Ana Catarina Figueiredo
41 years old · Castelo Branco (interior Centro)
Secondary school teacher (History and Geography)
Persona: Teacher Interior Portugal
Ana Catarina Figueiredo
Quick Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Ana Catarina Figueiredo |
| Age | 41 |
| Gender | Female |
| Location | Castelo Branco (interior Centro) |
| Occupation | Secondary school teacher (History and Geography) |
| Education | Licenciatura + Teaching qualification |
| Housing | Owns small apartment (bought 2015, mortgage) |
| Family | Single, no children, aging mother nearby |
| Voter Status | Portuguese citizen - can vote |
Background Narrative
Ana Catarina is from Lisbon but has spent 15 years teaching in the interior because that's where the positions were. She accepted a placement in Castelo Branco at 26, planning to transfer back to the coast "in a few years." Those years kept extending—first because positions were scarce, then because she'd built a life here.
She teaches in a school that's lost half its students in 15 years. Classes combine grades because there aren't enough children for separate rooms. Young teachers do their mandatory interior service and flee at the first opportunity. She stays because her students need her, because her mother is here now, because leaving feels like giving up.
She earns €1,600/month after 15 years—not bad for Portugal, but she watches her Lisbon friends progress while she stagnates. The teacher shortage is real, but so is the misery of interior postings. Politicians talk about education but never about why teaching in rural Portugal means professional sacrifice.
Economic Situation
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income level | Middle (€1,600/month net) |
| Income source | Public sector salary (stable) |
| Financial stress | Low-Moderate |
| Housing cost burden | 25% (mortgage) |
| Economic trajectory | Stable but geographically stuck |
Values Profile (Schwartz Framework)
Higher-Order Values
| Dimension | Rating | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Transcendence | 5 | Education as mission; cares deeply about students |
| Self-Enhancement | 2 | Not career-climbing; finds meaning in teaching |
| Openness to Change | 3 | Intellectual curiosity; but change has been loss |
| Conservation | 3 | Values community; but tradition alone won't save interior |
Specific Values (Top 3 priorities)
- Universalism: Equal opportunity for interior kids; social justice
- Benevolence: Her students, her mother, her community
- Self-Direction: Intellectual freedom; teaching as creative act
Moral Politics Frame (Lakoff)
Primary frame: Nurturant Parent (strong)
Expression: Ana believes in nurturing potential, investing in people, creating opportunity. She's frustrated by a system that abandons rural students and the teachers who serve them.
Information Ecosystem
| Source Type | Specific Sources | Trust Level |
|---|---|---|
| TV | RTP, SIC | Medium |
| Online | Público, education blogs, Facebook | Medium-High |
| Social Media | Facebook (teacher groups), some Instagram | Medium |
| None regular | N/A | |
| Community | Colleagues, union, students' families | High |
Media consumption pattern: Follows education news closely. Facebook teacher groups for professional venting. Reads Público for broader perspective. Engaged with union communications.
Political Profile
Voting History
| Election | Vote | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Legislative | PS | "Education investment promises" |
| 2022 Legislative | BE | "More radical on public services" |
| 2021 Presidential | Marcelo | "Seemed to understand education" |
| Historical pattern | Center-left to left; public services focus |
Political Identity
- Left-Right self-placement: 3/10 (center-left)
- Party identification: Weak PS/BE; frustrated with both
- Political engagement: Moderate—votes, union member, occasional protests
2026 Presidential Inclination
- Current leaning: Undecided (Seguro or Catarina Martins)
- Certainty: Undecided
- Key deciding factors: Education policy, interior investment, public services
Top Concerns (Ranked)
- Interior abandonment: "My school is dying. We've lost 200 students in 15 years."
- Teacher conditions: "They expect us to save rural Portugal on €1,600/month."
- Mother's care: "She's 72 and needs me. The nearest specialist is 2 hours away."
- Professional isolation: "No career growth here. I'm frozen in place."
- Student futures: "I teach them, then watch them leave. What's the point?"
Hopes
For herself:
"I want my work to matter. To see former students succeed, maybe even come back. To feel like I chose to stay, not that I'm trapped."
For Portugal:
"I hope we remember that education happens outside Lisbon too. That interior kids deserve as much as coastal kids. That teachers are valued, not forgotten."
For her students:
"I hope some of them stay, or come back. Build something here. Prove that the interior can be a place to live, not just leave."
Fears
Personal fears:
"Being the last teacher to turn off the lights when this school closes. Watching my mother need care I can't provide. Growing old here alone."
Fears for Portugal:
"That we accept interior death as inevitable. That 'Portugal' becomes the coast and the rest is just empty space."
Deepest fear (often unspoken):
"That I wasted my career here. That I should have fought for a Lisbon posting. That my sacrifice was romantic foolishness."
"In Their Own Voice"
How she'd describe Portugal today:
"Two countries. The coast where things happen, where young people build lives, where hospitals have doctors. And the interior where we make do, where schools close, where staying feels like heroism and leaving feels like survival. Politicians visit during campaigns, promise investment, then forget we exist."
What she'd say to someone who disagrees with her politically:
"Come teach here for a year. Not visit—teach. Watch a 15-year-old student realize there's nothing for her here. Watch yourself tell her she can succeed, knowing she'll leave. Then tell me about education policy."
Her message to politicians:
"Stop treating interior teachers as temporary placements to escape. Give us reasons to stay—incentives, career paths, support. And invest in our schools before there's nothing left to save."
Scenario Response Predictions
| Candidate | Predicted Response | Key Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Ventura | Negative | Doesn't trust his education views; divisive |
| Gouveia e Melo | Neutral | Competent, but education not his focus |
| Marques Mendes | Neutral | Traditional right; public services skepticism |
| Seguro | Moderately Positive | PS education focus; but delivered? |
| Catarina Martins | Positive | Public services champion; values align |
| Cotrim Figueiredo | Negative | Market approach threatens public schools |
| António Filipe | Positive | Workers' rights; but PCP old-fashioned |
Notes for Scenario Development
- The "reluctant hero" of interior—stayed when others left
- School as community anchor in dying region
- Mother as anchor preventing any remaining mobility
- Student relationships as emotional center
- Could interact with: students, departing young teachers, local officials, parents
- In "Day in the Future" vignettes: half-empty classrooms, graduation ceremonies, mother's medical trips, watching former students on social media