The results of the concours for administrators are now out, and – surprise, surprise – I did not manage to pass. Here’s the extract of the letter:
The selection board for the above competition has now finished marking the pre-selection tests in which you participated. I regret to inform you that although the marks you obtained in these tests were above or equal to the pass mark, you were not amongst the top 630 candidates.
Point B.1 of the competition notice stipulates that only those candidates with the 630 highest marks in the pre-selection tests would be asked to submit a full application with a view to their possible admission to the competition.
Your marks are as follows (1):
Test a): 38.333 /60 (pass mark 30)
Test b): 15.263 /20 (pass mark 10)
Test c): 30.769 /40 (pass mark 20)Total: 84.365/ 120
For your information, the candidates who obtained the 630 highest combined scores had at least 92.611 points.
I would add that the Selection Board’s decision does not preclude you from taking part in any future competitions organised by the European Personnel Selection Office.
It’s beyond me how one can get 15.263 / 20 when there were 40 questions, but anyway, c’est la vie. All the best to all the geeks who know who won the Sakharov prize in the year X or other equally useful everyday facts.
FILE DOWNLOADS
Blog commenter ‘viking’ has made some new test files available for download, and he had also supplied the manual for electronic Reserve Lists. Some additional test files have been provided by Sorina (see comment #1003) – download 342kb, ZIPped. Enjoy!
SOCIAL NETWORKS
If anyone is a member of Facebook there’s the ‘So I won’t be a Commission official’ Facebook Group, and the EU Integration Traveler IQ challenge (you need to add the Traveler IQ Facebook application) – a more fun way to revise for the concours…
NOTE
Due to such an enormous number of comments here I have had to divide the comments function. The latest few hundred comments are below, and all the older comments are archived here. All should work technically now.
Luxembourg, language.
That really depends a lot on where you want to live, the city is mainly french speaking and with it or even english you are fine….
The countryside, that could mean 10km far from the city (including strassen), is another history. Basically it depends on the direction you move to. Toward Germany it is evident that the language is luxembourguish or german, then english and only if none of the previous ones is possible french. But if you move toward France, you should change the order and probably is french, then luxembourguish, then english and then german. Toward Belgium is more luxembourguish and french in a equal footing.
In other words, do not worry, there would be a place fit for you here. The only thing is to pay attention to which language do you want it to be your main language communicating with people.
Good luck
With reference to Sunflower’s comments on vacancies created for specific profile of a person: YES I have seen it in Agencies. “Candidate needs to speak such and such language, such and such title, have been in a similar position for x years. I have definitively seen it.
Another thing I wanted to comment after Carmen’s comment on pregnancy where we were talking about the health issue (although pregnancy is not a health issue in this case) Some people were commenting that they cannot discriminate you after a health check. I was just looking at a job offer in one of the agencies, and one of the conditions:
“Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post”(4) and at the end the explanation:
“4 Before being engaged, a member of the temporary staff shall be medically examined by one of the institution’s
medical officers in order that the institution may be satisfied that he fulfils the requirements of Article 12 (2)(d).”
Even though I’m relatively new to the Commission, after ContractAgentRevealing intervention, I felt I should share a little bit of my experience.
With reference to CAs: it is true, CAs are running away, if they manage, to work for the Agencies, because many DGs don’t renew contracts and it is not so easy to find people to work as CAs, because of this rule. We changed 2 POs in the last six months and another one is soon leaving.
With reference to selections: I passed a lot of time in picking out CVs of people from CAST database (different FG, but it is true that positions for higher FG are fewer). We set characteristics and then we found what is coming out, send some email of interest, then set an interview among the people who reply and then select someone and we used the same procedure for traineeship program. We set more or less what will be the stagiaire’s tasks and then we select directly from the BlueBook.
It has happened in both cases that spontaneous candidature recently sent to the human resources department and/or directly to us have helped people to be interviewed/selected, because at least we know they should be really available.
As a matter of fact it has happened several times we called people for interview, we have offered them the job and at the end they didn’t accept it. Or that we sent out email /left messages on answering machines to request interest for a job interview and people never replied.
Another aspect: be honest in your cv and in your knowledge of languages, don’t cheat, is time consuming and counterproductive.
