¹Training time of the CFGS "Advanced Technician in Early Childhood Education" per professional module and educational administration.

² These teachers are part of the educational and psycho-pedagogical guidance teams that are involved in Early Childhood and Primary Education, and of the guidance departments in Secondary Education.

³Or those other qualifying mentions related to the assistance to pupils with special educational needs.

⁴According to article 3.6 of Royal Decree 1834/2008, vocational training technical teachers, in the specialities that correspond in each case, may exceptionally teach the subject of Technology and undertake functions of attention to diversity, without any of these possibilities implying a right to the tenure of the respective specialities or to belonging to a body other than the one to which they belong, under the terms determined by the Education Administrations.

⁵According to article 95.2 of the LOMLOE in VT training cycles as specialist teachers: other professionals who are not necessarily graduates and who carry out their activity in the workplace. According to article 96.3 of the LOMLOE, in Specialised Education: other professionals who are not necessarily qualified and who carry out their activity in the workplace (Artistic and Sports Education). 

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (INEE, MEFP) on the basis of State current regulations.

The institutions providing the certificates required as initial teacher training have a great degree of autonomy to organise the amount of time devoted to:

• theoretical and practical training, within the limits set by the relevant education authorities;
• external internships, although they have to meet the following requirements:

• Pre-Primary Education Advanced Technician: (ANNEX I, Order ESD/4066/2008):  the ‘Work Placement’ module, comprising 22 ECTS credits (220 hours). The number of credits each Autonomous Community establishes for this module varies
• Bachelor in Pre-Primary and Primary Education School Teacher (ANNEX, Order ECI/3854/2007 and ANNEX, Order ECI/3857/2007): the ‘Practicum’ module, comprising 50 ECTS credits. The number of ECTS credits each university establishes for the ‘Final Bachelor’s Project’ varies. This project must comprise a minimum of 6 credits and a maximum of 12.5 % of the total number of credits of the degree, since the project is included in this module;
• Bachelor’s degree (article 14, Royal Decree 822/2021): up to 25 % of the total number of credits of each degree. The number of ECTS credits each university establishes for the ‘Practicum’ module and whether the ‘Final Bachelor’s Project’ is included in this module varies. If it is included, it comprises a minimum of 6 credits and a maximum of 12.5 % of the total number of credits of the degree;
• Master’s degree on Compulsory Secondary Education and Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Education Teacher Training (ANNEX, Order EDU/3498/2011): the ‘Practicum’ module, comprising 16 ECTS credits. The number of ECTS credits each university establishes for the ‘Final Master’s Project’ varies. The project must comprise between 6 and 30 ECTS credits, since it is included in the module. 

Admission requirements

Pre-primary and primary education

In order to work as an advanced technician in Early Childhood Education, the candidate must have completed the Advanced Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education.

• Access to the Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education.

According to article 17 of Royal Decree 1834/2008, in order to access the Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education, it is necessary to meet at least one of the following requirements:

• hold a Bachillerato certificate;
• hold a Technician degree and having passed a specific training course for access to advanced training cycles in public or private centres authorised by the Educational Administration;
• have passed the entrance examination for access to advanced training cycles or the university entrance examination for over 25 year olds.

• Access to the University Degrees in Early Childhood Education Teacher and Primary Education Teacher: 

According to article 3 of Royal Decree 412/2014, to access the degrees, at least one of the following requirements must be met:

• hold the Bachillerato degree and have passed the University Entrance Examination;
• hold a VT Advanced Technician certificate;
• have passed the university entrance examination for students over 25.

Secondary education

According to article 9 of Royal Decree 1834/2008, graduate-level pedagogical and didactic training is required (University Master's Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education, Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Teaching). For access to this master's degree, each university establishes specific requirements that include: graduate-level pedagogical and didactic training is required (University Master's Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education, Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Teaching). For access to this master's degree, each university establishes specific requirements that include:

• holding an official Spanish university degree or other qualification issued by a higher education institution in the European Higher Education Area that entitles the holder to access master's degree courses in the country issuing the degree;
• or accreditation of mastering the competences concerning the targeted specialisation by taking a test designed by universities on this purpose, from which those holding some of the university degrees corresponding to the chosen specialisation are exempted; or proficient command of a foreign language equivalent to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;
• or accreditation of proficiency in the co-official language and in Spanish, in those Autonomous Communities with a co-official language.

