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.
@Christos:
First of all, I would like to join in the choir of praise for your book on the oral examinations. I found it tremendously useful, and together with Mr Gielisse’s book, which covers other phases of the selection process, it contributed a great deal to my successful completion of the concours. I also appreciate it very much that you are willing to take the time to answer the questions of contestants and laureates on forums such as this one.
I fully understand your point about the institutions simply wanting to have a pool of laureates available at any given time. However, I just hope they don’t forget that there are real people on these lists. People are not just potential employees, they are also, well… people: they make plans, they have hopes and designs for the future. You can tell them a million times that they should just go on with their lives, “don’t call us, we’ll call you – or perhaps not”, but it’s unlikely that you can ever really convince them not to get their hopes up.
Of course there is in general no need for an employer to take this into account when faced with the decision whether or not to hire someone. Then again, in most other cases the application process for a job generally involves little more than submitting a CV and cover letter, attending a job interview and perhaps taking some psychometric or other tests. The whole process takes one month, maybe two or three. After that, you know if you are in or out. If you’re out, well, tough luck – give it a couple of months and you’ll have moved on and forgotten all about it already. In the case of an EU concours, this is quite different – as many of us have found out: even after one has successfully completed a very lengthy selection procedure, the uncertainty can go on for years. In the worst case you may only find out that you are definitely out and not in when the validity of the reserve list expires – which could easily be more than five years down the road.
Almost one year ago (I did the same concours as Ben), I received a letter from EPSO congratulating me on having made the reserve list – and even the first-class merit group. The letter did warn me that it could be “weeks or even months” before I would be contacted by one of the institutions. It did not, however, warn me that it could very well take years, or might indeed never happen. This, I think, is a bit of a flaw in the whole procedure: at no point are you really made aware that all you can hope to achieve by passing the concours is merely a (small?) chance of perhaps being invited for an interview at one of the institutions, at some unspecified point in the future. Your book in fact is one of the few publications to at least hint at this, but I think this point deserves more attention in general. So for current contestants: please heed Christos’ advice in this matter: it may well be the most one of the most valuable pieces of advice you will get.
As a general rule, I see all experiences as learning opportunities, and from that perspective I can honestly say that I have found the whole selection process rewarding and even enjoyable. The knowledge and experience I gained will undoubtedly proof to be useful, whatever the future may hold. However, I am also realistic enough to keep in mind that I started this process with a specific goal in mind – finding employment at an EU institution – and that I could have dedicated my time and energy to pursuing other goals instead. Having said all this, I remain optimistic for myself, for Ben and for everyone else on the lists. Best of luck everyone, and see you in Brussels or Luxembourg one day!
Hi,
I am in the Cast Relex 2007 list (group IV/Good Governance) and i was contacted last week to take an interview (for Guatemala). The phone interview took place on monday and it was pretty short and superficial. It seems difficult to understand that a decition can be based in such a kind of interview. ¿Did any one have a similar experience? ¿What was your impression?
Hi,
Maybe someone knows what was the pass mark for the AST3 in the field of audio-visual/multimedia (AST/70/08)?
Thank you!
@gianco
Thank you for your nice comments about my book.
Concerning your question on the presence of external observer in the exam, the answer is that every oral exam is taking place in a closed room (the candidate against the jury but in the presence of one person from the secretariat of the competition for objective minute taking). In addition the non-discrimination ellement, is also taken care by the staff representative member of the jury.
Nevertheless, I would be interested in knowing in which Member State is allowed external people to witness an oral examination. At least this is not the case in the country I know best.
@Ben
Trying to guest his master’s voice wishes is really tricky 🙂 However the following element will make your understanding much clearer.
The idea behind the construction of a “reserve list” is that the EU institutions will have enough candidates to select if they wish for a period of about three years.
Having said that there are specialities with a lot of demand at a certain time frame (i.e. candidates from newly accessed Member States the year before plus a couple of years following the accession).
My personal advice is to keep up with your work and other projects, and start considering the EU option only when you receive a written request.
Of course if you wish, you can always send motivation letters and CV in a focused way to the units of interest to you, but the success rate of this approach is normally low, since no Head of Unit will be able to hire if they do not have an open position to fill in.
All the best with your journey towards the EU institution world of translation.
@Christos
Thank you for your reply!
@olak
How was your REA interview? I am curious as I am expecting one too. Thanks.
@Kiwi
Many thanks for your comment and advice.
