The sheer number of comments at the main post ‘So I Won’t Be A Commission Official‘ has been causing problems, so all the old comments are here instead, and hence searchable.
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@Penko
Hi Penko, could you send me the book at iosuba2002@yahoo.com.
Thank you very much!
Anyone know of the cut-off mark for the preselection test in the competition for Linguistic Administrators having English as their main language’ AD/100/07?
@riviere
What exactly is your profile? I see that RELEX 2008 is not as wide as RELEX CAST27 was. Maybe they don’t have enough candidates in certain profiles. For example, in FGIV, there are no IT vacancies. So, CAST27 database is still valid. Have you already checked that your profile exists in the new CAST?
Pass rate in group, FGIII, was above 80% ^^
Well, Ob, I would really like to know what your source or evidence is for the explanation you provide.
But even on its own terms it does not make a great deal of sense ( to me): viz, accepting ( for the sake of argument ) that some of those who passed ( and btw it was about 50% of those who sat the test who passed, as I recall, not ‘almost all’ ) are ‘useless’ because the pass threshold was set too low, it does not follow that everyone who passed is ‘useless’.
It would be up to the selectors to make their own assessment on the basis of CV and interviews. Is there anyone one could write to about this with any expectation of a considered reply ? As I say, it is difficult if one is alone in querying rejection: you just look like a bad loser thus giving further proof of why you were unsuitable in the first place…..
These comps are one giant quod erat demonstrandum (or rather quis erint approbandi).
They do provide me with a nice hobby though.
frustrated caulden, the high pass rates were indeed fishy but what was even more fishy was EPSO’s decision to remove a bunch of questions from the test, without giving any explanation about it.
I’m sure that if they had decided to keep the original test intact, the pass rate would have been quite normal.
@riviere
Apart the age, you seem to be too much qualified, they don’t like that. Persons able to shake the system are not welcome at the institutions … you see what I mean.
RELEX pass rates were a clear sign something fishy was up.
I have the feeling finally more and more people are starting to understand how rigged these selections are. The commission does how it pleases and epso as its little lap dog puts out pseudo competitions at the commission’s call.
High pass rates, low depletion rates and annual comp frequencies…. enjoy!
@riviere
Apparently the explanation for this CAST2008 RELEX oddity is far more simple :
As you remember, there was a problem for CAST27 RELEX which caused a delay in the results’ publication. The problem was that many of the TA’s already employed in delegations failed the test. EPSO then decided to remove the more difficult questions from the test so that the insiders would make it.
Now that most insiders have been rehired, they are stuck with a useless list. Since almost every applicant passed the test, even the worst ones, they can’t use the list anymore.
Meaning they have to do a brand new RELEX test which would really select the better candidates out of all applicants.
I passed the Relex – Political Matters Advisor specialism – last year along with 264 others, according to the published results. So simply on the basis that there were some 14 times as many persons qualified as there were posts to e filled it would not have surprised me to not be interviewed.
[ We were told there were some 16 ( or was it 13? ) vacancies in this category. Have they all been filled? ]
However, the implication of this new Test is that they have been unable to find sufficient suitable people for their vacancies from those ( many!) who passed last year. In particular they obviously find me unsuitable ( if they have indeed actually looked at my CV ).
I have never been contacted for any kind of interview or followed up in any way. I am English language mother tongue, with fluent Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian ( so there are a lot of countries I could potentially serve in ). I am a (modern languages) graduate of the University of Oxford, plus subsequently qualified as a lawyer. I have many years’ work experience both nationally and internationally. In other words any objective observer (I believe) would say that subject to satisactory interview this person looks to have everything needed by way of qualifications and experience to do a decent job in one of the Delegations, probably in Latin America or Africa or in an International Organization.
The only reason I can imagine I have not been contacted is ageism. There used -disgracefully – to be a formal age barrier to employment in the EU but perhaps there is still an informal one ?
I believe my not having been contacted is some evidence that at minimum RELEX has not exhausted the possibilities of the candidates who passed last year.
Perhaps those of us in like situations should contact someone in authority within Relex to require a detailed answer ? Or the Ombudsman? The trouble with one or two persons making a complaint is that it can be shrugged off as the complainant being a ‘bad loser’. But if enough people made the same claim it might make a difference ?
But to whom would one write in Relex to ask what is going on ? Or to whom elsewhere ?
Are others intending to complain ? Or seek full clarification ?
@Penko
Thank you for beeing so kind to send me a copy of your preparation material and wish you all the best!
nfanis@pt.lu
@Penko
Hi Penko, could you send me the book at lailla_16@abv.bg? Many thanks
I’m in the CAST27RELEX list and never been contacted.. this new call is really unfair.. probably someone that should have been inside the list wasn’t able to be in… so..