The Didactic Specialisation or the Official Master's Degree is a requirement for teaching in compulsory secondary education and Bachillerato, unless, prior to 1 October 2009, one of the following requirements is met:

• holding the Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude, the Professional Titles of Didactic Specialisation or the Certificate of Pedagogical Qualification;
• holding a degree in Teaching, a degree in Pedagogy or in Psychopedagogy, or holding a degree or equivalent qualification including pedagogical and didactic training; - having completed 180 credits in one of the three aforementioned degrees by the date mentioned above, 1 October 2009;
• having taught for a minimum of 12 months in public or private regulated education centres, at the levels and in the teaching specialities regulated in Royal Decree 1834/2008.

Curriculum, level of specialisation and learning outcomes

• Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MEFP): it sets the requirements for verifying the official university degrees of  Bachelor and Master that enable the exercise of teaching in non-university education, vocational training and specialised education (artistic and sports education).
• Universities: they autonomously establish the study programmes for bachelor degrees and second cycle degrees in line with the minimum requirements established in the State regulations, which are  evaluated by the competent organisms.

Curriculum

Pre-primary and primary education

• Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education

In the first cycle of pre-primary education (0-3 years old) those holding the Degree in Higher Technician in Pre-Primary Education can teach.

This cycle is organised into modules based on the minimum teaching standards established at state level according to ANNEX I of Order ESD/4066/2008,  which establishes the curriculum of the Advanced Training Cycle corresponding to the qualification of Advanced Technician in Early Childhood Education. These modules must include, as a minimum, the following areas:

• Didactics of pre-primary education: 125 hours (14 ECTS)
• Personal autonomy and child education: 105 hours (12 ECTS)
• Child game and methodology: 105 hours (12 ECTS)
• Expression and communication: 100 hours (11 ECTS)
• Cognitive and motor development: 105 hours (12 ECTS)
• Social and emotional development: 75 hours (8 ECTS)
• Social abilities: 60 hours (6 ECTS)
• Intervention with families and attention to minors at social risk: 60 hours (6 ECTS)
• Project for attention to childhood: 25 hours (5 ECTS)
• First aid: 35 hours (3 ECTS) Work training and guidance: 50 hours (5 ECTS)
• Enterprise and entrepreneurial initiative: 35 hours (4 ECTS)
• Training at workplaces: 220 hours (22 ECTS).

These Advanced Training Cycles are fully or partly provided, and some vocational modules are developed in different modalities: face-to-face, distance or blended. 

• Bachelor in School Teacher of Pre-Primary Education and Bachelor in School Teacher of Primary Education

In the first cycle of pre-primary education (0-3 years old) those holding the Degree in Higher Technician in Pre-Primary Education can teach.

This cycle is organised into modules based on the minimum teaching standards established at state level according to ANNEX I of Order ESD/4066/2008,  which establishes the curriculum of the Advanced Training Cycle corresponding to the qualification of Advanced Technician in Early Childhood Education. These modules must include, as a minimum, the following areas:

Didactics of pre-primary education: 125 hours (14 ECTS) Personal autonomy and child education: 105 hours (12 ECTS) Child game and methodology: 105 hours (12 ECTS) Expression and communication: 100 hours (11 ECTS) Cognitive and motor development: 105 hours (12 ECTS) Social and emotional development: 75 hours (8 ECTS) Social abilities: 60 hours (6 ECTS) Intervention with families and attention to minors at social risk: 60 hours (6 ECTS) Project for attention to childhood: 25 hours (5 ECTS) First aid: 35 hours (3 ECTS) Work training and guidance: 50 hours (5 ECTS) Enterprise and entrepreneurial initiative: 35 hours (4 ECTS) Training at workplaces: 220 hours (22 ECTS).

These Advanced Training Cycles are fully or partly provided, and some vocational modules are developed in different modalities: face-to-face, distance or blended. 

• Bachelor in School Teacher of Pre-Primary Education and Bachelor in School Teacher of Primary Education

They include the following modules and contents established for the whole State, without prejudice of the universities' autonomy:

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (INEE, MEFP) on the basis of State current regulations (ANNEX, Order ECI/3854/2007,  which establishes the requirements for the verification of official university degrees that enable the exercise of the professional activity as Early Childhood Education Teacher and ANNEX, Order ECI/3854/2007, which establishes the requirements for the verification of official university degrees that enable the exercise of the professional activity as Primary Education Teacher).