With reference to internal posts: it has not yet occurred to me to see a vacancy created on the specific profile of a person (thing very common in the UN system instead). Since I joined the Commission we had only one case of a vacancy: we took the job profile of the person leaving, updated it and we selected one of the officials who applied for the post. Very simple, very clean. I remember, though, people calling to ask if the vacancy was “really open”, so what mentioned by ContractAgentRevealing is probably in place even if it sounded strange to me.
Doc was mentioning ‘age issue’: for CAs it is not a problem, I’m not aware if it is a problem for an AD position. As far as I’ve seen, more experienced people are seen as ‘operative’ in less time, so it depends really on the needs at the moment of the selection.
AD/141/08
Hi – anyone out there preparing for the written tests for the Security concours? Maybe we could swap thoughts on study materials…
Luis, no one has answered your age discrimination question. Well, I’m in my 40s too and got as far as the reserve list though no job offers yet. In higher positions like AD9 the average age of candidates is probably higher in any case. I’d like to hear the opinion of people who know more about this issue.
ContractAgentRevealing: interesting post, but I can hardly feel sorry for your ‘group’ of contract hunters. I’ve been in the EC as well and during that time saw enough, it’s amazing how some young educated people can be so spoiled, as if there is no decent job outside the EC, how the salary just isn’t enough..while it’s the other way around, secretaries working from 10am till 4pm earning insane amounts for strutting their stuff in stiletto heels and everybody going to work every day like it’s the Milan fashion show. (god knows what else some are willing to do for their job..).
I’ve met people working there with almost no ‘real life’ work experience, how can they possibly understand the problems of the ‘common man and woman’ let alone represent their interests. In fact, most of the time they look down on them.The EU life is a bubble, usually for the wealthy, privileged insiders-clan. I was very pro-EU when I graduated, and I still believe in the EU, but I do have to agree that the current system is rotten and some criticism from the average European joe is justified.
@ Candidate X
Am about to head to Lux, but my impression when I was there is that French would be the most important language for feeling at home, but you can probably get by ok with German or English. I speak French and certainly felt very comfortable and at home!
@Jepson
Actually they send you a message to tell your status has been updated and then you can click on the link to check what has changed.
@jepson — thanks. Yes, you do need to manually check your status — an email notification would be too much to ask for I guess. Q #2: Both actually, I had two interviews in one go — one was spontaneous app on my side, the other was a result of them finding me on their own.
Thanks Alexander and congrats for your job.
I have that link and it displays the letter I mentioned. So, if I well understand, I will receive further info only if my status will change. I believed there was something different, more dynamic.
When you received your job offer, was it linked to a spontaneous application or they just find you on the Epso DB?
John Doe and others who know: which language is the most important if you want to manage well and feel at home in Lux?
Hi all,
This is going to be a long posting, read it only if you have passed a CONTRACT agent competition or are thinking about passing one. In a way I am using this beautiful forum as a psychotherapeutic couch, sorry for that.
I am ‘inside’. I have passed CAST25 competition and they offered me a job in the Commission, I accepted and I am supposed to feel like a lucky bastar*, but due to some major mistakes I made I feel ‘outside’. Maybe by explaining my mistakes and naïve beliefs some of you can avoid following the same path.
Whatever the circumstances, do not let yourself be tricked in a Contract Agent Type 3b contract!! Under any circumstances try to get a Contract Agent Type 3a contract! The difference is just one letter, but this letter has a life-altering, job security deteriorating effect and will cause you major problems a few years ahead.
You can usually find that information in the job description of a Contract Agent job, or latest in the actual job offer (invitation letter) that they send you. It usually goes like this ‘The successful candidate will be engaged with XY and shall be appointed contract agent at
grade FG xy pursuant to Article 3b of the Conditions of Other Servants of the European Communities (…)’.
I passed CAST25 and I was naïve enough to believe that once you are ‘inside’ you can somehow find your way around, and even though there is a time limit to the contract of your work there will still be further opportunities to stay with European Commission. I altogether received three invitations for interviews (back then there was no ‘flagging system’ implemented yet) and I simply did the interview for the first EC office which asked and sent a polite negative answer to the other two. I accepted and signed a job contract as Contract Agent 3b. Not knowing that 3b means I can work up to a maximum of three years for the Commission, no longer, and my contract can under no circumstances be prolonged! Had it been 3a it would mean that the initial contract duration is for a fixed term, lets say 2 years, then it can be renewed for another fixed term, lets say 1 year, and afterwards it CAN be renewed again, and – here comes the best part – the second renewal has to be for an indefinite period!
