsibilities can cope," he adds. This situation directly affects key roles such as tutors. "Of the 40 tutors we had planned for this year, 22 have already left," he says. Coordinators, department heads, and committee members change every year. Over time, students get used to this constant turnover. "They accept the changes because they have no other choice," the headmaster explains. Between 30 and 40 teachers change each year, and only exceptionally does a group keep the same teacher for several years. Despite the difficulties, the school functions thanks to collective effort. "We work with the best intentions, but there are problems we can't solve." The impossibility of creating a medium-term life project, he admits, "doesn't encourage people to stay in Formentera." "It's a shame, because many people who come here are happy with the center, but they can't meet up," Ferrer adds.

Children without role models

In primary schools, the situation is very similar. At the CEIP Mestre Lluís Andreu school in San Francisco, the headteacher, Santi Ramírez, speaks of teachers who arrive immediately to cover absences: "They are a group of professionals who are 'express teachers,' and they organize themselves each week according to the absences," he explains. The urgent procedure is activated after a week without regular coverage (it's not uncommon for someone to take the position and then resign). This system buys time but reinforces a dynamic of permanent temporary employment. Of the 29 teachers at the school, more than half are substitutes. "Half the staff is temporary," Ramírez acknowledges. Added to this is the fact that 30% of the teachers have permanent positions at the school, but are on secondment, and many of them have never even been there. They're practically invisible. These positions are filled by substitute teachers, who often can't repeat the experience, even if they want to. This instability has a direct impact on the youngest students. "Seeing the same faces is incredibly important for a child," says Ramírez. It's not just an organizational issue: the bonds formed one year are broken the next when the teacher leaves. Although the children accept it, the situation affects educational continuity.

The lack of stability also places a heavy workload on the remaining teachers. Year after year, they must mentor new teachers, many of them in their first experience in public schools. There have been years with almost half the staff made up of very inexperienced people, eager to learn, but requiring constant support.

A road ahead

The solutions are well-known but difficult to implement: salary incentives, job security, and specific housing policies. Ferrer asserts that it is also essential for young people in Formentera to see teaching as a viable career option. Meanwhile, schools function thanks to the commitment of teachers who arrive, work, and leave, turning the island, year after year, into a place of transit. As a result, school leadership teams operate in emergency mode, constantly dealing with difficult-to-fill absences, late arrivals, and teachers unfamiliar with the school or the island's context. The administration implements partial solutions, but the reality is fragile: many teachers do not return due to uncertainty and job insecurity, and educational quality depends more on the dedication of the professionals than on a stable structure. Every year, while schools try to finish the academic year normally, many teachers already know they will have to leave their apartments and find another solution for September, with no guarantee of being able to return. Thus, running a school in Formentera is a constant exercise in resilience and adaptation. Until the structural causes are addressed, the island will continue to provide education in a provisional manner, with centers that function but can hardly build a solid future.