Spain
Academic Career Structure
Competitiveness: Spain's academic structure is centralised and characterised by little competition in line with the traditional European Continental model. However, a reform of the system is being implemented, which is expected to increase the competitiveness by giving universities more autonomy and evaluating their scientific output.
Openness to non-nationals: bureaucratic formalities, the use of Spanish as the main teaching and research language and the strong link between university faculty and territory (including on matters of recruitment), all contribute to create barriers to access for non-Spanish academics. Click here for more information. However, few research centres (such as the Departments of Economics of the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and the University of Alicante ) are becoming more open to international researchers.
Postdoc: in recent years, a number of postdoc programmes were started, which are open also to international researchers, such as the Programa Postdoctoral del MEC , the Programa Juan de la Cierva , the Programa Ramón y Cajal and the Programa Torres Quevedo . Click here for other information.
Entry positions: the temporary position of Profesor Ayudante Doctor is the usual entry position for an academic career in Spain. A new figure of Contratado Doctor (lecturer) was created recently, for which one needs 3 years of postdoctoral experience and a specific accreditation. Click here for more information.
Career progress: obtaining a professorship depends on the evaluation of the candidate's scientific work and, in case of the highest Professor B positions, the availability of positions. Click here .
Temporary/permanent positions: all professors have civil servant status. The new lecturer position is permament but not a civil servant position. Not many people were hired in this new position because it is regulated through standard labour rules and is considered too expensive by universities. Click here to know more.
Salaries: basic salaries are fixed by the central government and are relatively low. However, professors are allowed to have alternative sources of income and to apply for productivity bonuses. See salaries for more information.
Gender: at the moment, we cannot provide data on women's representation in Spanish academia. Please contact us if you have any information on that or send is a comment by pushing on the button below.
Universities and research instititutions: click here for the list of Spanish universities.
Job postings: openings for competitions in the academia are published in the Gaceta Universitaria .
Spain has 70 universities, of which 50 are public (state-owned) and 20 private (six of them Catholic). There are about 1,6 million students enrolled in higher education.
The Council of Universities (where the universities are represented) and the Coordination Council (composed of central and regional ministries) coordinate the activities of state and private institutions and propose the main lines of educational policy.
The current structure of the university system was established in the Ley Orgánica de Universidades (LOU, Organic University Law) in 2001, which was reformed in 2007. The legislation on university autonomy provides for administrative, academic and financial autonomy.
General funding for public universities mainly comes from the regional governments, together with student fees, European funds, local institutions and emerging contribution from the private sector.
1. PhD Candidate/Research Assistant (Ayudante)
2. Postdoctoral Researcher (Profesor Ayudante Doctor)
3. Lecturer (Contratado Doctor)
4. Professor B (Associate Professor)
5. Professor A (Full Professor)
Postdoctoral positions as Profesor Ayudante Doctor posts are temporary positions (4 years) for which a PhD degee is required. Candidates must obtain the necessary accreditation from the ANECA , the national evaluation agency.
A new figure of Contratado Doctor is an indefinite position regulated by regular labour rules. In order to be hired as such, one needs the specific accreditation from the ANECA. To obtain this accreditation, one needs at least 3 years of postdoctoral experience.
Professors A and B are permanent civil servants. Postdoc grants normally have a two-year duration. A researcher may hold a series of Postdoc or Assistant positions before advancing to a permanent position, which are applied for in open competition.
Before one can apply for a tenured civil servant position as professor, it is necessary to obtain a national accreditation made by quality agencies and to pass the selection made at institutional level. The criteria on which merit is judged include teaching, research, coordination and supervision of academic activities and administration, but research weighs heavily in the final decision.
At the time of writing (2007), national accreditation was made by disciplines (àreas de conocimiento). This means that academics are not accorded much leeway as regards movement between disciplines: once qualified one is required to remain within this particular discipline throughout the career. (This will supposedly change with the new law of 2007).
Once appointed professor B, promotion to professor A depends on available positions. Normally one needs to have been B professor for at least three years to be able to apply, and far from all tenured staff reach this level. A relevant factor for promotion, especially between professorial levels, is the system of incentives for research known as 'sexenios de investigación'. The evaluation exercise screens individuals’ research in six-year periods. While it has only a minor effect on the salary, it strongly impacts one's prestige and recognition for certain tasks (committees, supervising, research projects) or promotion. It is granted by committees appointed by the CNEAI (Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Actividad Investigadora), a body which is part of the Ministry of Education. Regional Governments have now set up their own evaluation bodies which, in a variety of forms, evaluate research and teaching of university teachers and grant pay increases on similar grounds.
Please contact us or comment below if you can provide relevant information.
The main barrier for career advancement is the transition from a temporary to a permanent position. The requirements presented above cause many to remain at the temporary postdoctoral level working to obtain the qualifications required to pass the national accreditation.
Another related barrier for career advancement is that much postdoctoral research and interest areas of young researchers do not necessarily fall within the traditional disciplines. This make it difficult for young researchers to meet the requirements in the current recruitment and promotion system, which rely only on work that falls within the established 'knowledge areas'.
Economic insecurity during the postdoctoral phase is also an issue, as grants applications often take a long time and researchers in the postdoctoral phase often end up with several periods without income due to long bureaucratic application processes.
Internal promotion is also normal in Spanish academia and for many advertised positions the candidate has been chosen beforehand. Professors often handpick their students for research posts. It can thus be crucial to have a network to help kick-start the career. It has been noted that in Spanish academia one needs very stable relations with one's nearest academic environment in order to have the opportunity to be promoted (Mora 2003, Suarez et al. 2005).
