Related FAQs

What is the starting salary for contract agents?

Basic monthly salary (in €) for 40 hour working week (1.7.2015), 1st step:Function Group IV (grade 13-18): 3246 - 6020 euroFunction Group III (grade 8-12): 2536 - 4156 euroFunction Group II (grade 4-7): 1980- 2869 euroFunction Group I (grade 1-3): 1907-2869 euroYou can find more information about the employment conditions in the Staff Regulations, as well as the latest information on salaries for officials and contract staff.

How will candidates be selected in the CAST Permanent selection procedure?

The CAST Permanent (see more information) selection process is different from Competitions. The main difference is that only a limited number of pre-selected candidates will be tested. Submitting an application does not mean that you will automatically be invited to sit the computer-based tests. Only candidates shortlisted by the recruiters will be invited to sit the selection tests when a vacancy arises. That means that you may never be contacted.The selection process is fast and efficient:Complete and validate your application/s and don’t forget to update it every six months to...

What do the different function groups mean?

Contract staff positions are available for a wide range of jobs, requiring different levels of qualifications. They are divided into four function groups:I. manual and administrative support-service tasksII. clerical or secretarial tasks, office management and other equivalent tasksIII. executive tasks, drafting, accountancy and other equivalent technical tasksIV. administrative, advisory, linguistic and equivalent technical tasks.Please consult the European Commission specific rules for employment of contract agents in English, French or German.

What are the duties of a Contract Agent in the EU Institutions?

Contract staff (CAST) are recruited to do manual or administrative support–service tasks or to provide additional capacity in specialised fields where insufficient officials with the required skills are available. Contract staff are employed for a fixed maximum period, often with a shorter initial contract of 6-12 months, depending on the type of the job. In some EU bodies, it may be possible for the contract to be extended for an indefinite duration.

What type of contract will I be offered?

At the time of recruitment, you may be offered a so-called "3a" or "3b" contract, depending on the needs of the service and legal arrangements of the recruiting institution. Please refer to Annex III, point 5 of the Call of expression of interest for detailed information about the contractual arrangements.

When and where will I sit the selection tests organised by EPSO in form of computer-based multiple choice tests (CBT) - CAST Permanent?

The CAST Permanent (see more information) selection process is different from Competitions. Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to sit the selection tests.If shortlisted, you will receive an invitation to book a test in your EPSO account. Please check your EPSO account at least twice a week. You must book and sit your test within the given timeframes.The tests will take place in testing centres worldwide. A list of available test centres will be accessible in your booking invitation. Please note that no reimbursement for travel costs is provided by EPSO.

Will a better test result increase my chances of recruitment?

No. The results of the selection tests are pass/fail only. Your score will only be visible to you (via your EPSO Account). The recruiting services will only see if a candidate has passed or failed the tests.The recruiting services should not require you to hand over any proof of succeeding in EPSO tests since all the necessary information on your status is available and accessible to them directly in the candidates' database.

What types of tests will I have to do when pre-selected?

If pre-selected, you will be invited to sit a series of multiple-choice tests to assess your general aptitudes in verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning (in your Language 1) and a specific competency test for the profile and function group you have applied for (in your Language 2). If you already passed the reasoning tests for the same or higher function group, but not the competency test, you will only be invited to sit the competency test.Please also check our sample tests ("Contract Agents" – "Competency-based test") for further information.When invited for a recruitment tests by...

Can I modify the content of my application once it has been validated?

With the exception of the CAST Permanent (see more information about this selection procedure), once validated, you can no longer modify the content of your application, as EPSO will immediately process the data.For CAST Permanent, candidates who have submitted an application are encouraged to update it every six months to indicate their on-going interest in that selection procedure and to remain visible to the recruiting services.You can upload or update your CV within your EPSO Account at any time. However, this information is only used by the recruiting services, and plays no...

What happens if I pass the selection tests, but not the recruitment tests?

If you pass the selection tests for a certain profile and function group, your results will remain valid and visible in the database according to the rules defined in the Call for Expression of Interest (10 years for reasoning tests and 5 years for competency test).Recruiting services can select and invite you directly to a recruitment tests. Please note that the recruiting services can invite several candidates for each vacant position.Success in the selection tests and invitation for a recruitment tests do not guarantee recruitment. You may only be offered a position if you are...

When will I get the results of my selection tests in the form of computer-based tests (CBT)?

You will receive your selection tests results via your EPSO Account approximately 2 weeks after the end of the testing period during which you have tested.Given the on-going nature of this procedure (thus the name CAST Permanent), there will be a number of testing periods per year.

What happens if I don't pass the selection tests?

If you don't obtain the minimum pass mark in each test (as specified in the call), you will not be invited for the recruitment tests (interview and other optional tests) and you will be blocked for six months (from the day when the results were published in your EPSO Account) from being invited to sit any other tests for that same or higher function group. Competency tests will only be marked if you pass the reasoning tests.If you pass the reasoning tests but fail the competency test, you will only need to sit the competency test if invited after the 6 months period. Please note that there is...

What happens after I submit my application?