This means that, had I signed a ‘3a’ contract, I would still be working happily with some other service, not worrying about what will happen with me, where I will end up, and not feeling bitterly neglected by the Commission.
Background Info 1: There seems to be a clear distinction between offices which can offer 3a contracts and offices which can offer only 3b contracts. To my understanding it seems that offices directly within the Commission, i. e. belonging to a Directorate General of the Commission, can only offer 3b contracts. Agencies affiliated to the Commission, but not belonging to any DG, can offer 3a contracts.
Background Info 2: Trade Unions are trying to fight this article in the Conditions of Other Servants, claiming that it makes no sense treating those Contract Agents worse than Commission Outsiders, by not even allowing them to take up work after finishing their contract. However, this legal battle has been going on for some years and is not about to change anything anytime soon.
I am not alone in this situation. Where I work there are loads of Contract Agents who hear the clock ticking, not the biological one but the Commission clock… and let me tell you it doesn’t feel nice. So what are the consequences of this? All of us run like lemmings in panic, searching for A) a job at an agency. Any job, be it Temporary Agent or Contract Agent. The thing is, your 3 years of Contract Agent can be ‘used up’. But if you apply for a CA job at an Agency and you get it, even though you have only 1 year of your CA time left, you are rescued because there you can go for an extension of contract! Or B) you hope and pray for Epso to organise a functionary concours in your field. We all know how difficult it is to pass a concours, we all know how long it takes, and now imagine a situation in which time is running against you… Btw, of course Contract Agents can in no way be treated with preference during a functionary concours. If they fail it, they fail it, and so be it. However if they pass it, they have the advantage of knowing people inside the Commission and they can hand their soul over to the almighty HoU and make a ritual out of it to ask every month whether there is a functionary position to be opened anytime soon. No guarantees either.
Some more background info (not confirmed, I just heard it as rumours!): According to what I have heard, Epso will not organise any functionary concours during the first six months of 2010, basing this decision on the fact that they need 6 months time for internal re-organisation for facing the changed concours rules.
In my own case, I saw a suitable functionary concours in Epso’s forward planning which was scheduled for fall 2009, however it mysteriously disappeared and will most probably be started only late in 2010, under the new concours rules, and as soon as Epso is ready for it.
I have ‘consumed’ 2 years of my Contract Agent contract, so you can imagine how much I panic to be left without a job at the end of my contract. In fact it is no longer panic, it is certainty, because considering the time duration of an average concours I could be on the list earliest by mid-2011. That is, if I pass it.
If you ever attend a functionary concours exam and you see larger groups of people sitting together at break time and looking kind of desillusioned, then chances are high that you have met a group of colleagues who are already working for the Commission and who are grabbing every little desperate chance of getting that functionary title, in any field, no matter what. We are used to going to tests really frequently, and we study hard in our freetime. At the exam, I always meet at least seven or eight of my current or past colleagues. It feels like a get-together for lost souls.
Quite many of my former colleagues who are now unemployed because the Commission did not offer them any further perspectives, are on the reserve lists of two or three different jobs at Agencies. However, the validity of these reserve lists is sometimes three years, and they are being told ‘We could call you tomorrow or in 2,5 years, please be prepared for anything’. Feels great, doesnt it? The Commission pays them 60 Percent of the basic salary for the first year, then 45 percent (I think) during the second year, then 30 Percent during the third year of unemployment. Havent they thought of it all? Arent they really generous? (sorry, I’m being sarcastic). I saw highly skilled, motivated and ambitious young colleagues getting more depressed every day, hunting all jobs available and not reaching anywhere. I feel pity for them and perhaps in one year’s time I will join them in their unemployment blues.
