diff --git a/avocado/core/test.py b/avocado/core/test.py
index 6500063125a1048dd44cfb2baa3bb22e85344807..759a804f1a38cf2c7a75760b20583859c662b1fe 100644
--- a/avocado/core/test.py
+++ b/avocado/core/test.py
@@ -47,6 +47,11 @@ else:
     import unittest
 
 
+#: Environment variable used to store the location of a tmpfile which is
+#: preserved across all tests execution (usually in one job)
+COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME = 'AVOCADO_TESTS_COMMON_TMPDIR'
+
+
 class NameNotTestNameError(Exception):
 
     """
@@ -286,7 +291,7 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
         Returns the path of the temporary directory that will stay the
         same for all tests in a given Job.
         """
-        env_var = 'AVOCADO_TESTS_COMMON_TMPDIR'
+        env_var = COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME
         path = os.environ.get(env_var)
         if path is None:
             msg = 'Environment Variable %s is not set.' % env_var
diff --git a/avocado/plugins/teststmpdir.py b/avocado/plugins/teststmpdir.py
index 18a7da2790f09a97def84d430f8d31647161ab27..7626e40dd68ce4158b52acc6eaf1417294238a29 100644
--- a/avocado/plugins/teststmpdir.py
+++ b/avocado/plugins/teststmpdir.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import shutil
 import tempfile
 
 from avocado.core.plugin_interfaces import JobPre, JobPost
+from avocado.core import test
 
 
 class TestsTmpDir(JobPre, JobPost):
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ class TestsTmpDir(JobPre, JobPost):
     description = 'Creates a temporary directory for tests consumption'
 
     def __init__(self):
-        self._varname = 'AVOCADO_TESTS_COMMON_TMPDIR'
+        self._varname = test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME
         self._dirname = None
 
     def pre(self, job):
diff --git a/selftests/functional/test_teststmpdir.py b/selftests/functional/test_teststmpdir.py
index 31c93febe07efd39c564cba8bf14763b0dd51c70..9f5bc555aabb2d07933f062202a3d13df0b82151 100644
--- a/selftests/functional/test_teststmpdir.py
+++ b/selftests/functional/test_teststmpdir.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ else:
     import unittest
 
 from avocado.core import exit_codes
+from avocado.core import test
 from avocado.utils import process
 from avocado.utils import script
 
@@ -23,23 +24,21 @@ import tempfile
 from avocado import Test
 class MyTest(Test):
     def test1(self):
-        file = os.path.join(self.teststmpdir,
-                            next(tempfile._get_candidate_names()))
-        open(file, "w+").close()
+        tempfile.mkstemp(dir=self.teststmpdir)
         if len(os.listdir(self.teststmpdir)) != 2:
             self.fail()
 
 """
 
 SIMPLE_SCRIPT = """#!/bin/bash
-mktemp ${AVOCADO_TESTS_COMMON_TMPDIR}/XXXXXX
-if [ $(ls ${AVOCADO_TESTS_COMMON_TMPDIR} | wc -l) == 1 ]
+mktemp ${{{0}}}/XXXXXX
+if [ $(ls ${{{0}}} | wc -l) == 1 ]
 then
     exit 0
 else
     exit 1
 fi
-"""
+""".format(test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME)
 
 
 class TestsTmpDirTests(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -55,20 +54,45 @@ class TestsTmpDirTests(unittest.TestCase):
             INSTRUMENTED_SCRIPT)
         self.instrumented_test.save()
 
-    def run_and_check(self, cmd_line, expected_rc):
+    def run_and_check(self, cmd_line, expected_rc, env=None):
         os.chdir(basedir)
-        result = process.run(cmd_line, ignore_status=True)
+        result = process.run(cmd_line, ignore_status=True, env=env)
         self.assertEqual(result.exit_status, expected_rc,
                          "Command %s did not return rc "
                          "%d:\n%s" % (cmd_line, expected_rc, result))
         return result
 
+    @unittest.skipIf(test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME in os.environ,
+                     "%s already set in os.environ"
+                     % test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME)
     def test_tests_tmp_dir(self):
+        """
+        Tests whether automatically created teststmpdir is shared across
+        all tests.
+        """
         cmd_line = ("./scripts/avocado run --sysinfo=off "
                     "--job-results-dir %s %s %s" %
                     (self.tmpdir, self.simple_test, self.instrumented_test))
         self.run_and_check(cmd_line, exit_codes.AVOCADO_ALL_OK)
 
+    def test_manualy_created(self):
+        """
+        Tests whether manually set teststmpdir is used and not deleted by
+        avocado
+        """
+        shared_tmp = tempfile.mkdtemp(dir=self.tmpdir)
+        cmd = ("./scripts/avocado run --sysinfo=off "
+               "--job-results-dir %s %%s" % self.tmpdir)
+        self.run_and_check(cmd % self.simple_test, exit_codes.AVOCADO_ALL_OK,
+                           {test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME: shared_tmp})
+        self.run_and_check(cmd % self.instrumented_test,
+                           exit_codes.AVOCADO_ALL_OK,
+                           {test.COMMON_TMPDIR_NAME: shared_tmp})
+        content = os.listdir(shared_tmp)
+        self.assertEqual(len(content), 2, "The number of tests in manually "
+                         "set teststmpdir is not 2 (%s):\n%s"
+                         % (len(content), content))
+
     def tearDown(self):
         shutil.rmtree(self.tmpdir)