Career opportunities with the European Institutions

1. Career opportunities with the European Institutions

2. My Role • To promote EU Careers • Point of contact in Durham • To post relevant information via Facebook • Email: eucareers.durham@gmail.com

3. Choose EU Careers Parliament Council Commission Ombudsman Court of Justice Ctte of Regions Court of Auditors Economic &Social Ctte Data ProtectionSupervisor … and many otheragencies of the EU

4. Why EU Careers? A career with the EU Institutions gives you: • A lifetime of different jobs • Interesting and challenging work that makes a real difference for Europe • An environment where you are encouraged to learn new skills and languages • The opportunity to work and travel abroad, and work with people from all over Europe • An attractive benefits package

5. What is an EU career? Two categories of staff – wide variety of profiles: • Administrators (AD)e.g. policy officers, lawyers, auditors, scientific officers, translators, interpreters, communication & press officers … • Assistants (AST)e.g. secretaries, HR assistants, financial assistants, conference technicians, accountants, ICT specialists…

6. What they look for • Best candidates across Europe • Motivation to work for Europe • Strong analytical, organisational and communication skills • Ability to adapt easily to a variety of environments and stakeholders

7. Do you have what it takes? • You would like to use and enhance your language abilities • You have the drive to deliver results and the ability to work effectively as part of a multi-cultural team • You are eager to learn and develop your knowledge and skills

8. How to apply Single point of entry: European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) Entry is by open competition Notice of Competition published in Official Journal of European Union, also available via www.eu-careers.eu Organised in annual cycles for general profiles More specialised profiles “on demand” Apply online at: www.eu-careers.eu EPSO selects candidates Selection procedure = 5-9 months Institutions recruit from selected candidates

9. When to apply December Recruitment Assessment Centre AD Registration + Self-assessment AST Registration + Self-assessment Assessment Centre CBT / professional linguistic skills test - CV sift Recruitment Recruitment CBT September March Assessment ADL Registration + Self-assessment CBT June

10. 2010 cycles • November/December 2010: Assistant competition • March 2011: Administrator competition • July 2011: Linguist competition

11. Current Competitions • The 2011 graduate 'administrator' selection procedure will open on 16th March. • This year we will be selecting within the following six fields:-European Public Administration-Law-Economics-Audit-Finance-Statistics

12. Where to apply www.eu-careers.eu

13. The competition

14. Who can apply – basic requirements Citizens of the 27 Member States Knowing at least 2 official EU languages Currently 2nd language must be EN, FR or DE

15. Who can apply - qualifications For Administrator grades: University degree (bachelor) For Assistant grades: Higher secondary education (at least) Relevant professional experience NB: Specific requirements for each competition – see Notice of Competition

16. Competition structure – general overview > 50,000applicants • 1. Admission Tests (CBT)– multiple-choice tests in EN, FR or DE – cognitive abilities • – test centre in Edinburgh or London • – all applicants • 2. Assessment Centre • – EPSO assessment centre in Brussels • – competency-based • – fixed quota • 3. Reserve list • – fixed quota • See Notice of Competition for details typically 1 : 3 < 300successful

17. Competition structure – by type

18. Computer based tests - overview Verbal reasoning Numerical reasoning Abstract reasoning Situational judgement AST: Professional skills Linguists: Language skills (EU knowledge is no longer tested) in second language (English, French or German)

19. Verbal Reasoning - Example

20. Verbal Reasoning - Example

21. Numerical Reasoning - Example

22. Numerical Reasoning - Example

23. Abstract reasoning (sample question)

24. Situational judgement (sample question)

25. Assessment Centre Depending on the competition: • Case study in the field in question • Exercises relating to professional skills • Oral presentation • Structured interview • Group exercises • Practical language tests

26. Conclusion - Reserve list List of successful candidates Basis for recruitment by Institutions Valid for at least one year – may be extended No guarantee of a job…

27. EU Careers – recruitment process • Institutions check profiles of successful candidates • Candidates invited to job interviews • Job offer • Candidate accepts job offer, or remains on reserve list

28. EU Careers – the whole package • An environment where you are encouraged to learn new skills and languages: • Strong focus on training and development • Language training encouraged(3rd language required for 1st promotion) • Flexible working conditions: • Flexitime, part-time, telework, parental leave, career breaks … • A great package of benefits: • Salary, allowances, pension, European Schools, childcare facilities

29. Other employment possibilities Temporary staff: temporary agents Contract staff: contract agents Traineeships (5 months) Seconded national experts (typically 1-2 years) Interim Staff (6 months, drawn from local agencies) http://europa.eu/epso/discover/careers/staff_categories/index_en.htm Commission Ambassadors: Training Seminar

30. More profiles and EU-tube • Follow Durham EU Careers Facebook page: • http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/EU-Careers-Durham-University/165507363484376 • General EU Careers Facebook: • http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/EU-Careers/298387676087 • Follow our “raconteurs” (blogging about their lives in the EU institutions)on: • http://www.facebook.com/page/EUCareers .... • http://twitter.com/EUCareers • Read profiles/watch videos of officials in the EU institutions: http://europa.eu/epso/discover/careers/meet_our_colleagues/index_en.htm • Watch a video about EU Careers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_slqhvf4VUg All accessible via http://eu-careers.eu/

31. More information, questions … www.eu-careers.eu