For those of you who firmly believe that ‘insiders’ are always preferred when applying for Commission jobs, let me put this straight: The Commission has to select a fair way. People have the obligation to select according to criteria set out in the job description, and they have to do it a transparent way so that after the recruitment everyone looking at the dossiers can immediately see why the first candidate is first in list, the second one is second and so forth. Therefore, the only way to trick the system is to write a job description that fits the qualifications of a desired candidate perfectly. Then, after reviewing all candidates applications, there is a good chance that the desired candidate has the best score. How to detect these cases: Well, if you see a strange job description where they ask for 7,5 years job experience in accounting plus project management certification plus knowledge of C++ programming language plus Serbian language skills, then you may deduct that there is probably already a perfect candidate waiting for this job. This is true especially for functionary jobs. I had the case where in my department there was the job of my colleague advertised and I received phone calls from two functionaries in Brussels who wanted to know beforehand whether it makes sense to apply for the job or whether – well, er, you know…. the chances are ‘not so good’ because of ‘very skilled candidates applying’?
One last advice: Do not back away for applying for job profiles below your qualification. I passed CAST25 in FG III and received three job offers, and I passed CAST27 in FG IV and received no job offer. This may be because I did really bad at the second CAST, that could be, but also I notice that there are loads of translators working as secretaries, statisticians working as secretaries etc. etc. Maybe there are really much more jobs in lower function groups available ‘out there’.
Sorry for the posting being so long, I will stop now and I have to repeat the main message: To all of you out there considering a Contract Agent job, go for a ‘type 3a’ contract by all means!
Good luck
and by the way, Christos,
Keep trying but EPSO sucks!
(an insider)
To Candidate X
Luxembourg is not boring, just a very small place. All my single friends hate it because if you screw things out everyone knows so it really depends on what are your plans. Without any doubt Luxembourg is not the place to join a swingers club but the place to live close to the nature and enjoy the multicultural diversity of the country. You can not compare the multinational dimension of Luxembourg with more than half of its population being foreigners with that of Brussels.
@jepson, you should have a link in your EPSO profile – My Status on the reserve list
As long as it’s ‘Available for consideration by any institution with quota in the list’ you’re on the market. The status is updated once you’re flagged. You’ll get an update showing which institution has reserved you. When (if) this happens you’ll typically get a phone call / email for an interview in the next month or so. Good luck. Worked for me (1.5 years).
On EPSO website, I read about “Flagging” procedure that “…status is visible to all other Institutions as well as the candidate concerned”. As an AD5 laureat I only received a letter on my status some months ago (“…available for any Institution with a quota…”.
Is there any other way to check my status on the list? (sorry for naive question).
@Candidate X
I received a feedback from a HR officer and he told me it works in this way.
Christos and Frustrated, you speak of “new/empty posts” and of “posts for internal job mobility”. Do you know whether all vacancies need to first be advertised internally and externals only get what is left over?
@spanishtranslators and @Ana
…about translation exams.
Well, it seems that we have the same doubts about the multiple choice test to asses the knowledge of our main language.
I have been checking the notices of previous translator competitions (in other languages), and it looks like is the first time EPSO does a prove of this type.
Maybe someone from CAST could tell us something more??
@ Miriana
“Hmmm….maybe they do like that to decrease the probability of being haunted…:)”
I do believe the general consensus is that even a mere six months of legislating cod fish spawning rituals combined with a regimen of cream-laden Belgian cuisine takes the edge of the most adrenaline-propelled young Turks…. not to worry about insiders, they will soon be medal candidates in the paralympics of the mind the EC in fact is. It’s the pissed-off outsiders on a regimen of crushing income taxes, buckets of coffee, 70-hour working weeks they should worry about…. some of these will survive the darwinian culling and kick some arse ten years from now.
I bid you adieu for now… need to get some work done.
Candidate x,
Lulu-town is indeed boring, but pretty OK once you have a family…
Belgian side of the border Arlon is popular( cuts real estate prices in half)…. even more boring, but again pretty OK once you have a family. I’d pay a premium and live near Trier (bit less boring and nicer surroundings, commute should be manageable… some of the smaller villages south of the Mosel are really gorgeous, have picknicks there during weekends).
“realise that you could get a post, only once there is a real “new/empty post” and not in cases of “job openings for internal mobility”.
