- Temporary staff pools are organized by priority blocks, giving preference to teachers with prior service and regulating entry through competitive examinations, extraordinary pools and open systems.
- Access to and retention in the pool requires passing competitive examinations, demonstrating qualifications such as proficiency in Valencian, and submitting applications for continuous allocation within specific deadlines.
- The allocation of places at the beginning of the course and onwards is done electronically, without forced allocation, publishing lists of vacancies and allowing formal claims through OVIDOC.
- The proposed new regulations toughen the grounds for exclusion, introduce dynamic access to job pools, and maintain priority for experienced teachers, within a more unified and digitized framework.
Being a substitute teacher in the Valencian Community means navigating a highly regulated system, with online assignments, pools of candidates that are updated every year, language requirements, and constant regulatory changes. To avoid getting lost in this administrative maze, it's crucial to understand how each phase works, what the deadlines are, and what decisions can determine whether you're included in or excluded from the pool.
This article provides a comprehensive and organized explanation of substitute teacher pools, beginning-of-term assignments, ongoing assignments, access requirements, new exclusion rules, ranking blocks, and appeals . All of this is tailored to the specific case of the Valencian Community, using accessible language while maintaining the legal rigor established by current resolutions and orders.
How the substitute teacher pool works in the Valencian Community
The substitute teacher pool in the Valencian Community is an ordered list of people who can be called upon to fill vacancies and substitute positions in public schools at the preschool, primary, secondary, vocational training, language, and other specialized educational levels. This pool is drawn from various sources: competitive examinations, special pools, staff from closed subsidized private schools, and other specific pathways such as schools with difficult staffing or schools with challenging workloads.
Within that pool, not everyone is in the same situation: there is a priority-based structure that determines who has preference when being assigned a placement. Furthermore, each academic year, mass placements are made at the beginning of the school year, and throughout the year, continuous placements are made, all electronically through the website of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Universities and Employment.
Before each allocation process, the administration publishes a list of vacancies at least 48 hours in advance . This list may include positions whose holder is currently assigned elsewhere but has the legal right to return during the academic year. These positions are listed as "indefinite replacements" because their actual duration depends on whether or not the incumbent returns.
The Ministry has been committed for years to a fully electronic management of awards , both those at the beginning of the school year and those that are continuous, so that applications are filled out and modified exclusively through the official web application in the Awards section.
Bags, priority blocks, and internal order
The order in which substitute teachers are called is not random, nor is it decided from one academic year to the next without rules; it is established in the Resolution of November 26, 2010 , which remains the basis for the ranking of the waiting lists. Although nuances and new features have been introduced, the main block structure remains the same.
The pool is divided into several sections, from highest to lowest priority . At the top are teachers with prior service, and below them are the different ways of accessing the pool: competitive examinations, discontinued subsidized schools, extraordinary pools, and hard-to-fill positions, among other groups.
When we talk about "promotion for services rendered" or "consolidation," we are referring to a process by which a temporary teacher moves up a grade after having worked during the academic year. This promotion is simultaneous for all teachers who have worked during the academic year and is carried out in a single step, placing those who consolidate their positions ahead of those who have not yet worked.
Changes in ranking within the highest tier, that of teachers with seniority , are exceptional. Promotion to the seniority tier respects the order each person held in their previous tier, so the internal priority among new members is not arbitrarily altered.
For those not belonging to blocks b), c), or d) (staff from closed subsidized units, those who passed competitive examinations, and those on special waiting lists), the regulations stipulate that new hires due to hard-to-fill positions are placed behind all promotions from those blocks and ordered according to their service date. This means that, even if someone enters the hard-to-fill waiting list, those already on the list and who have worked will always be ranked higher, regardless of when they originally joined.
Access to and retention in the job pool: competitive examination, open system and new additions
Periodically, due to competitive examinations, new candidates are added to the pools of temporary staff . For example, personnel who participated in the selection process regulated by Order 11/2023, of December 19, and passed the single test of the competitive phase with a minimum score of five but did not obtain a position, are added to the list of applicants for the specialty for which they applied.
