Graduates Registered in Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa Have Until October 7 to Apply for 18,000 Teaching Posts

Syria's state schools are recruiting teachers in bulk. Registration is open for more than 18,000 teaching and education posts in Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa, and applications close on 7 October. The posts are for university and institute graduates, with degree holders given priority, and every applicant must have their civil registration in the governorate they apply for. If you are a trained teacher, a science or languages graduate, or a substitute teacher already working in a state school, this round deserves your attention before the deadline. This Metaintro guide sets out what the official vacancy cards and application rules say. Here is what the posts are, who qualifies and how the selection works.

How Many Teaching Posts Are Open, and Where?

The competition was launched on Tuesday, September 22 by two ministries working together, the Ministry of Administrative Development and the Ministry of Education, at a meeting held at the Education Ministry. The launch covered 18,000 teaching positions in its first phase, and online registration opened the next day for more than 18,000 posts.

The first phase is limited to three governorates, Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa. The Administrative Development Ministry has finished working out the teaching needs in those governorates, while the same exercise is still running in the rest of the country, and later phases follow as it finishes. The Education Minister described the goal as supplying education directorates in the governorates most in need and raising teaching quality by attracting university graduates.

The recruitment is formally a contracting competition, the term used in the official registration notice. The notice does not say how long contracts will run or whether they convert to permanent posts, so treat those details as open questions until the ministry publishes the offer terms.

The number is also not broken down by subject or by governorate. The official vacancy cards show which subjects are wanted and where, but they do not print a head count for each one.

Which Subjects Are on the Official Vacancy Cards?

For an applicant, this is the most useful page in the whole announcement. The Ministry of Administrative Development vacancy file lists ten teaching roles, each with the governorates it covers, the education level required, the preferred degree and a preferred age range.

• Class teacher (primary): a degree in child education, for Rural Damascus and Daraa only, preferred age 23 to 50.
• History and geography teachers: a humanities degree in the subject, for all three governorates, preferred age 23 to 45.
• Philosophy teacher: a humanities degree in philosophy, for all three governorates, preferred age 23 to 50.
• Islamic education and Arabic teachers: a university degree or an intermediate institute qualification, for all three governorates, preferred age 21 to 50.
• Biology, maths and chemistry teachers: a science degree in the subject or a teacher preparation institute qualification, for all three governorates, preferred age 21 to 50.
• English teacher: an English degree or teacher preparation institute qualification, for Rural Damascus and Daraa only, preferred age 21 to 50.

Two details on those cards matter a lot. First, the English and class teacher cards list only Rural Damascus and Daraa, so an Aleppo applicant in those fields has no card to apply against. Second, the cards label the age figures as a preferred age, and the notice lists age among the ranking criteria.

The cards also spell out the job itself. The chemistry card asks teachers to run organised lab experiments, keep to safety procedures and build standard tests to measure students' skills, and the class teacher card covers lesson plans for all first-cycle subjects except specialist ones, remedial plans for both high achievers and students who fall behind, and the inclusion of children with mild special needs, all set out in the official vacancy file.

Who Can Apply, and Who Is Ruled Out?

The rules in the ministry's registration notice are short but strict. Holders of a university degree and graduates of institutes may apply, as long as their specialisation matches the one required on a vacancy card. Priority in contracting goes to degree holders.

Four conditions stand out:

• Home governorate: your civil registration must be in the governorate you are applying for.
• No current public job: you must not be working for a public body on the date you apply. The exception is people working as substitute teachers for the Education Ministry, who can apply.
• Former substitutes are welcome: people who worked as substitutes in the past, and people who recently applied through the ministry's substitutes app, may also apply.
• Former ministry staff: people who left the Education Ministry through a proper resignation can apply, provided their exit did not entitle them to a pension.

The cards also list the criteria used to rank applicants. The basic criterion is a degree from a government university or an equivalent, and the preferred criterion is a higher qualification such as a teaching qualification diploma or postgraduate study, together with experience of modern teaching methods in the classroom.