Moreover, in the last call if you applied for RELEX you couldn’t apply for CAST27 positions not-RELEX and viceversa. This means that with this new call many people already in the CAST27 list for not-RELEX positions can now apply for RELEX positions.. and of course NOT viceversa.. if this is not unfair…
I really hoped the UE would be different
This new CAST2008 RELEX call is a joke.
I passed the damn CAST27RELEX exam and, so far, have only been contacted once for a job in a delegation which didn’t interest me one bit.
And I know several people on the CAST27RELEX lists who have never been contacted even once.
hi, I passed AD/25/05 last year, and although I am trying hard… nothing so far (Belgian nationality sucks ;-). If people are in same situation: mail me at piente.vantieds at hotmail . com
By the way: those interested in my home made course material that helped me pass the concours can always ask me. I have 1 old copy left (about 400 pages typed: all you need to know). No problem to meet up in Brussels once after work.
Does anybody know what the hell is this CAST RELEX 2008 (http://europa.eu/epso/CA_relex/call_CA_en.htm)???
Are we supposed to examinate AGAIN for the SAME posts??? this is insane!
@Penko
Hi Penko, could you send me the book at rcorvaglia@skynet.be? Many thanks
Penko, I would really appreciate if you could send me that book in PDF. Thanks in advance.
mjbjosh[at]gmail.com
@RIS
Thanks, will see …, do you have CAST 25 or CAST 27 MCQ past test ?
@Nola
You don’t have to pass any exam in order to become a Temporary Agent (TA). Most of the agencies post their needs for TAs at EPSO web site. The truth is that I haven’t seen much posts from DGs, during the last year that I am watching that page. This “quota” thing, sometimes is quite annoying.
But anyway, we all know that the committees who chose the persons for the reserve lists and then the Executive Directors who take the finally decisions, might doing a very good and decent job, but their job is far from being transparent. I have applied for many TA positions, but I have never been informed about the final reserve list, neither any list is published anywhere. What if I have objections about someone from the list that I might happen to know?
@Dimitar,
I am not 100% sure, but I believe there is no text provided. I see it more as a topic from your speciality field).
Let’s take the IT security management:
“A EU Agency wants to migrate its infrastructure to new servers. The main objective is to provide the highest security with an acceptable level of service.
What would you suggest -Linux? Windows?something else? Why? What ISO standards would be useful to you…. ”
Something like an university paperwork. But, it is just my guess.
@Jon
I wrote a very long comment which disappeared because I forgot to type in my email; now I have to write it all over again which slightly annoys me.
@Oscar
The letter in paper form was sent from DG Admin to our goverment (perm rep), they sent it to our ministry. A certain DG is looking for temporary agents rank AD5 and AD8, from certain EU10 countries for which the quota is not full yet.
The letter was scanned and distributed electronically among our ministry. Deadline for application was 1 week. They needed a motivation letter, a CV and scanned supporting documents, lots of them. They had to be sent to their email address.
This competition is not published or mentioned anywhere on EC web sites. The reserve list is made available only for one particular DG.
Candidates don’t have to pass any exam; a good CV and an interview, that’s enough. The interview was pretty much what everyone else described – 30 minutes, 3 people, ..
regards
Nola
@ RIS
I’m also been selected for the Epso AST41 do you think the written test will be a text summary or a technical description of some scenario ?
@Nola:
What does “internal channels only” mean?
I think that these opportunities should be open to anybody within your country, shouldn’t they?
For national civil servants, the “Seconded National Experts” role already exists in EU bodies.
Best,
Oscar
Hello everyone
I’m reading your comments since 9AM and find them very useful.
Has anyone of you managed to get on a reserve list of temporary agents without an open competition?
This happens to be my case though. One of the DG’s ordered the DG ADMIN, in order to fill the national quota, to prepare a reserve list of suitable candidates. The call was spread through our internal channels only. I sent my documents in electronic form in September 2007, had an oral interview in February 2008, got a letter in March that my name is on the list. The list hasn’t been published anywhere.
The told me at the interview (because I asked) that the DG is going to choose their candidates from the list in April; their choices will be based on their present needs, our qualifications and experiences (position AD8) and the nationality quota, of course (which is very small for my country, EU10). My professional background, however, is not considered to be very useful and I shall be very lucky if the DG had a job opening for me.
Thank you for any response.
@RIS
I forgot to say that you can also keep the booklet with the exam questions.
@RIS
They collect your previous essay, but they do not collect the scrap paper that you used. As I had a kind of draft of my essay, I could use it for the memo in my mother tongue. It seems they don´t have any problem with that.
