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Frequently Asked Questions Useful links

• How good does my second language need to be? European Careers website:
No formal qualification is needed. However, you need to
be reasonably fluent in your second language and you http://eu-careers.eu
will be required to sit your assessment tests in that lan-
guage. Europa Gateway to Europe: Be honest:
• What if I have a disability? From here you can link to all the EU Institutions and What do you want
from a career?
The EU Institutions apply a policy of equal opportunities Agencies which offer EU Careers.
without discrimination on any grounds, including dis-
ability. We make every effort to meet the specific needs http://europa.eu
of candidates wanting to work for the EU.

• Can I apply before my degree has been awarded?

Exceptionally, for this annual cycle EPSO will only accept
applications from candidates who have already received
European Personnel Selection Office
EU Careers
their degrees. From March 2011, it will be possible to apply
before your degree has been awarded.
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) delivers a
• Where will I work? staff selection service to the highest professional standards on
behalf of the EU Institutions.
Face a bigger challenge
The majority of staff are based in Brussels and Luxembourg.
Approximately 15% of EU officials work both across Europe
and the world.
C 80 0/70
B-1049 Brussels
• How do I apply?
Tel. (32-2) 29-93 13 1
Please visit our website eu-careers.eu or see our separate Fax (32-2) 29-57 48 8
leaflet (EU Careers: The Selection Procedure) for more infor- http://www.eu-careers.eu
mation on how to apply and the different kinds of careers
that we offer.
Why EU Careers?
A career with the EU Institutions gives you:
• A lifetime of different jobs
• Interesting and challenging work that makes a
real difference for Europe
• An environment where you are encouraged to
learn new skills and languages
• The opportunity to work and travel abroad,
and work with people from all over Europe
• An attractive benefits package
Graduate candidates are typically suited for what
we term Administrator careers, involving draft-
ing policies and implementing EU law, managing
projects, developing communication strategies,
providing legal advice, and many other tasks in
different fields of responsibility.
What we look for
We are looking for the best graduates across Europe:
•  You have a motivation to work for Europe and
you want to make a difference to the lives of its 500
million citizens.
•  You have strong analytical, organisational and
communication skills and can adapt easily to a
variety of environments and stakeholders.
•  You have the drive to deliver results and the
ability to work effectively as part of a multi-cultural
team.
•  You are eager to learn and develop your know-
ledge and skills.
•  You would like to use and enhance your lan-
guage abilities.
Hi my name is Silvija and I How to apply
work in the Legal Unit of DG
Environment.
In order to become an EU official, you will have to
After finishing my studies in take part in an open competition. Separate com-
EU law it was the experience as petitions are organised for Linguists (translators
a trainee at the Commission’s and interpreters) and Specialists.
Legal Service that inspired
me to take the next step and
Registration for competitions begins in the same
apply for a job in the Institutions.
I am responsible for the handling month every year:
of infringement procedures • Administrators: March
to ensure compliance with EU
Environmental law. This involves
• Linguists: July
close co-operation with national • Assistants: December
authorities and EU citizens.
The profiles we are looking for (eg: Law, Audit)
Brussels has a great variety of cultural events and is also ideally may vary from year to year as well as the language
located for visiting London, Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam and needs for linguists.
almost anywhere else in Europe you can think of!
Competitions for Specialist profiles are published on
I’m Charles and I work as a an ad hoc basis. Please consult our website regularly.
translator in DGT. I work in the
English Language Dept. here
and I translate from Maltese,
Spanish, French, Greek, Ital-
ian, Estonian and Swedish.
I began a competition to join the
institutions as soon as I finished
my BA degree in Modern Lan-
guages. I lived in Paris during
the competition then moved to
Brussels 5 years ago to work in
DG Translation. I translate from a
range of source languages into
English on all kinds of subjects,
mostly to facilitate the work of my Commission colleagues in
other DGs. Types of Administrator Profiles 2010
I am very happy living in Brussels not just because it is a won- • March: European Public Administration, Law, Econo-
derful place in itself, but also because it is great to work and mics, Audit, Information and Communication Technology
live in such a multicultural (and multilingual!) environment.
• July: Translators for Danish, German, English, French
and Slovenian. Interpreters for Bulgarian, English,
Silvija and Charles are two of our Raconteurs. You can learn more
Dutch, Romanian and Slovenian. (Linguists)
about their work and that of the other Raconteurs from across the
EU Institutions by following them on Facebook and Twitter. You can • April: We will also be running several smaller selec-
find the links on our website: www.eu-careers.eu tion procedures for specialists. Details will be pub-
lished later in 2010. (Specialists)