Contract staff: EPSO's always-open database
The easiest way into the EU institutions for many people: register any time, get shortlisted, pass the reasoning tests and the interview.
How it works
EPSO keeps a database of candidates for contract staff posts that is always open: there is no registration deadline. You register for a profile (for example administration, finance, IT, secretaries or translators) in a function group.
When an institution needs someone, it shortlists the candidates whose profile best matches the job. You can also apply directly to published contract staff posts, but you still go through the same selection.
Who can register
- Citizens of an EU Member State, with a thorough knowledge (C1) of one EU language and a satisfactory knowledge (B2) of a second one.
- FG I: compulsory education.
- FG II and FG III: post-secondary education, or secondary education giving access to it, plus at least three years of relevant professional experience.
- FG IV: at least three years of completed university studies.
Tests and interview
Shortlisted candidates take online reasoning tests: verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, as multiple-choice questions. If you pass, your results stay valid for 10 years. If you fail, you wait four months before you can take the tests again for the same or a higher function group.
Candidates who pass can be invited to an interview. Each institution runs its own interviews and makes the final decision. EPSO publishes the testing dates on its website: the next ones are 19 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 31 March 2027.
Pay
Basic monthly salaries go from 2,613.72 EUR (FG I, first step) to 9,334.57 EUR (top of FG IV), before deductions and allowances. Our guide on salaries explains the rest.
Open now
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European Commission (Directorate-General for Climate Action, DG CLIMA) · Brussels, BelgiumContract agent FG IV Very good command of English and knowledge of other languagesCloses today
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European Commission · Brussels, BelgiumContract agent FG IV Good communication and drafting skills in many languages, especially English. No specific level is stated.Closes today
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European Commission · Brussels, BelgiumContract agent FG IV Clear English for drafting and speaking; knowledge of other EU languages is an assetCloses today
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European Commission · Brussels, BelgiumContract agent FG IV C1 in one EU official language and B2 in another EU official languageEU citizens Closes today
Official sources
- EPSO – Contract staff selection procedure
- EPSO – EPSO tests
- EU Careers – Salary levels and progression
Checked on 27 October 2026. Rules and figures change: the official pages and each notice always prevail. Content from europa.eu reused under CC BY 4.0 and rewritten by Kandidatu.
Other guides
- Working for the European Union: where to startWho hires, the main ways in, who can apply and which path fits you, explained in plain words.
- EU contract types explainedOfficials, temporary agents, contract agents, national experts, local agents and trainees: what each contract means, how long it lasts and how you get it.
- EPSO competitions step by stepHow an open competition for permanent EU officials works, from the notice to the job offer, and what the reserve list really means.
- EU salaries and benefitsBasic salaries by grade, deductions, the EU tax and the main allowances, with the figures published by EU Careers.
- EU traineeshipsThe Commission's Blue Book, the traineeships of the other institutions and agencies, and those in EU Delegations: who can apply, when, and what they pay.
- EU jobs for people who are not EU citizensMost EU posts require EU citizenship, but not all of them: local posts in EU Delegations, some traineeships and some mission posts are open to others.