Civil service groups explained
Public sector jobs in Spain are organised into groups. The group decides what qualification you need to apply, how hard the competitive exam (oposición) is, how much responsibility you carry and roughly what you are paid. You do not have to start at the top — people move up between groups throughout a career.
Group A1
- What you need
- University degree (grado) plus the most demanding competitive exam.
- Typical roles
- Senior civil administrator, tax inspector, state lawyer, diplomat, local government manager.
- Indicative pay
- €35k–€60k+ with responsibility and destination supplements.
- The exam route
- Two to four years of preparation, 100–300 topics, oral recitation with a preparador, several eliminatory phases, then a paid training course.
Group A2
- What you need
- University degree, with a shorter temario than A1.
- Typical roles
- Gestión officer, tax administration officer, procurement, public HR, social services, teaching.
- Indicative pay
- €28k–€42k depending on administration and supplements.
- The exam route
- 12–24 months of study, 40–70 topics, a test, a written topic and a practical case.
Group B
- What you need
- Higher vocational qualification (FP de grado superior).
- Typical roles
- Technical roles in labs, IT, health and public works — less common than the other groups.
- Indicative pay
- €25k–€35k.
- The exam route
- Similar structure to A2 but with a technical temario tied to your vocational field.
Group C1
- What you need
- Bachillerato or FP de grado medio/superior.
- Typical roles
- Administrativo/a, records and registry officer, judicial administration, police, firefighter.
- Indicative pay
- €22k–€32k.
- The exam route
- 6–18 months of study, 25–40 topics, a multiple-choice test plus a practical or word-processing exercise.
Group C2
- What you need
- ESO or equivalent.
- Typical roles
- Auxiliar administrativo/a, front desk and support roles in every department.
- Indicative pay
- €18k–€26k.
- The exam route
- The shortest temario and the largest number of places — the most common first public sector job, and a normal way to move up later.
Outside Spain
Most European public services use an equivalent grade ladder: France has catégories A, B and C; Germany splits into höherer, gehobener, mittlerer and einfacher Dienst; the EU institutions recruit through EPSO into AD (graduate) and AST (assistant) grades. The logic is the same — your qualification sets the entry grade, and a competitive process decides the place.