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.
sorry for the mistake, it was supposed to be to AD persona
computer man with nickname ‘darcy’ wrote:
The first point would be “to clean the slate”, i.e. get rid of those pesky eastern and central Europeans that want EU jobs.
given the fact that Carina is “eastern” (she admitted that she passed eu-10 competition), one must be an idiot to say what was said above.
what about getting rid of all darcies (plenty of them)?!
@ AD:
“The first point would be “to clean the slate”, i.e. get rid of those pesky eastern and central Europeans that want EU jobs.”
Wow, I hope this is a joke …
@ Carina
BTW temporary agents make the same as permanent officials. You just don’t have the long-term security a permanant official does.
@ Carina
It’s better to take a TA job, because then you have EU experience that all the heads of unit think makes you better for the job. Think of it as a springboard.
I was in the same situation as you (including the kids and being pesky). I took a TA job and now I’ve been recruited — and I got recruited fairly (by a different institution than the one I work for). The fact that I had all my experience PLUS experience in an EU institution for about a year and a half was very important.
If you’re willing to play unfairly (i.e. become a TA and then use inside information and contacts to get recruited) you’ll get recruited faster.
AD
@AD
I refused a TA job because I was waiting for a permanent position, you know, with 2 kids it’s not so easy to go away of my permanent job of a “pesky eastern” citizen …now you tell me it’s better to go for a TA job:(
I am wondering how the EU publishes a lot of books about the employment, the EU jobs, the gender equality and then they decide for CA and TA contracts to pay people less for the same work:( what rights and equalities?
@ Carina
My suggestion would be to not only try to get a permanent post, but also go for a temporary agent post in the meantime. It’s the “foot in the door” that helps a lot of people get recruited.
AD
@ Darcy
The first point would be “to clean the slate”, i.e. get rid of those pesky eastern and central Europeans that want EU jobs.
Secondly, the first laureates from the first “new” competitions will be on-line at the end of 2010.
Thirdly, Elated is pretty much on the mark.
Fourthly, there’s nothing EPSO or the institutions can do about the lag of old-style competitions, except NOT extend the validity of the reserve lists, as they did for the competitions/reserve lists in existence before the “reform”. Mark my words, those reserve lists won’t be extended to the degree those prior were.
AD
@ Carina:
Get the SYSPER list of vacancies on a bimonthly basis. Do not waste your time sending spontaneous applications.
You should be happy to be EUR 10. Did you know that many DGs were not even considering EUR 15 applications?
To Carina
to your “game without an end” one could add “and without rules”.
Once you know it, you can either play along or quit – as you like it. Match point.
Cheers!
I am a EU_10 laureate of an AD5 competition with international professional experience, living abroad for more than 10 years and still waiting in the reserve list to be contacted by the EC since January 2009. Till now only the laureates who were Temporary Agents and worked inside the Commission and passed the competition like me were hired, they became permanent. I am a little disappointed by the way the EC manages these lists, I studied a lot to pass the exams and then I had to start my lobby, it is like a game without an end. Now I am receiving only polite e-mails in which different Heads of Unit tell me they have no vacancy. May you offer me any piece of advice regarding the recruitment I am here eagering to listen to it. To whom I must write more and more e-mails..
The point would be that all the laureates of those cancelled lists would start taking the newer comps, which generates more pseudo-activity as needed by epso to further justify its current size.
AD
What do you mean that it is unlikely that the lists will not be extended again beyond 2010?
There are still at least several of the “old” style competitions running. They have started in 2009 and will finish by the end of 2010. These competitions will result in new reserve lists which, I imagine, should be valid for at least two years (with the possiblity of extension).
What would then be the point of not extending the validity of reserve lists from 2005 – 2008 “old” style competitons?
@m7
What do you mean cancellation? Most lists were extended to end of 2010 in order to keep the pool full up to when the “new” competitions provide some new laureates. If the reserve list is valid now, it won’t be cancelled during the year.
However, it IS unlikely for them to be extended again, though the possibility exists.
AD
@ Miu,
Hi,
Many Thanks for sharing your experience!
