Editor’s note: This article was first published in January 2011. It mentions council cuts expected in 2011, and its list of job pools is a snapshot of what the oposiciones2011 site offered at the time.
We can agree that this is the worst possible time to pin your career hopes on a public-sector job. Preparing for the oposiciones (Spain’s competitive civil service exams), whether for the Community of Madrid, the Junta de Andalucía (Andalusia’s regional government) or any public body in any of Spain’s autonomous regions, is a lottery these days.
Fewer and fewer exams are being called, and in fact town councils are expected to make cuts this year, 2011. Now, when a civil servant goes on sick leave, they simply aren’t replaced with a temporary worker. Still, some exams do come up, which is why anyone determined to keep trying needs to be more alert than ever.
There’s a website dedicated to public-sector job pools (lists of candidates the administration calls on to fill posts) and to the calls for exams for those posts. The site, oposiciones2011, tries to let you know whenever an exam is called in any of Spain’s autonomous regions.
The site is still a bit “green”, although I imagine they’ll try to improve it and add more information; either way, it’s one more option. On it you’ll find job pools for the following posts:
- Primary care paediatrician
- Health technician
- Admissions and clinical documentation physician
- Primary care pharmacist
- Family doctor
- Primary care dentist (stomatologist)
- Area specialist physician, in the following specialities: Allergology, Clinical Analysis, Anatomical Pathology, Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation, Angiology and Vascular Surgery, Gastroenterology, Clinical Biochemistry, Cardiology, Cardiovascular Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Paediatric Surgery, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Medical-Surgical Dermatology and Venereology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacology, Haematology and Haemotherapy, Immunology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Intensive Care Medicine, Internal Medicine, Nuclear Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Microbiology and Parasitology, Nephrology, Pulmonology, Neurosurgery, Clinical Neurophysiology, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Otorhinolaryngology, Paediatrics, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry, Diagnostic Radiology, Hospital Radiophysics, Rheumatology, Urology
- Primary care epidemiologist
- Physiotherapist
- Midwife
- Nurse
- Social worker
- Occupational therapist
- Laboratory technician
- Diagnostic radiography technician
- Dietetics and nutrition technician
- Senior accommodation services technician
- Nuclear medicine technician
- Cook
- IT technician
- Administrative officer
- Pathology technician
- Health records technician
- Radiotherapy technician
- Nursing assistant
- Pharmacy technician
- Activity instructor
- Hairdresser
- Telephone operator
- Porter-driver
- Administrative assistant
- Seamstress
- Cleaner
- Laundry and ironing
- Kitchen assistant
- Labourer
- Hospital porter
As you can see, there’s a wide range of posts to compete for, but there are fewer and fewer places and more and more candidates, so if you choose this path, good luck.
Further reading
