ISM Ships Civil Service Exams 2026: Fixed Positions Esperanza del Mar and Juan de la Cosa

Key data

The Instituto Social de la Marina opens a new pathway to stable public employment in the maritime-fishing sector. The Resolution of May 4, 2026 from the Under-Secretariat calls a selection process to fill fixed-term labor positions aboard two ISM ships dedicated to healthcare and social assistance to fishermen: the Esperanza del Mar and the Juan de la Cosa.

This is a public employment opportunity with fixed status—not temporary—in a very specific environment: assistance to crew members and workers in the fishing sector at sea. The process is governed entirely by the labor personnel regulations of the General State Administration.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution regulates all elements of the selection process. The key aspects it establishes are as follows:

• Ships subject to the call: Esperanza del Mar and Juan de la Cosa, both belonging to the Instituto Social de la Marina and with a mission of healthcare and social assistance to fishermen.
• Type of labor relationship: Fixed-term labor personnel, with full stability in public employment.
• Selection system: Civil service exam or exam-competition, depending on the professional category applied for.
• Access requirements: Specific accredited qualifications for each category and functional capacity to perform work in a maritime environment.
• Regulated elements: Deadlines for submitting applications, syllabi by category, composition of qualifying tribunals and applicable scoring system.
• Applicable regulatory framework: Labor personnel regulations of the General State Administration.

The call is aimed at three major professional profiles: healthcare professionals (given the assistance nature of the ships), technicians and service personnel with experience or training in the maritime-fishing environment.

Economic and operational impact

For candidates, the main impact is the possibility of accessing a fixed public employment position in the General State Administration, with the remuneration conditions and stability that this entails. Fixed-term labor positions in the GSA carry remuneration regulated by collective agreement in the public sector and full rights as a public employee.

From an operational perspective, working aboard ISM ships involves specific working conditions of the maritime environment: shifts under boarding regime, physical and medical fitness requirements for navigation, and the particularity of providing services at sea in missions assisting fishermen.

For the Instituto Social de la Marina, this call allows it to fill with permanent staff positions that are essential for the continuity of healthcare and social assistance services in the Spanish fishing sector, reducing dependence on temporary or interim personnel.

Who does it affect?

This call directly affects the following professional profiles:

• Healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, nursing assistants or other health profiles) with enabling qualifications and willingness to work in a maritime environment.
• Technicians with specific qualifications required for the categories called for aboard ISM ships.
• Service personnel interested in public employment in the maritime-fishing sector.
• Fishing sector professionals who meet the required qualifications and functional capacity.
• Candidates for stable public employment in the General State Administration with a profile compatible with the maritime environment.

It does not affect private companies or generate obligations for employers in the sector. It is a public employment access call aimed exclusively at individuals who wish to join as fixed workers of the ISM.

Practical example

A nursing professional with a current university degree and no medical history that limits their capacity to work in a maritime environment could apply for positions in the healthcare category of this call.

Depending on the category applied for, they would face a civil service exam process (exam phase on the syllabus established in the resolution) or an exam-competition (combination of exam and evaluation of merits such as previous experience or complementary training). The qualifying tribunal, whose composition is regulated in the resolution itself, will evaluate applicants according to the scoring system established.

If they pass the process, they would access a fixed-term labor position aboard the Esperanza del Mar or Juan de la Cosa, assigned to healthcare assistance missions to fishermen and with the remuneration conditions of the collective agreement for labor personnel of the GSA.

What should candidates do now?

1. Consult the complete resolution in the Official Gazette to learn about the professional categories called, specific syllabi and exact application submission deadlines.
2. Verify compliance with requirements: qualifications required for the category applied for and functional capacity to work in a maritime environment (may require specific medical examination).
3. Identify the selection system applicable to your category (civil service exam or exam-competition) to plan syllabus preparation and, if applicable, gather merit documentation.
4. Prepare the necessary documentation for the application: official qualifications, identity documentation and any valuable merit if the process is exam-competition.
5. Submit the application within the deadline established in the resolution, following the procedure indicated by the Instituto Social de la Marina.

Official source