Balearic teaching posts force €1,600 rent in Formentera

Passing the exam only to find your post is on Formentera

What happens when passing the civil service exam meant to secure your future forces you to support two homes on one salary? In the Balearic Islands, since the 2023 teacher recruitment exams, the answer has an island name: Ibiza and Formentera. Those who passed were assigned vacancies left by interim teachers, effectively the destinations no one wanted. Education Minister Antoni Vera admits the situation is "unjust" and blames it on the previous government led by Francina Armengol.

A regional call replacing island-by-island selection

Until 2023, exams were held per island to account for local needs. That year's call covered the entire archipelago, tied to the Stabilization Plan imposed from Madrid to reduce temporary contracts, which affected around 26% of interim staff. The result: interims took spots on their home islands first, leaving new hires with remaining assignments. "Total compliance with Madrid leaves us powerless," says Vera, criticizing the lack of minimum seniority requirements for chosen specialties. The mismatch reaches absurd levels: in Nautical Vocational Training, only two of seven interims with posts held the legally required Merchant Navy certification.

Two mortgages, one salary, and a two-month-old baby

Víctor Montmany, Physics and Chemistry teacher, summarizes: "We got the worst available posts after years of studying under extreme pressure." He has taught at an Andratx institute for two years, owns a mortgage and partner in Mallorca, and has a two-month-old baby. "It's impossible to pay for a second residence in Ibiza," he insists. He considers reducing hours or flying daily. Giving up the post isn't an option.

Inma Gómez, a Primary teacher from Mallorca, rents a room in Ibiza to be near her eleven-month-old baby and husband, a freelancer. She lived in a village dreaming of raising children there. María García, a Menorca Early Childhood educator posted in Ibiza, carries a Menorca mortgage and has two young children, awaiting a July decision that could force her to rebuild her life in three weeks.

Why no annual rentals in Ibiza and Formentera?

Because supply trinc tourist seasons, not school terms. A two-bedroom flat in Formentera costs €1,600 monthly; in Ibiza, the cheapest found was a house at €1,500. Timing worsens it: most listings run October-May, while classes start September 1. These figures turn fixed posts into money-losing machines.

Triple insularity: From Menorca to Formentera

Maite López, English Primary teacher, is from Menorca but posted to Formentera. Third-highest scorer, she lost out as interims filled her island's twenty vacancies. Travel requires hopping via Mallorca then Ibiza by boat. "We're the last of the last," she notes. With a Menorca mortgage, she can't afford Formentera's scarce annual rentals.

What peine to teachers' housing?

Previously, rural teachers had housing next to schools. Today, administration pays about €9 monthly as a housing allowance—less than a hotel night. Former teacher houses now serve town halls as social offices, radio stations, or tax departments. In Ibiza, empty military residences (48 places) are proposed for displaced officials or vulnerable groups.

Service commission: One year, insufficient slots

The common fix is a service commission allowing one-year home-island placement for childcare or triple-insularity cases, renewable. Applicants ask in April but hear back by July. Vera promises expansion attempts but warns: "There won't be enough posts for everyone."

The issue extends beyond the archipelago. Similar situations exist in Valencia, where average rent hits €1,400 against net teacher salaries of €1,600–€1,900. Some passersby await assignment without posts or islands to move to. The job is fixed. Rent, flights, and lives left behind aren't.