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.
@Jean-Marie
It is becoming an EPSO practice as I see know: I have passed an oral test in the beginning of April last year (got an e-mail that it is fine), the RL had to be activated within a month, but it was activated only in the mid-September. What is going on, what happens with recruitment process, how many people are recruited from RL – no info whatsoever.
@ContractAgentRevealing
Hi, thanks for the info… very lighting!
@m7
congrats to your CA job offer! Please pay extreme care to details in the contract before signing it. I explained the difference between 3a and 3b contracts in a previous posting. In short, I would advise you to accept CA 3a contracts only, never 3b.
If this current job offer is 3a, they are doing you a favour in keeping the contract duration short, as the rules are like this that in 3a in can be renewed once for a definite time period, and then it can be renewed a second time, and the second renewal has to be for an indefinite period.
By giving you a 1 year contract and as first renewal also a short contract, lets say 2 years, thereby they allow you to ‘become indefinite’ sooner.
BUT if it is a 3b contract they are offering, there are no advantages whatsoever in keeping the duration short. And it can never become an indefinite contract. My advice: Hands off!
Good luck!
Contract Agent initial contract period
Hi all!
I recently received an invitation for a CA vacancy, and the initial contract offered was of just 1 year, with a probation period of 9 months… but in former ones I was offered a initial contract of 2 year renewable to a maximum of 3/5 years (depending of type 3b/3a), is it usual that the initial contract period may be extended/shortened depending of the unit interest?
Thanks in advance.
@Bacchus,
No I don’t have any inside info, sorry.
If it’s the Parliament you’re interested in, why don’t you contact the head of the Swedish unit and ask what the situation is?
Good luck!
@ epso candidates who took written test in competitions for AST1 level (secretaries)
The written tests consists of two parts. I have a question about part b) which is described very briefly in the notice of competition in the following way:
Test b) Practical test to assess your writing skills (particularly spelling, syntax, and grammar) in your main language and which will involve writing an essay on the basis of information provided.
Please help me! What are the examples of questions asked for part b). What is “information provided”?
Do they give you just topics and you have to write whatever comes to your mind? Or do you get some material and are asked to summarize?
Many thanks for your hints!
… or does anyone else know anything about the hiring of Swedish translators, first and foremost in the Parliament?
Kiwi,
Do you have any “inside information” regarding the situation in the Swedish translation department? I’ve been on the RL for almost a year and I’m beginning to feel a bit worked up!
Regards,
U
AST/53/08
Did anyone take the written tests in either French or German? I took it in English, but would really like to check if there weren’t any translation errors. If someone could post the questions task 2 (a+b) in either French or German, I would really appreciate that!
Thanks!
PS: Even though I am not 100% sure, I assume that the tasks of competition AST/48/08 were the same!? Does anyone know? (EU-12 competition in the same subject on the same day at the same time…)
Yes, New Boy,
Next year will be very stressful for laureates from past competitions. With the new formula and lists coming out early 2011, it is unlikely that expiry dates for existing lists will be extended.
AST/53/08 – Results
Did anyone pass?? – Unfortunately, I didn’t.
I just don’t get this. In the admission tests, I scored 9/10 and 20/20. In written test a), I scored 30.7/40. Even though I did not expect to achieve a very high results in part b), I did expect to score more than 20. I only scored 16/40 – and don’t get why…
Did anyone chose task 2? Projectmanagement? And scored 20 or more? Would really like to know what a “good” answer to those tasks was like…
Did anyone score 20 or more and has not been admitted to the orals? What was the required score to be admitted to the orals?
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Hello all,
This is my first post here, but I have started making my way through the preceding 17 pages. Thank you to everyone who has posted all of this information!
I have (at least :)) two questions. Someone on here mentioned that the reserve lists are normally extended until everyone has had at least an interview invitation. This sounds a little too good to be true, and also contradicting official information, which is that they have an expiry date of a few years.
I am on a reserve list that is due to expire in March 2010. I have also been contacting HoUs and HR informally, many of whom said that there should be more vacancies come March. What are the chances that the validity of my reserve list will be extended ?