Secondary education

Those holding a certificate in Vocational Training or in Sports Education instead of a Bachelor degree, and wishing to teach at those levels can take a pedagogical and didactic training equivalent to the Master's degree for teaching purposes.  

(*) to be studied mainly by those teachers who will work as guidance staff at schools or in sector teams external to the educational institutions.

Source: Drawn up by Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (INEE, MEFP) on the basis of State current regulations (ANNEX, Order ECI/3858/2007, which establishes the requirements for verification of official university qualifications entitling the holder to work as a teacher in Compulsory Secondary Education and Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Studies).

Level of specialisation

The specialisation obtained on completion of the university studies that enables teaching depends on the specific studies taken:

• General training: it provides teaching competences in every knowledge area of the educational level. The qualifications providing this level of specialisation are:
  • Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education;
  • Bachelor degree in Pre-Primary Education School Teacher;
  • Bachelor degree  in Primary Education School Teacher.
• Specialised training: provides teaching competences in curricular aspects related to the teaching speciality studied. The qualifications providing this level of specialisation are:
  • Bachelor's degree in Primary Education Teaching (specialisation in music, foreign language, physical education, therapeutic pedagogy and hearing and language);
  • University Master's Degree in Teacher Training in Compulsory Secondary Education and Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Teaching (in all its specialities, including Educational Guidance);
  • Pedagogical and didactic training equivalent to the Master’s degree for teaching purposes.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the different qualifications required to teach, the following competences will have been acquired:

Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education

According to article 5 of Royal Decree 1394/2007, the curriculum of the Advanced Vocational Training Cycle in Early Childhood Education, the skills acquired are as follows:

• Programme the intervention in education and social attention to childhood from the guidelines of the institution programme and the individual, group and context characteristics.
• Organise the resources for developing the activity satisfying children's needs and characteristics.
• Develop the programmed activities, employing the appropriate resources and methodological strategies and creating a climate of confidence.
• Design and apply action strategies with the families, within the framework of the institution purposes and procedures, in order to improve the intervention process.
• Satisfy the children's needs, as well as the families' needs requiring the participation of other professionals or services, using the appropriate resources and procedures.
• Cope with uncertainties regarding people, resources or the environment, transmitting security and confidence and applying, if appropriate, the established protocols.
• Evaluate the intervention process and the results achieved, preparing and managing the documentation associated to the process and informing with the goal of improving the quality of the service.
• Keep the scientific and technical knowledge regarding their professional activity updated, using the existing resources for lifelong learning.
• Act autonomously and with initiative for designing and carrying out activities, respecting the pedagogic and acting guidelines of the institution where they work.
• Keep fluent relations with the children and their families, members of the group they are a part of and other professionals, showing social abilities, ability to manage cultural diversity and providing solutions to the conflicts that may occur.
• Create safe environments, respecting the regulations and security protocols in the planning and development of activities.
• Exercise their rights and comply with their obligations under the labour relations, according to the provisions of the regulations in force.
• Manage their professional career, analysing work opportunities, self-employment and learning.
• Create and manage a small enterprise, carrying out a products feasibility study, planning the production and marketing.
• Actively participate in the economic, social and cultural life, with a critical and responsible attitude.

Bachelor degree in Pre-Primary Education School Teacher

The ANNEX in Order ECI/3854/2007, defines the following skills for the university Master's degree in Early Childhood Teaching:

• Know the goals, curricular contents and evaluation criteria of pre-primary education.
• Promote and facilitate the learning process in early childhood from a globalised and inclusive approach that integrates the different dimensions: cognitive, emotional, psychomotor and volitional.
• Design and regulate learning rooms in diversity contexts attending the specific educational needs of students, gender equality, equity and respect to human rights.
• Promote coexistence in and out of the classroom and deal with the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Be able to systematically observe learning and coexistence contexts and reflect on them.
• Reflect in group on the acceptance of rules and respect to others. Promote student's autonomy and singularity as factors for educating emotions, feelings and values in early childhood.
• Be aware of the development of language during early childhood, be able to identify possible dysfunction and ensure the right evolution. To efficiently deal with learning languages in multicultural and multilingual contexts. Express oneself orally and written form and master the use of different expression techniques.
• Be aware of the educational implications of Communication and Information Technologies and, mainly, of television in early childhood
• Know the foundations of child nutrition and hygiene. Know the foundations of early attention and the basis and developments that allow a better knowledge of the psychological, learning and personality-building processes during early childhood.
• Know the organisation of pre-primary schools and the diversity of actions involved in their functioning. Assume that the exercise of the teaching function must be perfected and adapted to lifelong scientific, pedagogical and social changes.
• Act as a counsellor for parents regarding family education for the 0-6 years old period and master social abilities in the treatment and relationship with the family of each student and with all the families.
• Reflect on class practices for innovating and improving the teaching work. Acquire habits and skills for autonomous and cooperative learning and promote it among students
• Understand the function, possibilities and limits of education in the current society and the key competences that affect pre-primary education schools and their professionals. Know models for improving quality to be applied to the educational institutions.
• Master the Castilian language equivalent to level C1 (in those Autonomous Communities with a co-official language, the co-official language equivalent to the level C1) apart from a foreign language equivalent to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Bachelor degree in Primary Education School Teacher

The ANNEX in Order ECI/3857/2007, defines the following skills for the university Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education Teaching: 

• Know the curricular areas of primary education, the transversal relation between them, the evaluation criteria and the didactic knowledge regarding the respective teaching and learning procedures.
• Design, plan and evaluate teaching and learning processes, both individually and in collaboration with other teachers and professionals of the school.
• Efficiently deal with the process of learning languages in multicultural and multilingual contexts. Promote reading and the critical textual analysis on the different scientific and cultural topics of the school curriculum.
• Design and regulate learning spaces in diversity contexts attending to gender equality, equity and respect to human rights which conform the values of citizenship education
• Promote coexistence in and out of the classroom and deal with discipline problems and contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts. Stimulate and value effort, perseverance and personal discipline among students
• Know the organisation of primary schools and the diversity of actions involved in their functioning. Carry out tutorship and guidance functions with students and their families, attending to the specific education needs of students. Assume that the exercise of the teaching function must be perfected and adapted to lifelong scientific, pedagogical and social changes
• Collaborate with the different sectors of the education community and of the social environment. Assume the educational dimension of the teaching function and promote a democratic education for the exercise of active citizenship
• Keep a critical and autonomous relationship towards knowledge, values and social public and private institutions.
• Value the individual and group responsibility for attaining a sustainable future.
• Reflect on class practices for innovating and improving the teaching work. Acquire habits and skills for autonomous and cooperative learning and promote it among students.
• Know and apply the Information and Communication Technologies in the class. Selectively discern the audiovisual information that contributes to learning, citizenship education and cultural richness
• Understand the function, possibilities and limits of education in the current society and the key competences that affect primary education schools and their professionals. Know models for improving quality to be applied to the educational institutions.
• Master the Castilian language equivalent to level C1 (in those Autonomous Communities with a co-official language, the co-official language equivalent to the level C1) apart from a foreign language equivalent to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Master's degree on Compulsory Secondary Education and Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Education Teacher Training

All specialisations

The ANNEX in Order ECI/3858/2007 defines the following skills for the university Master's degree in Teacher training: 

• Know the curricular contents of the subjects concerning the corresponding teaching specialisation, as well as the set of didactic knowledge regarding the respective teaching and learning processes. The knowledge of the respective professions will be included in the vocational training.
• Plan, develop and evaluate the process of teaching and learning, enhancing the education processes which facilitate the acquisition of competences of the respective studies, taking into account the level and the previous education of the students, as well as their guidance, both individually and in collaboration with other teachers and professionals of the school.
• Search, obtain, process and communicate information (oral, printed, audiovisual, digital or multimedia), convert it into knowledge and apply it in the teaching and learning processes of the subjects of the specialisation studied.
• Specify the curriculum to be implemented in an educational institution, taking part in the group planning of it; develop and apply teaching methodologies both group and personalised, adapted to students diversity.
• Design and develop learning rooms, paying special attention to equity, emotion and values-based education, equal rights and opportunities for men and women, citizenship education and the respect of human rights, which will make social life easier and contribute to the decision-making and the construction of a sustainable future.
• Acquire strategies for encouraging the students' effort and promote their ability to learn on their own and with others, as well as develop thinking and decision abilities which facilitate their personal autonomy, confidence and initiative.
• Be aware of the interaction and communication processes in the class, master social skills and the abilities necessary for enhancing learning and coexistence in the class, as well as to deal with discipline problems and conflicts resolution.
• Design and carry out formal and not-formal activities to create an environment of culture and participation at school; develop the students' tutorship and guidance tasks in a collaborative and coordinated way; participate in the evaluation, research and innovation of teaching and learning processes.
• Be acquainted with the rules and institutional organization of the education system and the models for improving the quality that are applied to the educational institutions.
• Know and analyse the historical features of the teaching profession, the current situation, perspectives and the interconnection with the social reality of each period of time.
• Report and advice families on the learning and teaching process as well as on the personal, academic and professional guidance of their children.