I’ sorry, that’s not my experience. Some of those “internal” vacanies will balloon out as “nett” vacancies. How else would you imagine it: the same 1,000 officials that frantically switch jobs every two years in a never-ending carrousel… nobody retires, nobody gets run over by a truck, nobody flips and breaks out of the golden cage… they’re all on some life elixir and SRI pills. One of the major obstacle to hiring an outsider is time and red tape… takes about 6 months to start a new puppy if you are virtuozo puppet master with the HR/ADMIN croxd. Too long for some of the more ambituous HoUs who are always on the move to some place else and couldn’t be arsed less about the long term picture.
If you have the specific expertise, you might be invited provided you make your self known. That’s a major problem, HoUs not even realizing external laureates don’t automatically have access to those SYSPER-vacancies. Big flaw in their procedures, bad PR amongst laureates.
l guess they don’t care…. even if only 5% of voters would show up for EP elections putting a transsexual lepricon in a gorilla suit in Parliament, they’ll just grumble “stupid voters don’t get it” and carry on as they always did. Major exercise in bad PR this entire recruitment ordeal. I’m sure as a result there’s lots of laureates who hate their guts and feel pretty apostolic about it…. those people will eventually rise through the rank-and-file of various private and public organisations remembering the shit they were made to eat.
@Miriana
>What shall we understand from never being replied back with at least a rejection when >we adress a question, participate in an interview or just send an application to a job >vacancy.
When you sent a question, you should receive a reply within ~15 days. However, I assume that the question is a question that has not been answered before and/or that the answer is not already available in a Q&A.
If you participate in an interview and you do not receive a reply, it can be that the final decision has not been taken yet. However, if you have asked for a timetable and the result where long due (not one day, but rather one month) I would personally sent a reminder.
Finally, it depens on other people will. May be you are number two in the interview reserve list. It is possible that the unit sent an offer to the first person and wait for their reply. May be they will send rejection letter only if the first candidate replies positively and/or if they actually take up their duties.
In most of the times the life time for filling up a post is rather big (i.e. 6 months). Of course for external candidates is not nice, but a ot depends on the urgency of the needs, the speed of the head of unit/the HR department, etc.
Sending an application to a job vacancy is trickier. If you were allowed to do so, then I assume that you will receive a reply sooner or later. However, if you have sent an unsolicited application, in can be that you will be receiving a standard reply letter, or depending on the wording of the application may be replies will be send only to people who are in the final reserve list.
Final piece of advice: Working for the EU is very good, however even if you are bright, the fact that you are in a reserve list does not mean that your employeer will beg you to start working in the area that you personally choose. It’s a long process, that you should take it seriously and not develop an arrogant/frustrated style. If you realise that you could get a post, only once there is a real “new/empty post” and not in cases of “job openings for internal mobility”. Actually the real “new/empty posts” are not so many. Specific details can be found in the annual budget documents (even though IMHO EPSO should had been more proactive in that area)
Carpe Diem – Sieze the day
I recall there was some discussion about Luxembourg when Kiwi found she was going to move there. Everyone says it’s pleasant for families but what about for single people? Is it as boring as they say? What are the best places to live in within Luxembourg or then in France or Belgium if you decide to live there and commute to Lux? Thanks.
@frustated
Hmmm….maybe they do like that to decrease the probability of being haunted…:)
Miriana,
HoUs / HR do not see the way they deal with laureates as part of their PR/good governance. They seem to ignore the fact that some of the people they treat like filth will one day re-emerge as eurosceptic politicians, various McKinsey external audit consultants, etc. to haunt them 😉
Hello everyone again,
Since quite some time now I’m daunted about my lack of understanding of a particular approach of Comission’s HR employees and not only. What shall we understand from never being replied back with at least a rejection when we adress a question, participate in an interview or just send an application to a job vacancy.
It is clear it’s all about rejection. They choose to ingnore. But why?
I would be happy if I will have a feedback from Frustated who seems quite acknoledgeable about ‘being ignored’ and Mr. Bezirtzoglou who might provide us with some experienced judgement on the matter.
Thanks in advance.
@Spanishtranslators and Teresa,
Congratulations to both of you! I’m also going to take the written test for Spanish Translators (option 1). I was very surprised to see that it will probably take place on the 17th of July since the Forward Planning specifies October 2009 as the foreseen date for the written exams. Would that be a mistake?
Concerning the preparation for the test, I think that it’s a good practice to read and also to translate several texts. However, I don’t know how to prepare for the first part (multiple choice questions to assess our knowledge of the Spanish language).