I have also read this article on EuropeanVoice: http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/eastern-talent/65787.aspx
Is this true? I am EU10; can I really expect that my chances have become somewhat better and that my reserve list has been circulated again? (I am primarily interested in external relations, which I know is the hardest to access in an all-round difficult situation, but I would be interested in other positions too as long if the job is not too dull…)
Thank you in advance!
According to an internal document “Laureates should be informed about the progress of recruitment procedures. Regular updates on the numbers of laureates recruited and the number remaining on each list will be posted on the EPSO webpage”.
Does anyone know where to find this information?
… or does anyone else know anything about the hiring of Swedish translators, first and foremost in the Parliament?
Kiwi,
Do you have any “inside information” regarding the situation in the Swedish translation department? I’ve been on the RL for almost a year and I’m beginning to feel a bit worked up!
Regards,
U
@ john doe & Kiwi
Thanks for the advice and I hope to have the same feelings with the city. I though that it would be better to work in Brussels but now I think Luxembourg would be excelent too. And the ECA sounds quite good to work with that if I have the chance I would accept the post.
In any case I hope that you are right John and that the interview is to check in which department I will fit better and to try to convince me to joint them!!!
I will tell you next week,
Daniel
Has anyone worked or lived in Helsinki? What’s it like?
NEW: As has been announced, EPSO is progressively implementing its development plans to modernise and streamline the structure of selection competitions. From March
2010, competitions will be organised in annual cycles: beginning each March for linguists, each September for administrators and each December for assistants. These modernised
competitions will be much shorter in duration– typically just 5-9 months from start to finish (depending on the number of applicants). To achieve a smooth transition of operations
from the current pattern to the annual cycles commencing next March EPSO has postponed publication of a number of competitions that had been provisionally planned for the
coming months, so that they may instead be included in the (shorter duration) annual cycles. The indicative forward planning we are publishing today covers all ongoing compet
covering the annual cycles of competitions which begin in 2010 will be published later in the autumn.
Nova,
I moved to Luxembourg a few months ago to work for the EU… to me the main disadvantages are that property and rental prices are very high (although this depends what you are comparing them with), and that it is a bit small (but in the heart of Europe, and only 2 hours from Paris by train).
I generally have the impression that people with children love it, and those without find it a bit boring after a while. The quality of life is very good, everything works and is clean etc, although there is a fair bit of bureaucracy to deal with (for instance if you want to ‘import’ a car).
I initially wanted to work in Brussels, but when the interview came up in Luxembourg I did a lot of research and decided Lux would be ok too. I don’t have any regrets so far…
Good luck!
Look Nova, it’s OK… the Northern part of Luxemburg (as a country) is quite nice. I like the Mosel/Eifel area nearby in Germany. The southern part of Luxemburg is not quite appeling to me. Quality of life is excellent.
The city itself has its nicer spots, but some of the buildings the commission has got over there… Gasperich (or whatever it’s called) is in some industrial zoning plot, Northern district looks like a setting for some bad post-apocalyps sci-fi movie.. it’s probably mainly that what puts people off.
@Nova:
Why do you say Ispra looks bad? If you like big cities, I agree, it’s not the best (even if Milan is close by). But with those surroundings, with the lakes (Maggiore, Como, Garda, Monate, Lugano, …), and beautiful towns like Stresa, Lugano or Locarno, make the area one of the most beautiful places of Europe.
But it’s just a personal opinion.
@Elated
Txs. However, it doesn’t look like as bad as Petten or Ispra, for instance …
nova,
The northern part of town looks like some 70ies building project gone awray: huge, lots of concrete… wouldn’t want to spend the weekend there.
@john doe
What’s so special about the question whether you are willing or not to live in Luxembourg?
Has this place any handicaps making it unattractive?