These teachers are not automatically included in the pool permanently: they must submit a continuous assignment request before July 1, 2025, if they wish to remain in the pool. Once this request is confirmed, each person can subsequently deactivate their position if they wish, but the prior step of submitting at least one request is mandatory according to the resolution.
In other calls for applications, such as Order 72/2022, a specific annex is published listing the newly added personnel to the pools as a result of the competitive selection process. This annex only includes those who were not already on the pool. Individuals who were already on the pool before taking this competitive examination and passed the single test without securing a position are not listed there, as their final ranking is recorded later in the definitive lists of participants in the procedure regulated by the Resolution of August 3, 2023.
The Ministry sometimes publishes clear notices for those joining a job pool for the first time. A recent example states that all personnel included by a specific resolution who were not previously on the pool are only on a provisional basis until they enter the continuous allocation system and submit at least one request before July 1, 2024. After this initial step, these individuals can deactivate their positions if they need to take a temporary leave of absence.
For those who participated in the competitive examinations under Order 72/2022 but did not pass the single test, the Regional Ministry has established a specific procedure for accrediting the requirements to be included in the job pools. This procedure will be published in the JOB POOLS section of the official website during the first term of the academic year, and will detail which qualifications and conditions must be accredited and how to submit the application online.
New conditions for temporary staff: exclusions, experience and dynamic access
The Regional Ministry of Education is preparing a new order that will reorganize and partially tighten the requirements for entry into and continued participation in substitute teacher pools, especially for secondary school, adult education, and language teachers. For primary school teachers, the creation of a single pool for all specializations is being considered , which will represent a significant change from the current system.
One of the most controversial aspects of this proposed legislation is the possibility of removing teachers from the pool of candidates if they remain inactive for two years , meaning they do not apply for a position at any school for two consecutive academic years. The administration believes it makes no sense to keep those who do not participate in the assignment process indefinitely on the pool, while the largest teachers' union, Stepv, considers the measure unnecessary and unacceptable.
According to the Ministry, the exclusion of a temporary worker for this reason does not mean they cannot return: they are allowed to register again through the open system , although they would return to the pool in a position lower than the one they had before, which in practice means losing the advantage accumulated due to seniority or services rendered.
The administration also justifies the reform by asserting that it seeks to guarantee a sufficient number of teaching staff at all times and streamline administrative processes , in addition to applying objective, transparent, and non-discriminatory criteria in both access to and the ranking and allocation of positions. In fact, the new draft order aims to consolidate a previously fragmented set of regulations into a single document, creating a common framework for regulating the pools of candidates.
Among the new features is the implementation of a dynamic access system to job pools : those with the appropriate qualifications for a specific specialty will be able to register electronically, without having to wait for competitive examinations or large-scale extraordinary calls for applications. At the same time, the practice of assigning hard-to-fill positions, which the administration considers an anomaly in a context of simplification and online processing, is being eliminated.
Another important measure is that, to be included on the waiting list through the competitive examination process, candidates will be required to have passed at least the first stage of the selection process . Until now, there have been cases of people on the waiting list without having passed any exams, sometimes with only a relevant qualification, and the Regional Ministry wants to strengthen the link between actual knowledge of the specialty and access to the lists.
The official explanation is that if someone with a degree not specifically related to the specialization (for example, an engineer applying for a Spanish Language exam, or a philologist applying for a Mathematics exam) demonstrates their competence by passing the first test or even the entire competitive examination, they can practice normally. But if they don't pass, their degree is reviewed to determine if it truly guarantees an adequate level of expertise in the subject matter for inclusion in the pool of qualified candidates, thus preventing mismatches between their training and the specialization they practice.
Regarding the ranking system, the future regulations consolidate the priority given to teachers with prior service , who maintain their position at the top of the list. Below them, different groups are organized according to the access route: competitive examinations, extraordinary lists, open system, etc. Within the open system, the order is established solely by the date and time of registration , making it crucial to apply as soon as possible when a particular list opens.