Any ideas?
Good luck !
@spanishtranslators
Hi!! I am in the same competition!! In which option are you?? I am in option 1. Do you know by chance the final the pass mark?? Unfortunately, I can not give you any advice since it’s the firs time I am going myself to this kind of exam. For the time being what I am doing is read and read, and write and write… what about you??
@everybody
As my “colleague” said, if anyone has gone through a translator/linguistic test, we will be grateful for any tip :o)
You pass the exams based on merit alone, but there is always the risk of discrimination in the actual job interviews – and no one could prove it!
Hi to everybody,
I think I’m quite far away from the situation most of you are so I’m not sure if this is the right place where to put my questions.
I’ve just applied for AD 9 competition and therefore I’m at the begin of the whole selection procedure. As it is the first time that I attempt to get a job in one of the EU institution, I’m really a little bit confused about the best strategy to adopt in the course of the different stages of the preparation (Admission test, written test, oral test, reserve list). At first glance evrything seems quite tough!!
Please can anyone that has been in the same situation give me some useful hints?
Also, even though they say that all efforts are made in order to garantee a fair competition without discrimination, I’m concerned that my age (47) can end up to be an obstacle for the final success of my efforts.
Does anyone has any information on age related issues?
Thank you very much for your help.
P.S. Congratulation for this excellent blog
Hi everybody and thanks for the advice. Finally the letter of intent came, so I feel safe.
I am happy that so many idealist people will work in the Commission.
I have been recently admitted to the written test for Spanish linguistic administrators and I would like to ask some comments, advises or recommendations to prepare this test to anyone that has already gone through a translator/linguistic administrator written test. Thanks in advance for any comment.
I agree fully with Alexander. I also believe in ” good input, good output” But then look at some polititians like Berlusconi. Scandal after scandal. Corruption after corruption and he is still there! Some of the cruelest polititians died in peace getting away with everything. (Mobutu, Pinochet …) But at least you have a good conscience if you are an idealist….
I also agree that you should wait until you have everything secure on paper before saying anything.
@Carmen,
I’m personally and idealist and would like to think that if you do the right thing, you’ll get the same in return. However. I’d wish I could tell you that if you were decent and let them know in advance, then they wouldn’t decide not to hire somebody else, but knowing how different HoUs (just like people in the private sector) are I just can’t. Even with the best of HoUs if they urgently need you for a post, they may decide to contact the next in the list (if there’s one, but it’s safe to assume there is). My advice, hence, is to wait for the letter of intent, confirm back, and 2 weeks before you have to start or so let them know. Fair enough to all involved IMHO.
@Alexander Ivanchev
I don’t think it’s unethical not to inform if I am fraid of discrimination. In a normal, transparent organization where I would know they do not discriminate, it would be fair to inform them. But the Commission is not transparent at all. What do I do now if I tell and they suddenly change their mind, for “other reasons”? How can I prove it is discrimination? I do not have the letter of intent yet, hence they are not obliged to hire me.
@John Doe
What does the MS have to do with this? I doubt that they discriminate against old MS more than against new MS candidates.
@Candidate X
I have a friend that work in the Commission and says she is shocked by what women wear. It seems if they have contacts with the Parliament or the Council, or when they go on mission to MS they have to wear suits, but she says that in other situation you can see anything, even clothes that you normally wear on the beach. If you go to the interview, dress formally. If you get a job, I think it is better to look at what your colleagues wear and adapt your style.
to mik and carmen
Do not tell unless you are from a new MS.
Candidate X
it depends on the DG and post.
Im AST and working for ECFIN, wearing jeans without a problem
The place is so mind-numbingly boring…. if it weren’t for the zero-risk money….
Here’s a new topic: What’s the winter and summer dress code for female EU officials? Any general tips and no-no’s (jeans, T-shirts, stockingless legs, sandals, etc.).