Des consultants belges ont « acheté » des contrats européens
mardi 15 septembre 2009, 09:02 (De Tijd et Le Soir)
Plusieurs consultants belges ont payé des pots-de-vin pour remporter des
contrats de plusieurs millions d’euros avec l’Union européenne. Il s’agit de
contrats d’assistance pour des projets européens dans d’anciens pays du bloc
de l’Est, dont l’Ukraine, a appris De Tijd à bonnes sources.
Le parquet fédéral et l’Office Central pour la Répression de la Corruption
(OCRC) enquêtent sur ces faits, qui datent de 2006.
L’enquête judiciaire a été lancée l’année dernière après des informations de
l’Office européen de lutte antifraude (Olaf) et de la justice française. Il
apparaît qu’un consortium de bureaux-conseil belges obtenaient
systématiquement, via une société de lobbying française, des informations
privilégiées sur les missions européennes. Les Belges pouvaient ainsi mieux se
préparer pour ses contrats que leurs concurrents, ne laissant à ces derniers
aucune chance.
Les enquêteurs ont découvert plusieurs paiements suspects dans les comptes des
consultants visés. Cet argent a probablement été versé à la société de
lobbying française, qui aurait elle-même ensuite acheté des fonctionnaires
européens pour obtenir des informations cruciales sur les contrats.
Hello,
After reading through the pages, I have decided to join “the club”. So here it comes nothing new for many of you: I did the competitions and I have been on the AD (merit 1) and on CAST27 reserve lists for over 1,5 year now. I did the emailing to HoU inquiring about job opportunities. I did the spontaneous applications to HRs. I did the networking. I did (and still do) regularly apply for the internal vacancies. Admittedly, I have been invited to a few interviews. On one occassion, it seemed that I was few inches away from being offered the post (at the last moment I have been informed that they found an internal candidate for the position). I live in Brussels and I am from one of the MS10. As I am about to despair, can anyone tell me what else can possibly be done to get a job in the European institutions? Is there anything else?
Hi Daniel,
Interview at ECA:
Do not worry, they are desperate to recruit. Try to take a look at the Annual Report, chapter 1-3 and eventually one other chapter based on your experience. If you know who is interviewing you, you may look for his/her name and unit and then look for an special report prepared by it.
In any case the most difficult question would be whether you are willing to live in Luxembourg. It is also the most important!
Hello everybody,
does any of you know something about the Institute for Energy in Petten, Holland? (it is an institute of the JRC)
how is professional/personal life up there?
any info on this subject would be greatly appreciated!
thanks a lot!
@muntschkin
For AD5 security, make sure to read this:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2001:317:0001:0055:EN:PDF
Also, you can find multiple choice tests for ‘internal security’ on http://www.eutests.eu
Good luck 🙂
I have an interview at the ECA in Luxembourg in two weeks.
Does anybody has experience about the ECA? I am in the laureate list but I do not know how to focus this interview. I suppose that they will ask me my preferences about the Departments but I have no idea about them.
Thanks a lot in advance,
Daniel
@ muntschkin
If you give a look to the ‘building standard’ manual (you find it on OIB website) there is also a section dedicated to the security of EC buildings. It should be relevant for your exam.
Hi guys,
I will be taking a written test for AD5 in the field of Security and since I just started a new job a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t really had time to study for it 🙁 … what do you recommend that I prepare in the next week? (The exam is next Friday …) I have never taken a written exam before and really cannot think of possible topics in Security to prepare …
any ideas would be very welcome …
ala – it would be good for you to try to understand statements as they were intended… These pages are for people seeking careers in the institutions and, yes, maybe some of this info is helping people ‘know the rules’. But maybe you read the Staff Regulations before you joined? Because EPSO sure don’t tell you some of these things.
@fd
Many people join even at a lower grade than AD5. They accept AST1. It is clear that they are aware of what career prospects they will have. It is their choice. If they later complain, they can always find a better place somewhere else. The same is true for low AD grades. They should know the rules before applying for a competition.
Hello,
In July I received an EPSO e-mail stating I passed the oral exam (hurray!). As of today, the reserve list has not yet been published (September 2.009). Does it always take that long? Do you get notified when the reserve list is published? Maybe others have the same questions. That’s why I chose to post them here.
