Military contests gain strength with government patting and curbs on other selections

While he divides himself between studies and work as an app driver and truck driver, Vinícius Aguiar, 26, cannot contain his anxiety. Trying the contest for the Military Police of São Paulo for the second time, he thinks that now he will pass.

“I had never thought about trying a contest until 2017 and, as I never really liked the administrative area, the PM seemed like the perfect option. As I didn’t pass the first time, I ended up putting the idea in the background for a while, until I prepared better for this year’s test.”

Among the motivations, he cites the opportunities for growth that the career offers. “This has become even more important in recent years of crisis, but becoming a police officer has always been a dream.” Aguiar is not alone in seeking stability in a career in the military police or the Armed Forces.

Last year, the total number of non-temporary vacancies authorized in federal public tenders was 739 – reaching 2,187, if the provisions for the Federal Highway Police are considered, according to data from the Ministry of Economy.

At the same time, vacancies opened in 2021 in contests for the Armed Forces totaled 2,605 and states, such as São Paulo, had biannual contests for the Military Police with public notices that reach 2,700 vacancies, according to a survey by the specialized website JC Concursos.

While the military gained prominence and differentiated treatment in unpopular government agendas, such as pension reform, part of the other public administration careers lost ground with the austerity discourse in recent years.

The strong military presence in the government of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and the low supply of public tenders in federal agencies since the crisis of 2015 and 2016 also affected the daily lives of schools focused on contests.

In one of the units of the Central de Concursos preparatory course, in São Paulo, the increase in the number of students enrolled in classes for military contests was 294% between 2018 and 2021, from 53 to 209.

“The increase in the strength of contests aimed at the security and Armed Forces area has been visible in recent years, both by more conservative state governments and by the federal government. With the proximity of the elections, we are observing an even stronger trend in this sense”, says Gabriel Henrique Pinto, director of the school.

He says he believes that in addition to the proximity of speech with the Armed Forces being a hallmark of the current government, there was a lack of selections in the civilian area since the end of the government of President Dilma Rousseff, in 2016, and a growing number of candidates began to see military careers as an option.

“The profile is usually of younger candidates, who want to enter the career earning around R$ 4 thousand. And the pre-college courses had to adapt: ​​about three years ago, we practically didn’t offer classes focused on the security area. ; today, it is impossible not to offer.”

According to data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), the occupation in the public service category that includes the Forces totaled 7.6 million, while other civil servants with and without a formal contract were 3.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 .

Director of Mag Educacional, in Brasília, Cristiane Barbosa says that the search for preparatory classes for selections for the Armed Forces has tripled in the last four years. Most of the classes are geared towards tests that require elementary education, for teenagers who want to finish their training in military schools, but the search has also grown among adults.

“Many people started to consider a military career as an option and we received students from 14 to 23 years old. Those who have already passed the required age limit end up recommending them to their children or nephews”, says the director. A one-year preparatory course for a career in the Armed Forces at the school costs around R$17,000.

Barbosa agrees that, although military careers have always attracted an audience that identified with the activity and the particularities of careers in the Forces, these tests came into evidence with high unemployment and the government’s low willingness to launch contests for disputed civilian areas. , such as the Federal Revenue and Social Security.

“In some cases, it’s already been seven years without new contests. The selections for Revenue, Social Security and Central Bank continue to be highly anticipated and at some point these contests will have to come back. But we have students who ended up opting for security careers”, he says. Marcos Brito, pedagogical director of Degrau Cultural, in Rio de Janeiro.

The pre-college course, which used to wait for public notices to offer classes for selection of Navy officers, with a starting salary of around R$9,000, is now offering classes throughout the year. A 90-hour course at the Rio school costs around R$1,200.

“Unemployment and the search for stability are issues that have become more relevant in recent years, of turmoil and crisis. We always emphasize that the decision to try such a contest should be a two-year plan”, says Brito.

According to the director, students in classes in other careers today do not expect a flood of new competitions for civil careers this year, but they are trying to start preparing now for future selections. “At some point, the other contests will come back. Do you remember that the government needed to put military personnel to work in Social Security agencies? It’s symbolic.”

In São Paulo, the state government suspended competitions and appointments until December 31 of last year, to prioritize resources to combat the pandemic. The decision affected those looking for an opportunity in bodies, such as Detran-SP, leading to a volume of complaints.

According to the São Paulo government, the Detran public tender was extended for two years from December 2021. “Due to the expansion of digital processes and the integration of the agency with Poupatempo is still in progress, the Detran assesses where there will be a need to more collaborators.”

The Government Secretariat also says it is analyzing the continuity of progress in the phases of the SPPrev (São Paulo Previdência) contest, which are pending completion.

The state government also refuted the possible preference for the tests for the Military Police. “It is illogical to point out a disparity in the treatment between the military and civilians, since this month a public notice was opened for the hiring of 2,500 civil police officers across the state.”

Asked about the competitions opened in recent years, the Ministry of Defense said that the selections are organized directly by each of the Forces. According to the Air Force, 4,856 were opened between 2018 and 2021, at the Air Force Academy, Air Cadet Preparatory School, Aeronautics Specialist School and Aeronautics Instruction and Adaptation Center.

According to the Army, 7,128 vacancies were opened in the same period, at the Preparatory School for Army Cadets, at the Complementary Training School, at the Army Health School, at the School of Sergeants of Arms and at the Military Institute of Engineering.

The Navy did not respond.

See examples of military contests in 2022:

Aeronautics: Aviation officers, quartermasters and infantry

Registration: from 7.mar to 23.mar
Vacancies: 85
Education: high school
Remuneration: from BRL 1,500 to BRL 10,000

Aeronautics: Official

Registration: until 13.mar
Vacancies: 159
Positions: Doctor, engineer, dentist
Remuneration: BRL 7,490 to BRL 8,245

Army: EspPCEx (Cadet Preparatory School)

Registration: until 23.May
Vacancies: 440
Position: cadet, up to 22 years old
Remuneration: from BRL 1,300 to BRL 7,500

navy: apprentice sailor

Registration: from March 28 to April 10
Vacancies: 686
Position: apprentice, up to 21 years old
Remuneration: from BRL 1,398 to BRL 2,294

Sources: Organizers and JC