The recruiting services will search, at regular intervals, the database of all registered candidates and shortlist those who best fit the specific requirements related to each vacant post. Make sure to update your application every six months, to indicate your on-going interest and to remain visible and searchable in the database.Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to book and sit a selection test organised by EPSO via their EPSO Account.Check your EPSO Account regularly, as if shortlisted, you will receive an invitation to book a test date about a week before the...

What happens if I pass the selection tests?

If you pass the selection tests (you must obtain the minimum pass mark in each test as specified in the call), you will be invited for an interview by the recruiting service.The validity of the results (from the date when the results have been published in your EPSO Account) is following:reasoning tests for 10 yearscompetency test for 5 yearsThe results are always valid for the profile and competency area in which you were tested and also to any lower function group.Example: You pass both the reasoning and the competency tests for the Profile Law FGIV.These results will be valid for Profile...

When will I know who is interested in my profile?

If pre-selected and successful in the tests, the recruiting services interested in your profile will contact you (via the e-mail address in your EPSO Account) and invite you for a recruitment tests comprising interview and other optional tests.EPSO does not provide information to candidates on which recruiting service is interested in them at any stage of the selection procedure.

Why haven't I been shortlisted to sit the selection tests (computer-based tests - CBT)?

CAST selections usually attract a high number of applications. However, the recruiting services only select and shortlist candidates whose profiles best fit their requirements and needs. Recruitment needs may vary across jobs and institutions.

If I passed the reasoning test and failed the competency test in EPSO/CAST/P1-4/2015, can I be invited to sit only the competency test in the CAST Permanent?

No, if you passed only reasoning tests in EPSO/CAST/P1-4/2015, you will be invited (if preselected again) to sit the complete set of selections tests (the reasoning and competency tests) in the CAST Permanent (see more information about this selection procedure).

Can I reuse my previous EPSO application/s?

All application/s for EPSO/CAST/P/1-4/2015 (CAST for Executive Agencies) validated by 25.11.2016 (noon Brussels time) were automatically migrated to the CAST Permanent (EPSO/CAST/P/1-4/2017).If you have already successfully passed the selection tests organised by EPSO for the EPSO/CAST/P/1-4/2015, your results remain valid (10 years for reasoning tests, 5 years for the competency test).

Can I be preselected for more than one profile and/or function group?

Yes, you can be preselected for more than one profile and/or function group, but in most cases a candidate can only be tested for one profile in one function group per testing period. Therefore you will be invited to sit the tests for these different profiles/function groups in the same order as the requests were sent to EPSO by the recruiting services.However, the same candidate can be invited to competency tests for different profiles during the same testing period. This can happen when the candidate has already passed previously the reasoning tests.Neither the recruiter nor the candidates...

What should I do if I'm invited, but no longer interested in sitting the tests?

If you are no longer interested in sitting the tests, you can simply choose not to book the tests. If you have already booked, you can cancel the appointment online up to 48 hours before the date of the test (via the link in the booking confirmation in your EPSO account). If you decide not to sit the tests, your application is not blocked, and you can be preselected to test again by other recruiting services in the future.

What should I do if I'm no longer interested in being recruited?

In order for an application to remain visible to recruiters, candidates must confirm their continued interest every six months. If you are no longer interested in being tested and/or recruited for a specific profile/function group, simply do not reconfirm your interest via your EPSO account. Six months after the last confirmation of interest or update to your application, the application will become invisible to recruiters, but you will be able to reactivate your application at any time in the future.

There was a problem with one of my Multiple-Choice-questions for the contract agents' selection procedure (CAST Permanent), what can I do?

Should you have a serious doubt about the content of a test question please contact EPSO's Candidate Contact Service within three calendar days of your tests clearly stating the circumstances and your candidate number (see the procedure in the Call for expression of interest).If an identified item does not comply with EPSO's strict quality criteria despite thorough quality controls in place, the following corrective measures will be applied:- The item will be corrected or taken out of the database;- Compensation may be applied if you were negatively impacted.See more information...

How do I reschedule my CAST Permanent computer-based tests?

During the booking and testing periods you can reschedule your multiple-choice question test appointment, subject to availability and under the following conditions: you should first wait until the original booking confirmation uploads in your EPSO account (normally within 24 hours of booking) as it contains the link, the confirmation number and the code you will need in order to reschedule the appointment; you can reschedule your original appointment up to the day before; you can only choose a new appointment within the same testing period and from the...

How will my language knowledge for the "CAST Permanent" translators’ profile be tested?

EPSO tests will only assess your languages as follows:your language 1 (one of the 24 official EU-languages with minimum level C1) will be tested through the multiple-choice-questions verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning testsyour language 2 (English, French or German with minimum level B2) will be tested through a multiple-choice-questions language comprehension test.Further information on the above tests is published on our sample tests’ page.Any additional test such as translation tests will be organised by the recruiting services, if required.

How many languages must I have to apply for the "CAST Permanent" translators’ profile?

Contrary to some open competitions (in particular competitions for linguists), the CAST Permanent selection procedure for translators requires knowledge of only two instead of three official EU languages:your language 1 must be one of the 24 official EU-languages with minimum level C1 andyour language 2 must be different from your language 1 and must be English, French or German with minimum level B2