Thanks in advance
By the way: the exam I passed = EPSO/AST/72/08 Dutch proofreaders
I really see the point fd, you’re right, and I am sure if I was inside I wouldn’t like it too.
But yes, it still seems an attractive perspective (maybe because I don’t consider at all the private sector option). …not just for money, in spite of all, it still seems quite a good organisation to work for.
jepson – be careful when you compare ‘corresponding grade’. The average age of people joining at AD5 is now 35. Obviously, these people are going to have 8-12 years experience and their ‘corresponding grade’ is around AD7-10. But they mostly will all join at AD5. But of course, depending on your current job, that could still be an attractive salary.
Many thanks Elated & fd for sharing your valuable information.
Concerning the issues said, I am sure fd that they are very important for the EU officers. However in spite of any effort and remarkable results (if anybody cares) my career in the public service is ‘bogged’ the same, and I earn less than the 3rd part of a EU servant in the corresponding grade.
So, at glance, an EU job from the external point of view is as actrattive as complicated to gain.
fd,
my take on things: the job content is good (lucky with the first job, not every-one can say this I agree); the money is good, even excellent when you realize the risk premium in it is zero. Moreover, I’m happy to trade in the car, cell phone, laptop if it means actually seeing my kids from time to time over the next two decades. Yes, the pre-2004 generation got grandfathered in on better conditions. I did know this beforehand, I can live with it. What I also noticed is that EU officials of my nationality have become relatively rare among junior AD profiles for the first time ever since the start of the EU…. perhaps for me chances are better than they would ever have been; I’ll tell you in five years’ time, mate. The war still has to be fought.
ala – you are being a bit uncharitable with my words. Perhaps ‘junior’ would be a better word than ‘simple’. Fact is that most people expect career advancement according to their merits in any job field. The vast majority of people now recruited into the institutions will not make even middle management, regardless of their qualities.
autumn – I agree the salary will always be attractive for some. as long as you have the full information you take your choice.
@ina
EU recruits employees whose profile ranges from general administration to science (IT specialists, chemists, engineers etc.). So, it is difficult to tell you anything about the note you are expected to draft without knowing your profile and the unit that invited you. In fact you know it best. If you are invited by a communication unit, you might be asked to draft a press release, to give you an example.
Your interview might focus mostly on your cv and experience. But they might ask you about professional issues too. In fact they often do it. It would be easier to give you an adivce if you would say the name of the person who will conduct the interview with you, but I guess you would not do that…
Thanks a lot to people in this forum for useful advice and support. Interestingly enough, the next day I wrote about my concerns here, I got an invitation for an interview in Brussels next week. The interview will be followed by a drafting test on computer (20 min). May be somebody knows what this drafting test is about? Sounds like they might ask to draft a note, but 20 min is a very short time for that. Also do they test professional knowledge during the job interviews (it seems to be tested already at the time of competition tests)?
@fd
Sorry, but without responding to your full statement (maybe another time), I just cannot refrain from commenting your last word (“I can only speak for myself, but if you see yourself as anything other than a simple administrator, you might be very disappointed and unhappy at the institutions.”). If one wants to be – to paraphrase your words – more than simple – one should go into politics, showbusiness, sport (and many other activities). There – if one is lucky – one will achieve fame, satisfaction, joy, provided one can handle it and provided that this is something one desires. But if someone goes to administration (local, national, EU – that does not matter) with ambitions other than being a good administrator who shall do his desk job with patience, then one should revise his/her motivation and ability to understand his/her choices.
elated/ala – in this instance it’s not about my concerns (although I certainly have them) but rather about letting the people on this board make a fully informed choice about a career in the institutions.
When you read many of the posts here, you can see that many people are desperate to work for the institutions and are (understandably) fixated on the concours. But to what extent does their dream live up to reality? And if people fail, well maybe there is a silver lining…
I remember well when I was searching for a job nobody was talking about the real situation once you pass the concours, which is that there are *no* career prospects. I can only speak for myself, but if you see yourself as anything other than a simple administrator, you might be very disappointed and unhappy at the institutions.
fd draws attention to the real problem of disparity between the starting salaries of EU officials and their experience.