The new regulations also maintain the rule that vacancies assigned from January 1st of each academic year onwards will end on June 30th, even if the position was originally vacant. This criterion standardizes the end date of appointments and avoids isolated extensions in July that complicate budgetary and organizational management.
Language requirements and registration of qualifications
One of the key requirements for remaining active in the Valencian Community's teacher pools is accreditation of Valencian language proficiency . Both the competitive examination regulations and the pool regulations stipulate that those who cannot prove they hold the Certificate of Competence for Teaching in Valencian will be temporarily deactivated.
Specifically, section 14 of Orders 45/2015 and 46/2015 stipulates that if an applicant has not submitted the documentation proving this qualification, they will be removed from the substitute teacher list until they can provide proof of it. Until they do so, they will not have access to the job allocation procedures, even if they are formally listed as a member of the pool.
In parallel, the Resolution of May 9, 2014, from the Directorate General for Schools and Teaching Staff, regulates the registration of qualifications for the provision of teaching positions . It specifies that tenured civil servants, trainee civil servants, and members of job pools who possess specific administrative qualifications must request their registration in the Register of Teaching Staff.
Among the qualifications that must be registered are the Certificate of Competence for Teaching in Valencian , the Diploma of Teacher in Valencian, and the Certificate of Competence for Teaching in a Foreign Language. Registration in this registry is mandatory when a job posting requires it, regardless of the appointment process (competitive examination, secondment, temporary appointment, etc.).
Without this registration being properly processed, the administration can prevent the allocation of certain positions that require teaching in Valencian or a foreign language, even if the teacher has the qualification. Therefore, it is essential not only to obtain the accreditation but also to ensure that it is registered and linked to the teacher's personnel file in the Conselleria's database.
Start-of-term and ongoing placements
The Valencian system distinguishes between the initial allocation of teaching positions , which fills most vacancies at the beginning of the school year, and ongoing allocations, which are made throughout the year to fill unforeseen vacancies or cover substitutions. Both procedures are managed online through the official website of the Regional Ministry of Education.
Only staff who participated in the competitive examination process and passed the single test without obtaining a position, as well as those already on the waiting list who meet the requirements, are eligible to participate in the initial allocation of positions. Historically, application deadlines have been extended; for example, in one academic year, the application period was extended until 23:59 p.m. on July 31.
Applications can be submitted or modified via the section "Assignments > Beginning of the School Year Assignments or Continuous Assignments > Primary, Secondary and Other Teaching Bodies > Online Application and Request." The system remains open until 02:00 AM on the day the assignment is made, at which time it closes and assignments are determined based on the last confirmed application.
To log in to the application, the user must use the same username and password as the previous course. If this is their first time accessing the application, they have forgotten their password, or their account is deactivated, they should click on the option indicated on the page ("If this is your FIRST TIME... you don't remember your password or your account has been deactivated. Click here."). After completing this process, the username will be their NIF (Spanish tax identification number) and the password will be the one set during the validation procedure.
Once the allocation process is complete, the Directorate General for Teaching Staff (DGPD) publishes the list of assigned positions . Those who are assigned to a vacant or indefinite-term replacement position must go to the corresponding Regional Directorate to collect their credential, as required by the Tax Audit Office. However, credentials for regular replacement positions can usually be downloaded directly from the website.
The continuous assignment schedule is regulated by the Resolution of January 23, 2018 , which allows for assignments to be made on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week for each corps and specialty. However, these dates may be modified due to educational needs, holidays, a lack of available positions, or any other unforeseen circumstance that prevents their normal implementation.
There are specific assignments in September and October that, due to their nature and volume, are treated similarly to assignments made before the start of the school year, even though they are carried out after the school year has begun. Furthermore, the Regional Ministry has established that mandatory assignments are eliminated : no temporary teacher will be assigned to a position they have not expressly requested in their online application.