Educational Guidance specialisation

In the case of this specialisation, Order EDU/3498/2011 establishes the following additional skills to those to be achieved by the rest of the specialisations:

• Know the psychopedagogical characteristics of the students so as to be able to assess them and issue the reports required.
• Know the attention to diversity measures than can be adopted for the necessary counselling.
• Analyse the organisation and running of the educational institution in order to coordinate the  personal, academic and professional guidance of the students in collaboration with the members of the school community.
• Develop the abilities and techniques required for properly advising families on their children's development and learning process.
• Identify the public services and community entities which the educational institution can collaborate with, and promote and plan, in collaboration with the leadership team, the necessary actions for a better attention to students.
• Know the psychopedagogical characteristics of the students so as to be able to assess them and issue the reports required.
• Know the attention to diversity measures than can be adopted for the necessary counselling.
• Analyse the organisation and running of the educational institution in order to coordinate the personal, academic and professional guidance of the students in collaboration with the members of the school community.
• Develop the abilities and techniques required for properly advising families on their children's development and learning process.
• Identify the public services and community entities which the educational institution can collaborate with, and promote and plan, in collaboration with the leadership team, the necessary actions for a better attention to students

Pedagogical and didactic training equivalent to the Master’s degree for teaching purposes

At the end of their education, students will have reached competences similar to those achieved by the students of the said Master's degree in any specialisation with the exception of Educational Guidance.

Teacher educators

Teachers providing the initial education of the future Pre-Primary Education Advanced Technicians

They belong to the Body of Teachers of Secondary Education or to the Body of Technical Teachers of Vocational Training, depending on the module.

Their initial education is the one required for accessing the said teaching bodies.

According to article 12 of Royal Decree 1394/2007, as an exception, specialist teachers currently working in the labour field and who do not hold a degree can impart teaching at this level.

At the beginning of every designation, they have to prove:

• recognised professional experience in the corresponding labour field, duly updated;
• at least two years of professional exercise in the four years immediately prior to have been named.

All teachers of this training cycle of Pre-Primary Education are required to reach a level of English corresponding to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages before the beginning of the academic year. If they do not have the said level, these teachers will share a part of their teaching hours with a teacher of the English speciality.

Teachers providing the initial education of the future teachers of non-university education

Article 89 of Organic Law 6/2001 on universities  (LOU) as amended by Organic Law 4/2007 (LOMLOU), establishes that the teaching staff providing initial training for future teachers in non-university education require the same initial training as other teachers in other university programmes. They are not required to take any previous specific pedagogical and didactic training.

Qualifications, evaluation and certificates

Assessment in the initial education of future teachers of non-university education

It is the responsibility of each university department and their teachers. The following must be positively assessed in order to obtain the corresponding degree:

• all subjects and the Practicum in the Bachelor studies in School Teacher of Pre-Primary and Primary Education, of the university Master on Teachers Education of Lower Compulsory Secondary Education and Bachillerato, Vocational Training and Language Education;
• the pedagogic and didactic training equivalent to the said university Master;
• the Bachelor's project, Master's thesis or studies project at the end of their education. 

Assessment in the initial education of future Pre-Primary Education Advanced Technicians

It is the responsibility of every didactic department and the teachers in the Secondary Education institution. The following must be positively assessed in order to obtain the corresponding degree:

• all the subjects;
• the training stages included in the study programme established by every Autonomous Community.

Alternative training pathways

It is not possible to teach in pre-primary, primary or secondary education without having completed the studies described in this article and without having obtained the relevant qualifications.