PFor many the Pnrr 3 school competition it’s yet another opportunity to try again, for others perhaps the last. There are those who have been teaching for ten years, changing schools every September, those who constantly move from region to region, those who are only waiting for one thing: a real, stable professorship. Yet, even this time, the new competition for temporary teachers risks turning into another obstacle race. The haste imposed by the European plan, which asks Italy to hire thousands of teachers by 2026, does not convince the unions who accuse the Ministry of going blindly.
Pnrr 3 school competition: announcement, requirements, when to submit the application
For the thousands of teachers chasing the dream of a permanent position, the new Pnrr 3 competition, for which applications officially opened today at 2pmrepresents the possibility of finally emerging from uncertainty. There are 58,135 places up for grabs, of which 7,269 are reserved for support. Applications will remain open until 11.59pm on 29 October 2025but this time the times will be tighter than ever: the definitive rankings must be ready by 30 June 2026, to respect the commitment made by Italy with Brussels.
The Ministry’s plan
But let’s go in order: the notice published by the Ministry of Education and Merit divides the places between 27,376 chairs in nursery and primary schools And 30,759 in lower and upper secondary schools. Overall, 50,866 are common positions, while 7,269 concern support. The Ministry will have to rush to respect the European calendar: the final rankings of the winners must be ready by 30 June 2026in order to allow hiring by the end of the school year. To date, with the first two rounds of competitions, between 40 and 45 thousand teachers have already taken up roles. About 30 thousand are missing to complete the route promised in Brussels.
Applications open today for the Pnrr 3 teacher competition (Getty)
Criticism from the unions
The speed imposed by the European plan, however, does not convince the unions, who denounce a “blind” approach. According to the CISL Scuola, in fact, the Pnrr 3 announcement would have started without a real snapshot of the situation in schools: that is, without knowing precisely how many places are really free, nor in which subjects or regions. From their data it appears that, to date, less than 30 thousand teachers were actually hired on 48,500 professorships authorized by the Mef last July. Another 4 thousand entries should arrive by the end of the year, drawing from the rankings of the previous competition, Pnrr 2.
The Ministry replies that the numbers of the new announcement were estimated also looking at the retirements expected up to 2027-2028, and that the new hires will be distributed over three school years. But the Flc Cgil remains skeptical.
Who can participate in the Pnrr 3 school competition
For nursery and primary school Graduates in Primary Education Sciences and Master’s graduates within the 2001/2002 school year can participate. For secondary schoolhowever, you need a degree accompanied by a qualifying qualification, obtained with 60 university training credits in psycho-pedagogical and didactic fields. Who competes for support positions must have obtained a university specialization or one issued by Indire. Those who will obtain the qualification by 31 January 2026 are also admitted with reservations, while candidates with only 24 or 30 credits will not be able to participate. The only exception: temporary teachers with at least three years of service in the last five, including one in the specific competition class, who will be able to access even without qualification.
How the tests will take place
The format of the selections remains the same from previous Pnrr competitions:
- Written test – 50 multiple choice questions to complete in 100 minutes. The topics concern pedagogy, psychopedagogy, didactics and educational methodologies, as well as English and digital skills. To pass the test you must obtain at least 70 points out of 100.
- Oral test – The oral exam aims to verify mastery of the specific discipline for which one is competing (Italian, mathematics, languages, etc.) and teaching skills, also through the simulation of a lesson.
Academic, professional and scientific qualifications may be assigned an additional score of up to 50 points. Furthermore, each candidate may submit only one application for one regionchoosing a competition class for lower or upper secondary school and, if you wish, also participating in the support procedure.