The European institutions offer a wide range of career paths not only in administration but also in numerous other fields such as law, information technology, external relations, science and research, languages, human resources and crisis management. Their published job offers are available not only for experienced professionals but also for individuals without prior experience – for example, through graduate traineeships, which provide an amazing opportunity to understand the functioning of EU institutions.
The first step towards a career in the EU administration is contact with EPSO – the European Personnel Selection Office. This institution is responsible for selecting the most qualified candidates for both generalist and specialist positions, enabling their further recruitment process within the EU.
EPSO is selecting candidates for the following and more EU institutions:
https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/eu-institutions-and-bodies-epso-works
• the European Parliament (Brussels/Strasbourg/Luxembourg)
• General Secretariat of the Council – supporting the European Council and the Council of the EU
• the European Commission (Brussels/Luxembourg/Representations across the EU)
• the Court of Justice of the European Union (Luxembourg)
• the European Court of Auditiors (ECA)
• European Committee of the Regions (CoR)
• European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
• European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)
• European External Action Service (EEAS)
• European Ombudsman (EO)
WORK
EPSO frequently seeks candidates with generalist profiles, like lawyers, economists, and linguists, but also offers positions for specialists in various other fields. Proficiency in English is very important, if not crucial – as it is the language used daily for communication among employees within the EU institutions.
The key criteria:
- Citizenship of an EU country,
- knowledge of one of the official EU languages (Level C1) and satisfactory knowledge of a second (Level B2) official EU language
- Educational requirements vary according to the position. In general, there are positions that require university degree (administrators) and non-graduate positions (manual, support, assistant, etc.)
Administrators work in various sectors such as justice, law, finance, trade, environment, human resources, communication, translation, and more. Their duties include policy development, analysis, regulatory tasks, international negotiations, stakeholder engagement, and drafting and checking EU legal texts.
EU positions are divided into categories based on the type of employment:
- Permanent staff
- Contract staff
- Temporary staff
- Trainees
- Seconded national experts
- Other (interim staff, EU experts, parliamentary assistants, freelance linguists, maintenance)
Permanent positions within the EU institutions are filled through two types of competitions: for generalist and specialist profiles.
No professional experience is required for generalist positions, whereas specialist profiles do require relevant professional experience.
You will find more info here: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/eu-careers/staff-categories
How can I start? How can I get a job in the EU?
MAIN STAGES OF SELECTION:
- Create a candidate account on EPSO website (https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/epso-application-procedures)
- Tests:
– Reasoning skills tests on a pass/fail basis
– EU knowledge test
– Written test aimed mainly at assessing written communication skills
– Digital skills test (when applicable)
After successfully passing the tests and confirming that the candidate meets the eligibility criteria for the selection process, they are placed on a reserve list. This list is a database of individuals who have been formally and successfully verified both in terms of eligibility and test performance and are ready to participate in recruitment for specific positions.
It is important to remember that EPSO handles selection, not recruitment. Once a candidate has successfully completed the selection process, the subsequent recruitment stages are conducted directly by the hiring institution.
The EPSO website contains plenty of useful information along with the instructional videos and option to try a sample test.
More information: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/pl/selection-process
TRAINEESHIPS
Most EU traineeships usually last a few months and are always paid (payment varies according to the host organisation).
Traineeship opportunities are available in many different EU institutions, bodies and agencies. Below are some of the most popular ones:
• the Schuman Traineeship is a program for university graduates offered at the General Secretariat in Brussels, Luxembourg, or Strasbourg, as well as in liaison offices. It provides opportunities in various fields, including EU internal and external policies, finance, law, multilingualism, administration, infrastructure and logistics, communication, and IT. The traineeship lasts five months, with recruitment taking place twice a year. Application periods: May 1–31, 2025, and October 1–31, 2025.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/en/work-with-us/traineeships
• Blue Book Traineeship programme is offered to university graduates without prior experience willing to learn about EU policymaking and administration. The traineeship lasts five months (from March to July and from October to February) and is paid. A limited number of positions are also available for non-EU nationals.
https://traineeships.ec.europa.eu/index_en
• A full list of traineeships available in EU agencies, institutes, offices, and other EU bodies can be found at: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/job-opportunities/traineeships
We highly encourage you to explore these opportunities—there are many exciting prospects to discover!
It is important to remember that the European Union extends beyond the institutions mentioned in the introduction. In addition to these flagship institutions, as well as the representations and contact offices in each EU country, there are also numerous specialized bodies, interinstitutional services (which support and assist EU institutions), and both decentralized agencies (which help implement EU policies) and executive agencies (which manage specific EU programs and tasks).
Here are a few examples::
• European Defence Agency
• European Union Institute for Security Studies
• (EISMEA) European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency
• European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)
• (ERCEA) European Research Council Executive Agency
• (REA) European Research Executive Agency
• European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA)
• European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA)
You can find the full list here:
https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/types-institutions-and-bodies_en
It’s worth checking the full list of EU institutions and any open recruitment opportunities – your dream job might be waiting there!
Whether you’re interested in working in politics, law, administration, or the tech sector – the European Union offers numerous opportunities to develop a career at the international level!
We strongly encourage you to visit the EPSO website and get to know more:
https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en