Hard luck, Jon. If the process were a bit more human instead of relying on this silly test, they’d have realised they need people like you. Silly sods. Perhaps you’re right that Barroso needs replacing…
@A
No there was definitely no shaking of hands. Not that it was a big deal, I just took my lead from the panel. They were behind desks and I was pointed to a chair behind another desk opposite them. However, they were very pleasant and did introduce themselves and had name cards and everything.
test
PB,
welcome to the club… AD5 laureate EU15, started entire process in 2005. Selection rounds were fairly easy… but the frustrating part is the complete radio silence that follows or even worse, the wrong strategic information you are fed off the record by HR people (“wait another 6 months, things will clear up”)
I see people from my list taking up specialist posts for which they have no experience to show for (google is such a handy tool) and for which I had categorically been told no EU15 laureate would have access to. Oddly enough LinkedIn and sites alike do mention previous internships at the EP, etc. blood’s thicker than water, mate.
@ Christos
I have just finished to read your book. It is interesting and I suggest to read it for everyone interested in EU competitions. However, I haven’t find there an answer to a little question: are the oral tests public and open to everyone interested in see and ear it or limited to the candidates of the same day or every oral exam is in a closed room?
I know that, for transparency, a common rule for public selections is to admit the presence of some witness in the room of the exam… but I know that the EU competitions are different from the national competitions.
Any helpful tips for someone on the AD administrators (economists) reserve list looking for a Commission position? I am EU10 and started the entire process in 2006, still haven’t heard anything. Seriously do you have to be an insider to actually even get called for an interview? It’s been mentioned before on here that supposedly there is a big movement to “regularize” all the people on temp contracts, get them positions. Seriously it would be really helpful for us non-insiders to get some info on how to get a position. I thought getting through all the grueling rounds of exams was going to be the hard part. In fact, the hard part is actually getting employed!
@ Christos
Do you have any idea how long one would (on average) have to wait before being offered a job as translator for the EU? I’m on a reserve list since april 2008 (English and French to Dutch) and haven’t heard anything since (neither have I been flagged by any of the Institutions). I know there’s no straightforward answer to my question, but would just like to know how great my chances are of hearing something in the near future and if there is a chance of never even getting an offer…
(Btw, I read your book before the oral examination, and it is indeed very helpful!)
@ Linguist
The EU is THE most attractive workplace for a translator. The only international organization where so many languages are used as well as have the same legal value at the same time.
@ A
No shaking of hands will take place. It is indeed a formal interview. For more details please allow me to suggest my book “Succeeding in the EU Oral Examinations” that according to what people tell me it’s a wealth of informations for the subject.
@Kiwi (perhaps also someone else with relevant experience)
I refer to your interview experience. Do you shake hands with interviewers at the beginning? I would say no, especially if there is a panel of as many as 10 people. But what if a panel is smaller, say 3 or 4 people? Also no shaking because it would break the distance that might be required at the formal interview?
thanks for your advice!
@ Kiwi
I work as a translator in the private sector and have not (yet) sat any competitions. My interest is general. Recently I’ve started researching opportunities more actively, that’s why I’m following this site too. The EU or another international organization is probably one of the most attractive workplaces for a translator.
Sorry Linguist, I meant to ask you whether you sat/passed the competition or what your interest is.
I have a very good friend who has worked as a translator for the Commission for about 10 years so I have a fair idea what it’s like…
Thanks, Kiwi. It’s very interesting to follow this whole process. I wonder what it’s like working as a translator for the EU? Hope you get a job offer soon. Keep us posted.
@ Michel & etni
Thanks for the info. Let’s hope that no news means good news…
I am also in financial management.
Good luck!
@etni
I am in the financial management comp (AST/52).
@ Milda & Michel
are you by any chance in programmes/projects comp?
@ Milda & Michel
thanks for this info! if we haven’t been rejected yet, means we have more or less 80% chance we are through to the second round?
I heard (some) non-admission notices were sent to people end of December…
hey everyone,
I´m looking for a sample EPSO/AD test in Microeconomics/Business Administration.
You have one, from any year, please send it to suzana_sax@lycos.com
Many thanks in advance!
@Milda
I sent an e-mail to EPSO and they told me the list of candidates admited to the written tests should be published at the end of january o begining february
Hi,
Has anyone received any feedback for EPSO/AST/46-55/08, after sending a full application?
Cheers!