Within this framework, some specific dates may be altered by extraordinary events. One example is the suspension of a continuous bidding process scheduled for March 24, 2026, due to a DANA storm that left numerous towns in the Valencian Community without network access, preventing the normal participation of applicants.
The documentation for each placement also clarifies the nature of certain positions. Thus, positions labeled as HOME CARE , although offered as vacancies, end when the student's need for home care ceases, so their practical function is analogous to that of an indefinite substitute teacher.
Updating lists, claims and clarifications regarding the stock market order
The administration periodically updates the list of temporary staff , incorporating new hires, promotions for services rendered, and any changes resulting from resolutions or accreditation procedures. Each time an updated list is published, a specific period is opened for submitting claims.
For temporary civil servants, the standard deadline for filing an appeal is two business days from the date the decision is published. Appeals submitted informally, via unregistered email, or by phone will not be accepted; only those submitted through the established OVIDOC procedure will be processed.
To appeal the order of the waiting list, the interested party must use the specific procedure “Procedures – Appeal for the 2025 Temporary Staff List” on the OVIDOC platform. When registering an appeal, it is possible to select the Primary School Teacher waiting list for any teaching body while the specific option for Secondary School and other teaching bodies is not yet available, which facilitates management during periods of technical transition.
It's important to understand some nuances regarding how to interpret the numbers on the lists. The number shown in the initial school year assignment does not necessarily correspond to the order on the waiting list . The assignment numbers may be lower than the actual position because teachers who are on the waiting list but are not eligible for assignment at that time (due to working in another department, being on leave, or having other administrative situations, etc.) are not included.
It is also incorrect to compare the order number on the list at the beginning of one academic year with the allocation number from another year , even within the same academic year, because the composition of the pool, deactivations, and administrative situations change. What matters is the position within the block, rather than simply comparing numbers between different lists.
When the lists of new entrants are updated following processes such as Order 72/2022, only those entering the pool for the first time are included. Those already on the list have their positions confirmed in subsequent publications of final participant lists, in accordance with current regulations and resolutions.
The administration usually accompanies these publications with simplified information notes that extract the essential points of the legal resolutions, to facilitate understanding and avoid misunderstandings, but always referring to the original rule as the ultimate and binding reference.
Other relevant aspects: cookies, union support and practical issues
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Accepting these non-technical cookies requires the user's explicit consent , which can be granted or withdrawn at any time. Users can access the cookie policy for details on data processing. Typically, "Accept" and "Reject" buttons are provided, along with a link to further information to help users make an informed decision.
In terms of supporting substitute teachers, unions play a key role. For example, organizations like ANPE have physical offices in cities like Valencia , with morning and afternoon opening hours, and special hours during periods like Easter. They offer contact phone numbers and email addresses to answer questions, check lists, or provide advice on claims and appeals.
The Valencia office typically operates from 10:00 AM to 13:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and from 16:00 PM to 19:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, with occasional adjustments such as special hours on local holidays or during vacation periods. This type of service provides practical support for substitute teachers who face complex and often changing procedures.
It is also common to find critical assessments of the new orders and resolutions within union news reports and statements . In the case of the future regulation of job pools, the STEPV union has expressed strong opposition to the automatic expulsion for two years of inactivity, as well as to the way job abandonment is interpreted, considering that there may be discrepancies regarding permits and licenses.
On the other hand, the Ministry maintains that the order incorporates many of the agreements already reached with the labor unions , such as the elimination of mandatory assignments and the indefinite retention in the pool of temporary staff in the phasing-out vocational training technicians without higher education qualifications. The creation of a monitoring committee is also planned to oversee the implementation of the model and maintain a stable channel of communication.
Overall, the Valencian system for substitute teachers combines online applications, priority groups, language requirements, and appeals procedures with constantly evolving regulations that aim, at least on paper, to simplify management and increase legal certainty. For teachers, this translates into the need to closely monitor decisions, deadlines, and requirements, to carefully review the lists on which they appear, and to use formal channels (such as OVIDOC) to defend their position each time the pool is updated.
