Juan de la Cierva Fellowship: This is a 2 year postdoc position, funded by the Spanish Goverment, for young doctors (up to two years after the PhD defense). There are no language or homologation requirements. Should the position is awarded, it must take place at an elegible institution (typically a Spanish university or research center) different than one where the PhD studies were conducted.
The application usually opens in January, although the specific details of the call are known in December. In addition to a research plan, it requires the approval of a tutor (who will be evaluated as well) and her/his institution (this might delay the submission, so be aware of the calendar of your chosen institution). The provisional selected candidates are announced by the end of June, and the contracts start in September.
This is a research position, so there are no official teaching duties. However, a holder of this contract can request to have a teaching load up to 100 hours per year.
According to the 2024 call, the minimum salary (before taxes) is 30000 euros per year. Also, a 7400 euros research grant is awarded. Some universities might offer a stable position after the end of the contract. A holder of this contract in general cannot apply for any usual supplement of the salary (like the "trienios", "quinquenios" or "sexenios").
Some regions, like the Valencian Community, have their own versions of this contract.
Ramón y Cajal Fellowship:
Profesor Ayudante Doctor (Assistant Professor), Professor Lector (in Catalonia) or Profesor Adjunto (in the Basque Country): This is a research and teaching position (up to 6 years). Should an Ayudante Doctor moves to a different university, the the duration of the new contract will not surpass the original 6 years. Extension of the contracts are only allowed under excepcional circumstances (long medical or parental leaves,...).
Regarding the teaching duties, the maximum teaching load (which usually coincides with the actual load) is 180 hours per year. In general, both homologation of the PhD title and language certificate(s) are required.
There is not any specific moment of the year for the application. Each university opens the call when possible, depending on the needs of its Departments and the availability of budget. Two different universities usually have different application procedures. The selection process may take a couple of months. According to most of the calls, the selected candidates are expected to join the Department in a short period of time (a couple of weeks), although it can be delayed if there is an agreement with the Vicerector or the Head of Department.
The salary depends on the university, and there are important differences between regions. The Ayudantes Doctores can apply for the usual supplements of the salary.
Before the end of the contract, the university typically opens a Profesor Permanente Laboral position.
Profesor Sustituto: Literally, a substitution. This is a short term teaching position, that the universities open to cover some unexpected events (like medical leaves). It does not require a PhD, so the salary is really low (even for Spanish standards).
Profesor Permanente Laboral or Professor Agregat (in Catalonia): It has a maximum teaching load of 240 hours per year. An acreditación to Profesor Contratado Doctor (see Acreditaciones in the Bureaucracy page) is required. Both homologation of the PhD title and language certificate(s) are required as well.
Universities usually open this kind of positions when an Ayudante Doctor contract is about to finish.
The salary depends on the university, but differences are not as big as the Ayudantes Doctores case. The Profesores Permanentes Laborales can apply for the usual supplements of the salary.
Profesor Contratado Doctor: To be extinguished. The equivalent position in the current system is Profesor Permanente Laboral or Professor Agregat.
Profesor Titular (Associate Professor):
Catedrático (Full Professor):
Catedràtic contractat (in Catalonia):
Profesor Asociado: Not to be confused with Profesor Titular (Associate Professor). This is a part-time teaching position (up to 120 hours per year) for those who have another job outside the academia. It used to be a temporary postion, until the last law of universities was aproved in 2023. The Profesores Asociados are not allowed to have any management duties. A PhD is not required, so the salary is low (even for Spanish standards).