Sorry, just to clarify – the Commission still has a list with some names on it, but the lists for the other institutions are apparently finished…
@ Linguist
I was told from a friend who works for the Commission that they organised this competition partly because there are a lot of people with the “old” languages who are nearing retirement (whereas the previous Commission competition for English translators in 2006/2007 required central and east European languages).
At my oral I asked whether there were old reserve lists still to be finished before they start this one, and was told that the Commission still has one with a few names on it, but that the others were pretty much finished. They also said that in theory they can start recruiting from this reserve list as soon as it is published, ie they don’t have to finish the other ones first. Don’t know whether that’s how it really works in practice though!
Kiwi and others, I wonder why they arranged a new competition for English translators? After all, the validity of old reserve lists has just been extended, including the English-language translator and assistant translator lists published in 2004… The wait may be long.
Anyone did the oral exams for the ad 99 (profile environmental technology)? When are results expected?
Nothing, … I sent letters to people in aidco, dev, and some delegations, talked to relex people, but no result at all. Hardly even an answer. Strange, I think I have an interesting cv with three years commission experience in the field of my relex exam. I don’t know why this exam was held?
Anyone been succesfull with CAST Relex 2008 so far, or been invited? Things really are starting to look like a sherade..
Hi luxo,
I also passed to the oral exam for the ad8, I had it the 29/01. I do not what to prepare so I guess I will relax and read the latest olaf reports and review the manual, short version, one more time….. I would like to know about your ideas on it….
Regards
I am on the reserve list for an interinstitutional competition for English translators – I presume this means any job offer is likely to be in Brussels or Luxembourg. Does anyone know whether Strasbourg is also a possibility?
Which level you have it ?
I have the OLAF oral on 3/02 for Ast4.
dodo
Hi everybody,
I have just got the inivitation to the oral test for the olaf competition, is there anybody in the blog who has also been invited? it could be good to share informations on how to prepare it .
Any comments of previows oral test for other competitions are welcome!
@Caro,
Thanks!
No, no indication about when a job may come up, just that I’m in the top merit group but I don’t really know whether that makes any difference. As far as I know the language combination does make a big difference, so I guess it’s a question of who retires!
Didn’t meet any other candidates for my concours, just a couple who were doing some kind of building concours. I probably did see the person after me but didn’t talk to him.
No problem, I’ll come back and let you know how things pan out.
Ciao Jon,
first of all thank you for the great occasion that you give us to “meet” here and to discuss about this staff.
I have seen the changes of the layout of the blog, but I am getting lost! 🙁
I preferred the older version…where the messagges were cronoligacally ordered. Now I do not find the recent ones neither the categories that you mention! 🙁
Help! 😉
thanks!
@ Kiwi
Hey that’s great news Kiwi, congratulations on passing the concours! And thanks for all your feedback about the competition. It would be great to hear from you now and then to learn how long it takes to be offered a position from the reserve list. Have they given you any indication of when you might be offered a job? I suppose these things are just down to chance according to how positions become available, although I wonder if your language combination, for example, might have an influence on this? Did you meet any of the other candidates?
Happy New Year everybody,
A:
Regarding my appeal. All I did was follow the instructions in the avis de concours. I sent an email and followed it up with a letter that was basically the email in printed form. In both of these documents I tried to ‘compile my case’ in a constructive but firm manner, rather than trying to promote myself or complain excessively. To be honest I’m still not sure on what grounds my appeal was successful – the logic of the avis de concours was ambiguous. There are two possibilities.
1) Entry to the competition requires university education AND a relevant qualification. In this case, EPSO’s decision whether or not to admit me was discretionary (i.e. whether or not they thought my qualifications were relevant) so the appeal must have been due to a combination of luck and persuasive argument.
2) Entry to the competition requires university education OR a relevant qualification. This is how I interpret the avis de concours from reading the English version, though in the French version it appears less clear-cut. In this case, EPSO were clearly wrong not to admit me in the first place. I have a university degree and passed the EU quiz, therefore there is no discretion.
In summary:
– the lawyer-linguist working on the avis de concours was half-asleep imho.
– the legalistic nature of EPSO concours is a real pain, but can also work to the candidate’s advantage because the document provides a clear framework that you can use to construct your appeal. EPSO were bound to follow certain procedures. They made a mistake and were gracious enough to admit it in reasonable time.
– I’m fairly sure that option 2) of those above is correct. This means that my appeal was successful because they had made a black & white mistake (do I have a university degree or not) and not because we disagreed on a matter of opinion (are my qualifications ‘relevant’ or not). I suspect that appeals based on procedure are likely to be more successful than appeals based on arguments of substance.