Good luck with the results
Do any of you know about the possibility of cancellation of the Reserve Lists still on the table?
Is was commented in other forums…
@Miu
How nice that you shared your experience about your AST test.
Mine is this month.
Could you please tell me what were the most difficult things (tricks) when typing the test?
How did you choose the font style and size for your typing? Was it indicated? Or you had to guess and choose a style that seemed most similar to the text on paper?
Concerning the essay questions – what was the third topic besides “facebook” and “flexible working hours”?
Thanks a lot!
@query – the downloads have been removed at the request of the person that sent them to me. All the older comments are posted here – have a search there!
@ev
hi,
had my written/oral AST tests in november. The written test was typing 2-3 pages in word, there were handwritten corrections, which had to be incorporated. Essay topics were for example: what do you think about facebook and how flexible should working hours be.
Good luck!
Dear Jon,
Thanks for hosting this! V useful.
The downloads don’t seem to work – is there any other way of accessing this info? (And I’m also not sure how to find numbered comments, e.g. comment # 1003 – I can scroll through pages, but am not sure what number the comments are on each).
Best
Dear candidates for AD/166/09 – Translators of Bulgarian language,
The written test will take place on 29 January. Can someone give a hint what the first part – 1-hour test in BG language – could be? Thanks and good luck to everyone!
@ev
I asked the same question about the topics for AST secretaries.
It would be nice if people would respond here on the forum… Thanks in advance!
Hi
Has anyone experienced working in Geel at the IRMM?
How is living/working there? Do they help to find an accomodation?
What about moving with childrens ?
Thank you ifor your help.
Erò
Could anyone who had written and oral test for AST Secreataries in Nov and Dec already, please let me know what 3 topic questions they had.
I would be very greatfull if anyone could email me at eev321@yahoo.co.uk the examples of topics used for the preparation
Many Thanks
Ev
@ eli I am currently working in a DG as contract agent, and if you read the staff regulations well then you will find out that my lifetime in the DG is restricted to 3 years, afterwards no extension of the contract possible.
So I can either pass a concours as functionary (which is hard as we all know, and in my field there is no concours in sight) or I can find work as contract agent at an agency. Agencies give different contracts (they call it ‘Contract Agent Type 3a’) than DGs and they are not obliged to kick CA’s out after 3 years.
Forget about the fairy tale ‘once you are in the Commission you can stop worrying’…
@ee I totally agree 🙂
@Concoursman good luck in your next application!
If you are not Lithuanian, you have also the expatriation allowance, maybe some family allowance, etc.
It is not so bad, I mean, it is not a contract agent post, it could be an interesting opportunity to gain some valuable experience for future posts somewhere else…
or, if you fall in love of Vilnius, after some years you could have a permanent contract…
However, I applied in September for a post there (like other 20 candidates), but I was not invited to the interviews…. 🙁
well we would all like to get 6000 net euros to live and work in vilnius….
@ contractagentrevealing
Are you an ex contractual agent??Why are you still applying?
Dear candidates for AST secretaries,
the written and oral exams for AST secretaries from new 10 member states have started in November and are ongoing and will continue in Jan. and Feb. It would be so nice if someone would share his/her impressions of the exams taken. How is the practical test? What are the essay topics?
Thanks and good luck to everyone!
Hi,
does anyone at all apply for the new job openings in the agency in Vilnius, Lithuania? http://europa.eu/epso/apply/today/temporary_en.htm
I mean the work sounds interesting but the correction coefficient for the salary is a nightmare, they pay a third less than they would pay for the same job in Brussels and moreover the salary is paid in local currency…
Yes, the results of the written test are out (actually, they told us they will be out in November so the results were a week late) … Unfortunately, I didn’t pass the first part, so I don’t know what the minimum score was, but would be curious to find out.
Good luck to those continuing …
Do you mean the results of the written test in the security competition? Quite soon! Anyways, I have not taken part in it, but it would be interesting to know what the average score was. You did not get the minimum 50% or you got the minimum, but it was not enough? Can you say then what the minimum number of points for the essay was to get to the oral stage? That will give us an idea of the level of this and other similar competitions. Thanks.
