"It's the ideal moment to oppose"

BarcelonaIs there a fever for becoming a civil servant? What drives private sector workers to seek employment in public administration? Esther Martín is a professor at the Adams academy, where she has been preparing candidates for public administration exams for 19 years. Recently, she has seen an increase in the number of people wanting to take these exams, driven mainly by a job market with low wages. "The current moment is ideal for taking the exams," says Martín, and she gives two reasons: on the one hand, "a generational change is expected due to retirements," as almost half of the people working in public administration are over 55 years old. On the other hand, the large number of positions offered by the Generalitat: "This year there is a public offer of 8,474 positions. That's a lot. And we anticipate a similar public offer for 2027".

Martín teaches all kinds of subjects for different training paths. There is a core part that includes common knowledge such as "public function, administrative law, constitutional law, statutory law, data protection, law for the protection of women" or "all electronic administration." "I focus on the human resources section, everything related to interviews, psychotechnical tests, and I also teach constitutional law, statutory law, and all kinds of regulations." But there are also more specialized trainers in areas such as medical workers or special corps like the Mossos d'Esquadra.

During these four decades dedicated to teaching, she has encountered people with very diverse profiles but with similar motivations. "Most are looking for job security and stability because job insecurity is complicated in these times," she states, referring to her company's internal statistics. The rest, she says, are looking to improve their working conditions or simply to find a job. The origin of the students is also varied, beyond a slight presence of women. But a trend of flight from the private sector is noteworthy: "Nearly half of our students come from private companies".

Preparing for opposition exams is not easy. "It is ant-like work that requires continuous effort." Although they start out excited, candidates often get discouraged when they realize the amount of material they need to study. "By the third class, you see people starting to raise their hands: 'Does this count?' And then there's a general decline." Added to this is the fact that most of them combine their studies with other jobs or with the uncertainty of how long their unemployment benefits will last, which adds a lot of pressure: "After so many months, after an economic investment in preparation, they feel they are risking everything and there is a lot of nervousness."

For this reason, Martín – who also teaches study planning sessions – advises taking opposition exam preparation as a long-distance race and separating spaces very well. "When you are at home, these hours are professional: door closed. And if you can't, go to the library." But he also recommends "educating your immediate environment" to raise awareness and avoid distractions during study hours, even setting aside some of the "responsibilities they previously held." "You have to be realistic: I don't suggest studying 40 hours a week because people get demoralized. With 20 hours, you often don't even get there. The most important thing is to dedicate quality time and be efficient."

Part of the frustration stems from the nature of the tests, which do not fully reflect the candidates' real abilities. "I believe that the multiple-choice test does not demonstrate knowledge. The effort students have made and the knowledge they have are not demonstrated in the multiple-choice test. The questions, on many occasions, are tricky and aim to trap the person." But when they do succeed, which is the case for most, the pride is immense. "The greatest satisfaction is when students contact you and you see that they have achieved it. It is my greatest motivation."