Academics with permanent positions (professors) in universities are civil servants. Professors at different levels represent about 60% of the total academic staff. Salaries and workloads of professors (civil servants) are defined by the central government.
The University Law (LOU), passed in 2001, created a new position that is equivalent to Lecturer (Profesor Contratado Doctor), for which one needs to be accredited by a quality agency and to pass the selection procedure at the institutional level. This position is permanent but does not give non-civil servant status. The number of these new lecturers is still very low and it is unlikely that universities develop this position because they are more expensive due to labour regulations.
In the postdoctoral phase, security is low and many find themselves in periods with unpaid work since redundancy allowance and unemployment benefits are not granted to temporary research scholarship holders.
Postdoc/Assistant (Ayudante Doctor): This position is divided into several subcategories and are normally temporary positions entailing both research and teaching.
Lecturer (Profesor Contratado Doctor): This is a permanent but non-civil servant position. Lecturers are expected to do both teaching and research and have full autonomy for teaching and developing research programmes.
Professor (level B and A): Professors are permanent civil servants. They are expected to do both teaching and research. A high level of initiative towards general development and running of the department is also expected.
In general, the teaching load for all academic positions at Spanish universities is relatively high. Teaching activities are controlled by the universities, whereas research is normally more independent.
There are no formalised sabbatical rights, but for Professor B and A positions there are informal agreements made between the individual and the institution. The government has also created a sabbatical programme named Movilidad: Sabaticos Profesores .
Estimated Gross Monthly salaries in 2003
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Start
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Average
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Max
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Postdoc/ Ayudante
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--
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1,.584 €/month
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--
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Lecturer/Contratado Doctor
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--
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2,250 €/month
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--
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Associate Professor (B)
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--
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2,750 €/month
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--
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Full Professor (A)
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--
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3,584 €/month
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--
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Source: Jose-Gines Mora, Centre for the Study of Higher Education Management (CEGES), Technical University of Valencia.
Note: These are gross salaries. The personal tax rate is around 25%, depending on the personal financial situation. This is a rough estimation that includes seniority bonuses but not regional productivity bonuses and research contract earnings.
The basic salaries are established by the central government and are relatively low. Yet, one is allowed to have other sources of income and to apply for productivity bonuses. According to CEGES, an active professor with high performance in contracts and many bonuses may earn a much higher salary.
Number of existing positions, University Sector 2004-2005
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--
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All Disciplines
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Temporary staff (Assistants, Postdocs,
teachers etc.)
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35,772
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Lecturer/ Contratado Doctor
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2,299
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Professors A & B
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52,238
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Total
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90,309
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Source: Consejo de Cordinacion Universitaria
Although no exact numbers are available, it is generally stated that in Spain mobility between institutions is very low. It is not uncommon for academics to stay in the university where they studied and to retire from the same place.
The long bureaucratic application process is mentioned as a barrier for potential foreign (postdoc) applicants, as the application process is often faster and more accessible in other European countries.
Language may also be a barrier for foreign applicants. This is not least reflected in the fact that almost all calls for applications and application forms are in Spanish only. Spanish is the language used at all universities, although steps are being taken to internationalise the Spanish university structure and courses are offered in English.
A well established network and inside knowledge are important at many Spanish universities and may create a barrier for foreign applicants. As Mora (2003) affirms: 'In most cases, universities not only have no foreign members of staff, but the majority of their academic staff come from the same region where the university is situated. Parochialism is rampant in Spanish universities.'
A full list of public and private universities in Spain can be found on the website of the Spanish Rector’s Conference.
Research is mainly publicly funded and done by the universities. The individual universities have a number of research institutes, which also offer PhD and postgraduate studies.
There is also a national research institute, the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIS), which has various branches and centres (in some cases linked to the universities).
Unions play a marginal, formal role in defining the working conditions of academic staff. Their main influence is at the central level, and discussion regards all civil servants and not just academic staff at the universities.
The Negotiation Board of University Staff (Mesa Negociadora de Universidades) discusses working conditions and salaries of non-civil servant staff with the Ministry of Education.
Please contact us or comment below if you can provide relevant information.
Please contact us or comment below if you can provide relevant information.
Please contact us or comment below if you can provide relevant information.
Spanish Association of Political Science and Administration
At the national level, the Ministry of Education has created four Postdoctoral Programmes:
Finally, there are many private foundations offering doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships. For instance:
See also the Secretariat for Scientific and Technological Policy (Secretaría de Política Científica y Tecnológica), which is in charge of the promotion of predoctoral and postdoctoral grants as well as funding of projects.
Griffin, Green et al., 2005, 'The Relationship between the Process of Professionalization in Academe and Interdisciplinarity, A Comparative Study of Eight European Countries', University of Hull.
Mora, Jose-Gines, 2001, 'Adapting to Change: The Academic Profession in Spain', chapter 13 in Academic Staff in Europe, ed. by Jurgen Enders.
Mora, Jose-Gines, 2003, 'Academic Staff in Spanish Universities', retrieved from the author, April 2007.
MWP, Report on the 2nd Academic Careers Conference, 'Academic Careers in the Social Sciences & Humanities: National Comparisons and Opportunities ', November 2007.
Suarez et al., 2005, 'Disciplinary Boundaries between the Social Sciences and Humanities, National Report on Spain ', University of Hull.
Jose María Aguilera Manzano, Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow, EUI 2006-07
Jose-Gines Mora, Director, Centre for the Study of Higher Education
Management (CEGES), Technical University of Valencia
Rubén Ruiz Rufino, Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow, EUI, 2007-08