A significant number of teachers in Quintana Roo, Mexico, lack permanent positions within the public education system. Approximately 20% of the state's 16,000 elementary school teachers, or around 3,200 individuals, are considered external and do not have tenure.

These teachers are primarily located in the municipalities of Solidaridad, Cozumel, and Tulum. While they are covering classrooms, they do not have full access to all services and lack social provisions. Their payment is fee-based, which accounts for about 20% of all teachers. The majority of these teachers are concentrated in Cancún, Solidaridad, Cozumel, and Tulum.

Despite the state producing a significant number of teachers from institutions like the teaching colleges in Bacalar and Felipe Carillo Puerto, the federal government does not provide enough positions. As a result, the state government hires some teachers on fee-based contracts. However, this has led to a shortage of teachers with proper working conditions, benefits, and union representation.

The National Union of Education Workers (SNTE) in Quintana Roo has approximately 19,000 members, with around 8,000 of them being retired. María Guadalupe Bacab Can, a representative for the teachers in Cancun, explained that each year, a call is made for graduates from teaching colleges to compete for a position. However, not everyone can secure one due to the limited number of positions available, which is dependent on retirements.

Both representatives acknowledged that these two issues – the lack of permanent positions and the reliance on fee-based contracts – are negatively impacting the working conditions of the teaching profession.