The Teaching Competencies of SFL Teachers at the Instituto Cervantes: Competency Profile and Type of Contract.

The competencies of teachers, their professional development, and reflective practice are key issues for foreign language instructors. To address these aspects, reference documents have been developed that propose a categorization of teaching competencies and provide evaluation grids. The aim of this study is to determine the relationships between teaching competencies based on the type of contract and their effect on teachers' professional development. A questionnaire on competencies of Spanish as a foreign language teachers was designed based on the document The Key Competencies of Teachers from the Instituto Cervantes. Factorial analysis applied to the responses of a group of teachers (N = 67) at the Instituto Cervantes identified several subcompetencies within the original competencies. The results allowed for the characterization of the teachers' competency development and the exploration of relationships established between different competencies. Comparisons showed differences between permanent teachers and collaborators regarding their involvement in professional development and participation in teaching improvement activities at the institution. While permanent teachers report high active participation at the center, among collaborators, this participation is more variable and affects the development of other competencies.