Applications that do not match a vacancy card are excluded outright, so reading the card for your subject before you apply is not optional.

Are Chemistry and Science Graduates Really First in Line?

Not in the published rules. The formal order of priority is by qualification, with university degree holders first, followed by graduates of intermediate institutes. No subject is ranked above another in the registration notice.

The emphasis on science came from the minister, who spoke of a focus on specialised fields such as chemistry and science at the launch. One outlet, Welat TV, reported this as a priority for science candidates, but the published registration notice ranks applicants on the level and specialisation of their qualification and names no subject as a priority. It fits the vacancy cards, where chemistry, biology and maths are open in all three governorates and accept both degree and institute graduates.

For a science graduate, the practical advantage is breadth. The biology, maths and chemistry cards are open in all three governorates and accept institute graduates as well as degree holders, while history, geography and philosophy take degree holders only, and history and geography carry a preferred age band of 23 to 45.

"Applicants must be registered in the governorate where they apply, a condition the ministries said was intended to keep teaching staff in place," in the Syria Now summary of the notice.

How Will Applicants Be Ranked and Tested?

Selection runs in stages. If more qualified people apply than there are posts, applications are sorted and ranked electronically on the level and specialisation of the qualification, the overall grade average, professional experience, skills and age. The names of accepted applicants are then published so that the remaining steps, including tests and interviews, can be completed.

The Administrative Development Minister set out the order of those steps. Tests will be held in the governorate the candidate applies for, followed by interviews and a final ranking against criteria set in the announcement. Hiring rests on actual need, merit and exact specialisation, and the same minister described the approach as one built on merit, competence, and specialization.

Substitute teachers can count their classroom time. The Education Minister confirmed that substitutes working for the ministry can apply, with their experience counted in the final scores. If you have been covering classes on a substitute contract, that experience is counted in the final scores.

There is also a separate route for the strongest graduates. The minister told parliament in mid-September that top university graduates would be appointed as teachers without having to sit a competitive exam, with lists of their names expected within days.

What Does the Home Governorate Rule Mean for You?

The Administrative Development Minister called the policy localising education. Because civil registration must be in the governorate you apply for, a graduate from Daraa or Rural Damascus competes for posts in that governorate. The stated reason is stability of the teaching process, as the Administrative Development Minister put it at the launch.

The notice words the condition as civil registration in the governorate you apply for, and it does not say how applicants who now live in another governorate are treated. One outlet, Welat TV, described the same condition as a requirement to be a resident of the governorate, so displaced applicants should check how their own case is handled before they apply.

The UNICEF education page for Syria, which does not date its figures, lists a lack of public transportation for teachers from the places they were displaced to, to the schools where they teach, among the challenges of working in Syria.

What Will the Jobs Pay?

The competition notice does not print a salary. What is on record is the pay framework for existing Education Ministry staff, and no statement yet says whether contracted teachers will be placed on it.

Education staff moved onto a special wage scale this year. Decree No. 68 of 2026 applies a special scale to workers at the Ministry of Education and other bodies, and took effect on May 1, 2026. The Finance and Education ministries later approved the lists for that increase and said staff in remote areas would receive an extra 15% allowance and staff in semi-remote areas an extra 10%. Eligibility for the raise depends on the approved lists, the job title and the employee's legal status.

In June 2025, a decree raised the minimum wage for government employees to around $75 a month (750,000 old Syrian pounds), up from around $25. We say old pounds because the central bank has since redenominated the currency, with every 100 old pounds converted into one new pound. None of the statements linked here gives a pay figure for a newly contracted teacher.

The ministry has framed the raise around the classroom. The Deputy Education Minister described classroom teachers as the priority in the distribution of the increase, and a senior physics supervisor linked the extra pay to training, particularly in the sciences.

"Almost one-third of those enrolled do not make it to the end of primary school," from the UNICEF Syria education overview, which does not date the figure.