However – I know many people in their 40s and 50s in EU15 countries whose gross salary in their current jobs is 50% less than in an AD5, step 1, position in an EU institution. The difference is even much bigger than that if you look at the net salaries. These are university-educated people with long work experience. An EU post remains attractive also money-wise for many out there.
@fd
Why don’t you write to the head of EC administration about your concerns? The more objections towards the current system they have, the more likely it is that they will somehow react.
“as – despite the economic crisis – some colleagues might prefer to pursue a career outside the institution”
1) We can’t all be chiefs
2) Right now the prospects for people in the first halves of their careers really look gloomy by and large in the private sector. There will be plenty of work, but income taxes in real terms are bound to surge for the next decades as the generational piramid games called “pay-as-you-go social security” are collapsing all over the place. Unless you’ve got serious credentials in the energy market or you are some kind of patent law guruh I wouldn’t budge an inch. The threat sounds somewhat hollow for 99% of current officials 😉
“do the HOUs often grant to a laureate an informal meeting?”
Not often. Therefore, it is of key importance to have regular access to those vacancies, yet another unequal barrier to entry.
” And do you think the same nationality helps (I have not had that feeling)?”
No. The reason I wrote “Vilnius” was that the laureate in question isn’t residing in/around Brussels/Luxemburg. I would suggets he/she look up all HoU/assistant HoU of his/her nationality and try to meet them informally during their holidays back home.
” If you see an internal vacancies, do you just apply following the procedure for internal officers?”
Honestly? Screw that. For obvious reasons I can’t go into details, but let’s just say that it’s the HoU that calls the shots. If he/she needs some-one asap and there’s no internal candidate miracles will happen overnight. Forget the rule book, that’s for also-rans. Also, forget the HR department; they have a reactive, not proactive role. Get to the HoU.
“Sorry for so many question.”
No problem. All I can say is that hopefully the openness that pervades this place may help to one day shake things up over at the commission, ’cause I don’t like this any more than any of you here.
Taken from the Commission’s intracomm (identity of poster protected)
===
The 2009 Commission Report on Human Resources (2009) has revealed very interesting facts about our staff distribution. The average AD8 official is even older (42) than an AD9 (41), and an AD6 official is currently 37, whereas the average AD11 is 45. However, under the current promotion system an average AD6 would need around 20 years to become AD11 and would then be already around 56.
I suppose that people were not intentionally hired at a relatively higher age, and this can be only explained by the reform, which uncoupled the grading of new recruits from their full experience.
What has then become the meaning of our grading? It neither reflects the qualification and experience before recruitment nor the experience or seniority in the institution.Is it only about the available HR budget? Is this an issue for the Commission and are there plans over the next few years to tackle it, for instance by speeding up the AD5-AD8 promotions as compared to the higher grades? This will allow the lower grades to catch up, but that will be for sure not achieved with the current promotion system. Or is it at least planned to assign relatively higher responsibilities to the higher grades? At the moment very often very low and very high grades do the same job.
To know a bit more about the future Commission plans will be very helpful with respect to our individual life planning, as – despite the economic crisis – some colleagues might prefer to pursue a career outside the institution, if plans do not match their expectations.
@Ina
I completely agree with you, it is very strange that some people struggle for fierce job competition and a huge & growing number of recruitments in the Inst./agencies follows other channels. Ok for internal candidates, but it’s also strange that the people on the RL have any kind of little right.
@ Elated
There is lot of room to disagree on the recruitment procedures, but at the end they are the rule of the game we must play and thank you for providing very good and clear info.
I did’t think it was possible to be so direct. In you experience, do the HOUs often grant to a laureate an informal meeting? And do you think the same nationality helps (I have not had that feeling)? If you see an internal vacancies, do you just apply following the procedure for internal officers?
Sorry for so many question.