Related FAQs

What is the starting salary for contract agents?

Please find below the basic monthly salary (in €) for a 40 hour working week (applicable from 1 July 2020), 1st step:Function Group IV (grade 13-18): 3 555,98 - 6 593,66Function Group III (grade 8-12): 2 777,78 - 4 552,18Function Group II (grade 4-7): 2 169,66 - 3 142,81Function Group I (grade 1-3): 2 088,92 - 2 672,85You 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 (annual update applicable from July 2020).

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

Submitting an application in CAST Permanent selection procedure does not in itself mean that you will be invited to sit the tests. Only those candidates shortlisted by the recruiting services will be invited to sit the selection tests if and when a need arises.The selection process consists of the following steps:Candidates complete and validate their application(s) and update them at least every six months to confirm their interest and to remain visible in the database.When a need arises, the recruiting services pre-select (shortlist) from the database of all validated and visible...

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?

The specific duties will depend on the profile you are interested in. See Annex I to the Call for Expressions of Interest for detailed examples of duties per profile.Contract staff are employed for a limited period, with an initial contract of 6-12 months.In some EU bodies, it may be possible for the contract to be renewed for an indefinite duration.

What type of contract will I be offered?

The type of contract will depend on many elements including on the recruiting service.For more information about the contractual arrangements, please refer to Annex III, point 4 of the Call for Expression of Interest.

What types of tests will I have to sit, after being pre-selected (shortlisted)?

If pre-selected (shortlisted) by a recruiting service, you will be invited to sit two types of selection tests.First, you will undergo a series of multiple-choice tests to assess your general aptitudes in verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning (in your Language 1).Then, you will sit a specific competency test* for a 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*.EPSO does not organise competency tests...

When and where will I sit the selection tests for CAST Permanent?

Only candidates pre-selected (shortlisted) by the recruiting services will be invited to sit the selection tests.If shortlisted, you will receive in your EPSO account an invitation to book a test. This invitation is usually published on the first day of the booking period 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 are computer-based multiple-choice tests. They will take place in testing centres worldwide.A list of available test centres will be accessible in your booking invitation...

Will a better test result increase my chances of recruitment?

No. The recruiting services can only see if a candidate have passed or failed the tests.Your score will only be visible to you, via your EPSO Account.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 accessible to them in the candidates' database.

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

The recruiting services may invite several candidates for an interview (and possibly other tests) for each vacant position. It is up to the recruiting services to provide the feedback on the outcome of the interview (and other tests if applicable).However, should you not be successful on that occasion, your selection test results will remain valid, counting from the date when they are published in your EPSO Account, for:10 years (reasoning tests)5 years (competency tests)5 years (language comprehension tests)Recruiting services may again pre-select (shortlist) and invite you for an interview...

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:You can modify the content of your application(s) for the CAST Permanent selection procedure and upload or update your CV within your EPSO Account at any time.Don’t forget to update your application(s) at least every six months if you wish to remain visible to the recruiting services. This applies regardless of whether you passed or failed the tests.

What happens after I submit my application?

The recruiting services will search the database of all registered candidates and shortlist those who best fit the specific needs of the service. Make sure to update your application every six months in order to remain visible and searchable in the database.Only shortlisted candidates will be invited, via their EPSO Account, to book and sit a selection test organised by EPSO.Check your EPSO Account regularly. If shortlisted, on the day of the opening of the booking period,you will receive an invitation to book a test date. In general, the link to the booking page...

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

If you fail the reasoning tests, the competency* test that you took at the same time will not be marked.If you pass the reasoning tests, but fail the competency* test, your reasoning tests results will nevertheless remain valid.Moreover, once you fail a test, the following rules apply:If you fail the reasoning test, you cannot be invited to take another reasoning test for the same or higher function group for the next 6 months. However, you can still be invited to take reasoning tests for lower function groups.If you fail the competency* test, you cannot be invited to take another competency...

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 get the results of my EPSO selection tests?

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 been tested.Testing periods are organised regularly throughout the year. Please refer to the timeline available on each dedicated page of the 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.

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).

Why haven't I been pre-selected (shortlisted) to sit the selection tests?

CAST Permanent selection procedure attracts a high number of applications. However, the recruiting services only pre-select and shortlist candidates whose profiles best fit their needs.

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 be pre-selected (shortlisted) for more than one profile and/or function group?

Yes, you can be pre-selected (shortlisted) for more than one profile and/or function group.If pre-selected more than once (by more than one recruiter) for the same profile in the same function group, you will only take the tests once.If pre-selected for different profiles/function groups, you will be invited to sit the tests for these profiles/function groups in the order in which the requests were sent to EPSO by the recruiting services.Neither the recruiter nor the candidates or EPSO can influence the order of test requests being processed.In case you have already passed the reasoning tests...

What should I do if I am 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 a test.If you have already booked a test, you should 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, this will not affect your eligibility and your application is not blocked.You can be preselected to test again by other recruiting services in the future.

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

If you are no longer interested in being tested and/or recruited for a specific profile/function group, you can simply stop confirming your interest via your EPSO account. Six months after the last confirmation of interest or update to your application for that profile/function group, the application will become invisible to recruiters.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 in a test for 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 the EPSO's quality criteria, the following corrective measures will be applied:- The item will be corrected or taken out of the database;- Corrective measures may be taken in instances where EPSO finds that a candidate was negatively impacted.

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 appointments shown in...

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

EPSO tests will only assess your knowledge of languages as follows:Your language 1 (L1), which can be any of the 24 official EU languages, will be tested through the verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning tests in a form of multiple-choice questions. Your knowledge of L1 needs to be at least at level C1 (proficient user).Your language 2 (L2), which can be chosen from amongst English, French and German, but must be different from L1, will be tested through a language comprehension test in a form of multiple-choice questions. Your knowledge of L2 needs to be at least at level B2 (independent...

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.