oposición
2 (España)(also oposiciones) Civil Service examination
hay varias plazas de libre oposición o de oposición libre there are several places that will be filled on the basis of a competitive examination; sacar unas oposiciones to be successful in a public competition
hacer oposiciones a ... presentarse a unas oposiciones a ... to sit an examination for ...
hacer oposiciones para una cátedra to compete for a chair
Being a civil servant in Spain means having a job for life, but applicants for public-sector jobs must pass competitive exams called oposiciones. The candidates (opositores) must sit a series of written exams and/or attend interviews. Some applicants spend years studying for and resitting exams, so preparing candidates for oposiciones is a major source of work for many academias. All public-sector appointments that are open to competition are published in the BOE, an official government publication.