Hope this helps
REA/ERCEA INTERVIEWS
HAVE YOU BEEN TO REA/ERCEA INTERVIEWS? HOW IS IT LIKE? WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS?
PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE.
THANKS A LOT!
@ nova,
Funny… that’s exactly the reason quoted over the phone (“there’s already too many of you”). I had a talk with some-one who is currently an EU official over this… this guy spent 8 years on a reserve list… first they had to give preference to Spanish/Portuguese laureates after which there was a period during which an informal anti-Belgians quota was enforced. It’s sad individuals should be punished for something that is outside of their discretion. I would switch nationalities without blinking an eye if only I could.
Trust me, it’s not because of the sublime coaching we get from our perm rep (which doesnot even answer mails from laureates, let alone it would help them lobby, they too feel there’s too many of us). It’s mainly the outrageous Belgian income taxes, which make that in most cases by sometimes literally going to work across the street you double your disposable income income for doing the same job. (not implying the EU is to blame for the backwardness of Belgian fiscal policies btw)
@jerome
Dear Jerome,
I cannot agree with you. The practice of the European institutions in Brussels shows they have so far recruited more Belgians than any other EU nationality, it’s evidencing from the statistics of the Commission. From my own experience, it seems to be true. I am working in a small unit (7 persons, together with the HoU) and 3 of them are with Belgian nationality. Same is the situation in the other so called international units, except for the translation ones.
Wish you good luck and success in 2009 if you still desire to join!
@frustrated
thanks for the advice…
i understand that the chances are minimal given the number of applicants but like you, after my graduation, i couldn’t find any comp i was suitable for. so, i gave up on the idea and decided to move abroad. now, after 5 years, i still feel a desire to work in civil service and this is one of the avenues i am looking at.
but i get your point and, of course, i am not betting my future on the EU but although i am aware of the limited chances, i have to look at it in a positive light, otherwise there’s no point in signing up.
thanks again and merry Christmas
cristos and elena, thanks for the comments…
so here i am giving up social life for the next 10 months.
I promised to come back and talk about my oral once the results had come through, so here I am – and in fact I passed the competition!
The oral was easier than I expected. There were 6 people on the jury, all translators, plus one person from EPSO. They were all very pleasant and friendly, introduced themselves and had a card next to each one with their name on.
They first asked me to expand on any points in my CV that I felt were particularly relevant to working as a translator, so I talked about my 9 years’ experience as a translator. Then they asked a bit about previous career changes I’d made.
The EU bit was just about the Lisbon treaty – what it was for, where it had come from etc, whether I thought it had achieved its aims. Then a bit about the EU’s policy of full multilingualism and what I thought about that.
Then they talked more about translation – what I knew about computer tools, whether I thought experienced translators should have their work revised, whether I thought deadlines were sacrosanct, how I’d cope when there isn’t enough time to do a perfect job etc, how I’d feel about boring texts. They also asked about my experience of working in a multicultural context.
They didn’t test any other languages.
That’s about all I can remember… good luck to the rest of you 🙂
@jerome
You are 10 years younger than me; I passed the competition last year and a couple a months ago I was recruited, so in my case it did not matter. In my opinion you should not worry about it.
@jerome
Age is not a problem as long as your “little grey brain cells” works fine 🙂
Even in the good old time the age limit was 35. So 29 turning 30 is not a big deal.
Studying methodically is the best think you can do.
good morning everyone,
after years of wandering around the globe, i have decided that it was time to head back to my home country, Belgium, and i spotted a concours in the EPSO planning for european public administration next year. (i majored in political science, so it’s not totally out of the blue :P)
this question may have been asked before but i was wondering how age affected the recruitment process. i am aware that in principle, it shouldn’t be a factor but when it comes to reality, i am certain recruiters will look at this.
the situation is that i am already 29 years old and will be 30 by the time i write the concours. even if, by some miracle, i manage to pass the grueling tests, i just wonder if it wouldn’t be a decisive factor in the end.
i am ready to put the next 10 months on hold and give it all for this test but wonder if all the efforts would crash because of me coming too late in the game. i was curious to hear your comments on this…
thanks
(I also wanted to thank Jon for this board as i got a lot of very useful information)
@
Comment # 2303 on December 11th, 2008 at 10:54
A
from REA nigative answer
from ERCEA last message on 15/10 – that it will take them long time
that’s it