Despite significant advancements in vocational education and training in Spain, the persistently high dropout rates are a cause for concern, with 41.7% of students in Basic VET and 30.7% in Intermediate VET discontinuing their education. Previous research has indicated the positive impact of teachers’ sense of self-efficacy on teaching practices and teacher-student relations, as well as the decisive role that teachers play in promoting student engagement. The objective of this study is to examine the socio-occupational variables that influence the sense of self-efficacy of the VET teachers. This study endeavors to examine the influence of socio-occupational characteristics including gender, specialization, teacher training, employment status, and professional teaching experience, on VET teachers’ self-efficacy. To accomplish this, the Teachers Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) was administered to 277 VET teachers. Analyses were conducted using Student's t-test and one way analyses of variance (ANOVAS). The findings confirm that employment status and years of experience at the current workplace are two highly influential factors affecting teachers’ sense of self-efficacy. Teachers with a permanent employment status generally exhibit a higher overall sense of self-efficacy. Specifically, those with fixed-term contracts demonstrate greater efficacy in fostering student engagement, efficacy in applied teaching strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Moreover, increasing years of teaching experience at the current workplace positively impact teachers’ self-efficacy. As teachers accumulate more experience in the same environment, their overall sense of self-efficacy, their efficacy in fostering student engagement, and their efficacy in applied teaching strategies tend to improve. The findings provide insights into how specific socio-occupational factors influence teachers’ self-efficacy. They underscore the need for educational authorities to implement measures aimed at improving teachers’ professional environment. Enhancing teachers’ employment status is crucial as it enhances their self-efficacy, enabling them to significantly and positively impact on students. This improvement contributes to greater student success and serves to mitigate the risk of student dropout.