When Do Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor Get Their Turn?

The eastern governorates are next, and the announcement did not say when later phases would open. The second phase will cover Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the integration file is closed and vacancies and needs there are identified. Other governorates will follow once their needs are worked out.

The step still pending is the integration of schools in those governorates, which has to be finished before their vacancies are counted. They will be included once the integration of schools there is completed and the number of vacancies is set. Because the first phase covers only Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa, applicants registered in the eastern governorates cannot apply in this round, and their best move is to prepare their documents now.

In June the two ministries jointly launched a competition for administrative roles in education, including heads of administrative development departments, supervisors of education complexes and senior administrative assistants across Syrian governorates.

What Else Is Changing in Syrian Schools?

Enrolment numbers have risen as refugees and displaced families return. More than 5.2 million students returned to classrooms across Syria when the 2026-2027 school year began.

The current UNICEF education page counts over 7,000 schools damaged or destroyed and about 2 million children out of school, on figures the page does not date.

The workforce is also being rebuilt from the other direction. The Education Minister told parliament in September that around 14,000 teachers dismissed for taking part in the revolution against the Assad government are to be reinstated, a plan he described as in its final stages and due to go to parliament for approval. Reinstated teachers would be entitled to work at the school closest to where they live.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this hiring round comes with clear published rules, and the applicants who do best will be the ones who read the vacancy card for their subject before anything else. The posts are for university and institute graduates, the window closes on 7 October, and the ranking looks at your qualification level and specialisation, grades, experience, skills and age.

The limits deserve plain language too. This is a contracting competition whose contract terms are not yet published, the pay figure for new teachers is not in the statements so far, and only three governorates are covered for now. A science degree helps because the science cards are wider, not because of a formal queue.

Here is what we would do:

• Check your civil registration. If it is not in Rural Damascus, Aleppo or Daraa, you cannot apply in this phase.
• Match your degree to a card. Open the vacancy file and confirm your specialisation is listed for your governorate. The English and class teacher cards list only Rural Damascus and Daraa, so Aleppo is not included.
• Apply through the official form. Applications go through the ministry's online application form, and the Education Minister stressed accuracy in the data you submit.
• Document your experience. If you have worked as a substitute, gather proof, since that experience counts toward your score.
• Prepare for the test and interview. Tests are held in the governorate you apply for, and the vacancy cards set out the lesson planning, assessment and classroom skills the job requires.

If you are just out of university, our piece on how a weak first job market can dent graduate pay explains why the choice of a first job carries weight. And our guide to what employers say new graduates are missing is a useful checklist before any interview.

Related Articles

• Teacher Certification Requirements and Why They Shape Your Teaching Salary
• Education Certification and What You Need to Know for Your Teaching Career
• Should You Switch to Teaching When the Job Market Stalls
• Essential Elementary School Teacher Skills That Get You Hired
• Types of Civil Service Jobs and How to Choose the Right Government Career Path
• Government Jobs and Why the Benefits Beat the Private Sector
• Texas Schools Turn to Uncertified Teachers Amid Teacher Shortage
• How Burned-Out US Teachers Are Restarting Their Careers in South Korea

People Also Asked

Q: When does registration close for Syria's teaching competition?

A: Online registration for the first phase closes on 7 October, and it covers more than 18,000 posts in Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Daraa.

Q: Can I apply if I already work as a substitute teacher?

A: Yes. Substitute teachers working for the Education Ministry are exempt from the rule barring current public employees, and their experience counts in the final scores.

Q: Do I need a university degree to apply?

A: Not for every post. Islamic education, Arabic, biology, English, maths and chemistry cards also accept an intermediate or teacher preparation institute qualification, while history, geography, philosophy and class teacher cards ask for a degree, as the official vacancy cards show.

Ready to explore? Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place, so you can track teaching roles alongside everything else. Create a free profile and set an alert for education jobs.