Good luck.
@Penko
Could you please send me the book at me_sorina@yahoo.com ? Many thanks.
it’s another way of saying “poorly paid”…the salaries depend on the experience, but my feeling is that from your description you should expect around EUR1000-1300/ month.
To all those of you who work in Brussels, do you know
what a “Salary according to NGO standards in Brussels” would mean for a Policy Officer?
And would one be able to live well of it there?
And is NGO lobbying, networking and policy work in Brussels a good way to get an EU job later?
THX,
Florian
@Penko
Would it be possible to send me the pdf as well?
dess_p@hotmail.com
thanx in advance,
dessi
@Penko
Thanks a lot:)
@Penko
I will join few others with kind request of PDF test book, please. Many thanks
evkutis12@googlemail.com
@ RIS
I passed the concours and now I am one of the many waiting…
As for your question, the break between the essay and the briefing note parts is just 5 min. so your memory will be fresh anyway.
they do collect the papers from test B, so at test C you will have to summarize from your memory.
@ Kiril,
Thanks for the Info.
It looks it becomes the preffered format of the written test both for AD and AST level.
Do you remember if they collect your papers (the available subjects and your draft and answer papers) from the first part before going to the second one. Or it is still available to you when you are writing the note, so you do not need to remmember your conclusion and main ideas from the first part.
I hope you passed your AD concours.
Damn, I hadn’t thought about that. Sorry.
Absolutely I would host any EU-related docs, but no way I am hosting copyrighted material :-]
@ penko
You should send the pdf testbook to Breach so he could host it on is site. He did that for the Kallas note to EPSO that I got — then it’s available for everybody, and you don’t need to keep sending it.
Of course, that is if Breach is so inclined. 🙂
@Nova
No problem, p.gadjev at yahoo.com
@ RIS
In my case (AD level competition), the format of Test I was an essay in your second language. So, the briefing note (II), which is in your native language, was kind of a summary of the essay. Thus, in my opinion, it is not the format which matters so much – it seems that the style and the abiity to summarize are more important. Keep also in mind that the time for writing the briefing note is quite short- in my case 30 min.
@Penko
Hi!
I am invited to submit full application for the EPSO/AST/43/07 competition, also financial management. Would you mind if we exchange information about it on our personal emails?
I’ve also passed CAST 27, same area, and, as Olivia said, it was quite easy.
About the “Brieffing Note” on the written exam
Hi,
I have noticed that the recent EPSO concours have a written tests composed of two parts:
I)test on a subject
II) Brief Memo “summarizing” the paper written in the first part :
“…(I) A test on a subject of your choice in the field concerned, to assess:
— your knowledge;
— your ability to understand, analyse and summarise; and
— your drafting ability.
(II)
Drafting a brief memo in your main language (language 1) setting out the arguments and conclusions of written test (I). This test is intended to assess your command of your main language in terms of both drafting and presentation.”
Do you have any experience with this type of test, especially with the brief note – what should be the format of the note, is it evaluated by the same members of the jury as the part I)? Is there any written example of the Brief Note close to the one expected by Epso?
Please disregard the previous post. Apparently, I am still seepy this morning and somehow touched wrong keys. Just wanted to share that I found the following book about EU competitions quite valuable:
“The EU open competitions – a Roadmap to Success” by Robert Gielisse, 2006. It contains pretty much everything you need to now for the entire procedure. It may seem quite general at first glance, but it is actually not. This book helped me a lot to make it to the reserve list.
-++
Penko,
If it is possible, please send the file to kalin_galin at yahoo.com
Thanks 🙂
@Penko
Thanks a lot. If you could send the PDF to inikolov@stuart.iit.edu
Best of luck!
Hallo to everyone…
I’ve been reading this post for 1 year now and I have posted some remarks…just to share with you that I just found out that I did not make it since I failed at the oral test…I passed the CBT, the written tests but not the last stage , the oral test…..although I tried really really hard…Good luck to all of you and may your dream come true.
@Olivia
Thanks for the info. Yes, the second part of the test will be an essay in “the field I have chosen”. That’s two hours. There is a third part, as well, in which I have to summarize the essay in Bulgarian.
@John4
No, I bought a book, “The Ultimate EU Test Book”, but I didn’t have time to study, so I just did 2 or 3 tests from it. But the questions on the test seemed ridiculously easy, with some exceptions that I’m sure no one knows the answer to, like “Which were the cultural capitals of Europe n 2002?”.
I have a great test book in PDF format, if you post your email I can send it to you.
@Penko
Did you use any online tests to prepare?