Me neither, 19,50 instead of 20….
soo … the results are out for the test administrators in the field of security … i did not make it to the next level … any news from others?
Thank you very much, sparta and Pariser!
Your comments were really very helpful 🙂 Seems it is not that scary after all 😉
Have you been offered positions already?
@ Candidate-auditor
I agree completely with Sparta : just try to figure out from your CV which group(s) might be interested in your profile and how you can convince them that you really want to work for the ECA. The interview is quite “informal” (at least, it was for me), only job interview questions and nothing tricky about the audit field/procedures or European affairs… They know that you had to go through many written and oral tests to arrive there, so they won’t test you on these subjects. Just forget all what you did for the competition and concentrate on the job (which group, why, financial/performance audit…), BE OPEN-MINDED (I think that it is the most important) and get prepared just like for any other job interview. Try also to find answers to questions like : “are you afraid by the idea of living in Luxembourg ?” 🙂
@ Candidate-auditor
It will be all about you, your motivation, your experience, your skills, your willingness to travel, etc
No need to stress or to read again some competition stuff, instead think about which Group you would like to join and why (and cross the finger you have one representative in your interview)
What do you think is going to happen now after the Lisbon threaty start? Will it have a short-term impact in the increase of vacancies at the agencies due to new projects boot up?
In my mind it seem a bit slow down of selection processes during the last months…
Hello, all!
I’ve been invited at an interview at the Court of Auditors following the AD/126/08 competition at an AD5 level, has anybody been at such an interview already? What kind of questions do I have to expect? In the invitation letters they said I would meet with several audit groups..
Thank you very much if somebody is willing to share 🙂
Answer: yes, they do it in all three languages.
RELEX: it was possible to post the CV in either English, French, or German. If they do keyword searches when looking for a suitable candidate – do they do that in all three languages? Does anyone know?
Is there anyone here taking the written test in 145/09 food safety policy and legislation? What do you think? What topics are likely to appear? The exam is this Thursday.
Yes. Correct. it is the book from Hertru. I used it in English and find it very good to practice to do the written part. I also participated in some courses and they said exactly the same like in the book. You need to practice every day until you know your stuff. in the exam you are so stressed you probably use 20% of what they tell you in the book.
with re,ference to RELEX I though the stranger the countries you choose, the more chances you have, but it doesn’t seem to work.
@Ramona and Joseph
Yes, I declared to be available for other countries. In my case, as regard questions: ‘why are you interested in working in Indonesia (just to say a country)? It was a funny question, since I just didn’t choose the country; a couple of questions like ‘How do you behave if… (strange situation) . A couple of questions on the relevant part of CV. A couple of very technical questions on the job (I passed as ‘Infrastructure Adviser’). Let’s say 25 minutes.
@ A
The author of the book is E. Hetru and the French title is “Epreuve écrite des concours européens”. There is also the english version.
I have bought it but I didn’t pass the writtent test… 🙂
@ Ramona
I am in the Relex lists too, and I received the messages from Epso… I just changed some favourite countries in the list, but I think that that is quite useless for the selection process.
I mean, first they select on the basis of the cv (by keywords, I suppose), then, if several candidates have an equivalent background (education, experience and languages), I think they will choose the candidates by the preference list of countries.
Ramona, is the book you mentioned published in English?
@Jepson
Which profile are you? I am in “Good governance” and I have few years of pertinent professional experience and I have not been invited even once… It is quite frustrating…
@Jepson
what kind of questions did they ask you by phone? (if I may ask)
and did you tick on the selection “may be contacted from countries not on the list”?
I don’t understand why they keep on asking a new selection of countries.
thanks!
@ Ramona
Yes, I received this message. Btw, just to share info, I have been contacted by two delegations and in both cases they were not in my list of chosen countries (and sadly, I didn’t manage to pass the phone interviews).
CAST RELEX 2008
Did anybody who passed the Relex exam got asked for the third time their choice of countries eventhough they already elected the countries of the three diff. categories?