There are plenty of work opportunities in the EU Institutions. You may consider a policy development role for instance, where you’ll be involved in suggesting new types of legislation to help make the EU work more effectively on issues such as climate change or energy. Or you may be involved in areas like research, negotiating with countries outside the EU.
Go straight to a full explanation of positions available in the European Institutions.
Read on to find out how the different professional areas are categorised.
Ok, so this is where the jargon starts. Unfortunately a lot of the 'English' terms used aren't what we might normally use in the UK. But we hope the details below will provide you with enough explanation.
So what can I do?
Become an Administrator
The main in-road for graduates is through an Administrators (AD) role. Administrators encompass:
- policy-makers
- lawyers
- economists
- translators
- many more specific disciplines.
It is the middle-senior management grade.
Administrator positions are normally recruited through annual open competitions. Online registration for these usually opens in March of each year.
Other entry routes into the EU Institutions
Non-graduates
Non graduates can apply to sit an ‘Assistants’ (AST) competition. These are permanent positions, also recruited through open competition. These are typically support roles, working in the field of budgetary and financial affairs, personnel, or computing, but may also involve assisting with policy implementation.
Find out more about the Assistant's competition.
Fixed Term Contract positions
The EU Institutions also often look to fill specific positions on fixed-term contracts. These may require specialist skills or knowledge.
These vacancies, usually calling for ‘temporary agents’ or ‘contract agents’ are advertised on the EPSO website.
Candidates will need to meet the recruitment criteria and go through the assessment process. This tends to be less rigorous than the competitions for permanent roles though.
