Teacher Shortages Upend Public Schools in Lisbon and the South

Families settling into Portugal this month are discovering an uncomfortable truth: while backpacks are packed and bells are ringing, tens of thousands of pupils have started classes without a full roster of teachers. The shortfall is biggest in Lisbon and the southern half of the country, and it is already shaping conversations around school choice, commuting times and real-estate values in popular expat districts.

Why newcomers should care

For parents weighing a move from an international school to the public system—or simply hunting for a vacant seat in a local agrupamento—the headline number matters. According to the teachers’ federation Fenprof, about 93,000 children began the 2025/26 year missing at least one core subject teacher. English, Portuguese and Mathematics—subjects most foreign families rely on for language acquisition and curriculum continuity—top the shortage list. In practical terms that means timetable gaps, rotating substitutes and, in some cases, the dreaded “self-study room” supervised by a non-specialist. Ministry officials insist 98-99 % of schools remain fully operational, yet parent-run WhatsApp groups in Cascais, Almada and Faro tell a less reassuring story.

Hot spots on the map

The deficit is highly uneven. Lisbon’s metropolitan belt, the Alentejo interior and the Algarve’s coastal strip account for the majority of unfilled posts. Fenprof’s latest survey counted over 5,000 primary-age children in the 1st cycle with no assigned class teacher at all. Secondary schools in Setúbal report gaps in Physics-Chemistry and Geography, while vocational institutes from Beja to Portimão are scrambling to find instructors for technical courses. Conversely, the northern districts of Braga and Porto still have hundreds of certified teachers on the sidelines—unwilling or unable to relocate south.

The government’s quick fixes—and their limits

Education Minister Fernando Alexandre argues the year is unfolding “with normality”. His ministry points to 20,000 professionalised teachers who applied for positions but were not placed, suggesting the issue is deployment rather than supply. To lure candidates to shortage zones, the cabinet extended a relocation allowance that can reach €500 per month and launched an extraordinary hiring round offering 1,800 permanent slots. Only 1,669 were accepted, however, after 153 candidates declined postings far from home. A new Instituto de Educação, Qualidade e Avaliação—created by decree on 12 September—has been tasked with monitoring equity and recommending longer-term fixes.

Why the classroom keeps emptying

Underlying the crisis is a confluence of demographic and professional pressures. Around 4,700 teachers are expected to retire this year, part of a wave that will crest every 12 months through the early 2030s. Starting salaries lag behind other degree-level professions, and paperwork has ballooned: teachers now spend up to one-third of their week on administrative tasks, according to an OECD annex. Training pipelines are also thinning. University admissions offices confirm a double-digit drop in applicants for science-teaching degrees since 2021, even after a 20 % increase in available places. Fenprof and the rival union FNE both want a faster career ladder, full credit for frozen service time and incentives of up to €750 for retirees who agree to stay on.

What this means for the year ahead

The shortage is unlikely to vanish mid-term. School clusters have been authorised to pay extra hours to staff willing to cover uncovered classes, and some are turning to retired teachers on short contracts. Parents should brace for occasional timetable reshuffles and longer homework loads as schools compress syllabi. International schools, financed outside the state budget, remain largely shielded—though they, too, face competition for bilingual staff. If you are enrolling a child in the public network, ask for the latest horário update, confirm which subjects lack a permanent teacher, and verify any distance-learning arrangements. The political debate over career reform is expected to dominate the autumn parliamentary agenda, so families may yet see new measures before Christmas. For now, patience—and a close eye on school-parent portals—will be part of the daily routine.