About the pregnancy dilemma… It happened to me too but I was at the start of the pregnancy when I started working (and was not pregnant during the interview and the medical visit). My pregnancy was not planned at all and I feared that this could be a ground for not retaining me after the probationary period (not an official ground, of course…). So I decided to keep it a secret as long as I could and to do my utmost to be proactive and show top performance until the moment when it started to show and I had to tell. My strategy worked and by the time I decided to “spill the beans”, I had already made very good impression. I was relieved when the boss accepted the news positively (maybe I was lucky to have a woman as a boss) and continued to work hard, twice harder than most of my colleagues, which really got me the recognition of the boss. Now I am on maternity leave, I still have a few more months of probation but the boss told me not to worry as I will have a very good probation report. They try to check with the HR now if they have to suspend my probation or if they can establish me as an official also during my maternity leave.
That was my case. I see that your case is somewhat different, obviously this is not something to hide (nor to be ashamed of!). So you will probably have to tell much earlier than me. But don’t worry, they cannot revoke your appointment at that point, least on this ground. And when you start working you can show what you can, you will always be given the probationary period to prove your skills. After all, as my boss said, 20 weeks of maternity leave is a very short period in Commission’s timeline…
appeals / complaints
after having asked for a revision, there are several other ways to lodge a complaint or submit an appeal.
in the guidelines for candidates, it says “The wide discretion enjoyed by selection boards is not subject to review unless the rules which govern the proceedings of selection boards have clearly been infringed.”
I tried to find those “rules which govern the proceedings of selection boards” – but couldn’t find them anyplace.
Does anyone know??
Thanks a lot for your help.
The urine/blood examination can never really lead to diagnosis outright — it is purely indicative. Yes, it could be an indication of a decease which would prevent you from entering into service, in which case, yes, it’s a problem, and you might have to undergo further examinations until a conclusive diagnosis is there. From my personal experience: during my medical it turned out my cholesterol was sky high (and I’m only 30), and also my bilirubine levels were out of the norm. However, the letter I got specifically said that these abnormalities were NOT going to be a problem for the purposes of entry into service, but that I should consult my GP nonetheless (which I did).
In my experience the EU doctors scrutinise you very carefully at the medical exam and are quick to inform a person if all results are not within the normal range. It is unusual that you must undergo a medical exam before being hired, and there is always the risk of discrimination. A person I know could not sign a contract before her blood levels were normal even though she had no chronical or serious illness.
Carmen, you’ll be going on maternity leave soon, so surely you need to inform your boss as soon as possible?
Do you already have a letter of intent? I think it’s a matter of common decency to inform them of your situation (and congratulations btw!!). Hiding this, out of fear of discrimination is a) unethical b) is not exactly a good start with your HoU. I very much doubt you’d be discriminated for being pregnant, and it doesn’t matter whether they like it or not. Just let them know in writing (not over the phone), so that they can plan their work-load accordingly — the fact that you would be on maternal leave does concern your Unit (any kind of leave does).
0.02 euro-cents.
Well, in my opinion, a thyroid problem is a health problem, so you do a medical examination in order to confirm you are healthy for the post. On the other hand, to be pregnant IS NOT a healthy problem, so the case is different.
Anyway, if I were you, I wouldn’t say anything unless asked…
In my opinion.
@Ms Question.
What happened to your colleague is really bad. Could you give more details about what happened? I was sure that in EU institutions they do not do this kind of dicrimination.
Carmen, I don’t know what they check but I know of a colleague that almost did not sign her contract because she had problems with her thyroid. However,I also think it is better to be honest and tell them. It would be discriminatory if they would reject you as they already told you they would take you, and I personally think one gets further being honest. But again, that is my very personal point of view.
Thanks everybody for the advice. I think I will tell. I will feel better.
@Ms Question
I was not pregnant when I did the medical test, but this is irrelevant. The medical service cannot tell the HoU that you are pregnant or you are ill. I think they would inform him only if you were so ill that you wouldn’t be able to do the job. The rest is confidential.
@Carmen,
What a situation. I’ve given a look to the red flag explaination and it does not seem to be a reversible situation. After all that they say and write about non-discrimination, it is non realistic that you could be discriminated for pregnancy. I wouldn’t tell nothing, just because there is really nothing to say. Btw, congratulations.
to Carmen:
In my DG we recruited two times colleagues who were pregnant: one informed in advance, the other didn’t say anything during the interviews. Both times it was OK, I don’t think anyone can discriminate you on the basis of pregnancy. But you’d better inform your HR or HoU in order to be correct with them and don’t spoil the good impressions before even having started.
Carmen, you know the policy, do no ask do not tell.