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Allowances 1application 3applications 1benefits 1CA 1Competitiveness Factor 1contracts 1Correction Coefficient 1cv 2deadlines 1eu agencies 1eu applications 1eu carrier 1grades & classification 2Health coverage 1HR 1institutions & bodies 4Insurance Scheme 1
Featured

Do EU agency jobs have a pension fund?

A practical explanation of why pension rights for EU agency roles usually depend on the contract type, not on a separate agency pension fund.

pension · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04
Featured

JSIS: How the EU's Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme Actually Works

Excerpt: Health coverage is one of the more valuable, and least explained, parts of an EU package. JSIS is broad, follows you into retirement, and covers your family — but it also comes with reimbursement ceilings and bureaucracy worth knowing about before you rely on it.

Sickness Insurance Scheme · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Do EU agency jobs have a pension fund?

A practical explanation of why pension rights for EU agency roles usually depend on the contract type, not on a separate agency pension fund.

4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

A structure for answering behavioural application and interview questions, widely used by assessors in EPSO Talent Screeners and Assessment Centres to score candidate responses against a...

Selection process · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Competitiveness Factor

The influence of the applicant pool's overall strength - not just whether a candidate meets the notice's minimum requirements - on shortlisting outcomes. A shallow field can shortlist a...

Selection process · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Reserve List

The pool of successful candidates from an EPSO competition or agency selection procedure, valid for a defined period (commonly one year initially, longer for specialised profiles) which is...

Selection process · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

CAST (Contract Agent Selection Tool database)

The database of successful candidates from computer-based Contract Agent selection tests, from which institutions and agencies can draw to fill specific vacancies - a lighter selection process...

Selection process · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

EU Agencies Network

A network bringing together over 50 EU decentralised agencies and joint undertakings across policy areas (health, environment, justice, energy, defence, aviation, and more), each running its own...

Institutions & bodies · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

EU Careers Portal

The centralised portal aggregating EPSO competitions and a meaningful share of institutional vacancies, used as a first stop for candidates monitoring EU job openings - though it does not capture...

Institutions & bodies · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

EPSO (European Personnel Selection Office)

The body that runs open competitions for Official posts and centralises some Contract Agent selections (CAST) on behalf of EU institutions. EPSO account management is separate from individual...

Institutions & bodies · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Annex VIII - Pension Transfer (Transfer-in / Transfer-out)

The part of the Staff Regulations covering the transfer of pension rights: transfer-in when joining EU service from a national or another scheme, and transfer-out when leaving EU service, subject...

Pension · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Education Allowance

A fixed-amount allowance for staff with school-age dependants, with more than one tier depending on schooling circumstances, and not scaled by the local correction coefficient.

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Dependent Child Allowance

A fixed-amount allowance, set centrally and identical across all duty stations, unlike the percentage-based allowances that move with the correction coefficient.

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Household Allowance

An allowance calculated as a percentage of basic salary, and therefore scaling with the correction coefficient of the duty station.

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Expatriation Allowance

An allowance calculated as a percentage of basic salary (and therefore moving with the correction coefficient), granted based on a staff member's residence and nationality history relative to...

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Annex VII (Staff Regulations) - Allowances

The annex to the Staff Regulations that sets out the rules for allowances such as the expatriation allowance, household allowance, dependent child allowance and education allowance, including...

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

PMO (Office for the Administration and Payment of Individual Entitlements)

The Commission office that administers individual staff entitlements across institutions, including JSIS reimbursements, pensions and other allowances.

Institutions & bodies · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS)

The common health insurance scheme for EU institution staff, established under Article 72 of the Staff Regulations and managed operationally by the PMO. It covers Officials, AST/SC staff, Contract...

Benefits · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Solidarity Levy

An additional percentage deducted from EU staff salaries, on top of the Community tax, for the benefit of the EU budget. The rate has varied across different reform periods.

Taxation · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Community Tax

The internal EU tax levied directly on the salary of Officials and other servants, in place of national income tax, under Article 12 of Protocol No 7. It is progressive, deducted at source, and...

Taxation · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Correction Coefficient

A percentage adjustment, calculated by Eurostat for each duty station, applied to basic salary (and to allowances calculated as a percentage of it) to preserve equivalent purchasing power across...

Pay & allowances · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Grade (AD / AST / AST-SC)

The classification used for Officials and Temporary Agents: AD (Administrator), AST (Assistant) and AST-SC (Secretaries/Clerks), each with its own scale of grades and steps determining basic...

Grades & classification · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Function Group (FG I-IV)

The classification used for Contract Agents, ranging from FG I (administrative support) to FG IV (advisory, linguistic and specialised technical tasks), reflecting increasing levels of...

Grades & classification · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS)

The legal instrument that extends and adapts provisions of the Staff Regulations - including pension rules - to Temporary Agents, Contract Agents and other non-Official staff categories. Article...

Legal framework · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Staff Regulations

The core EU regulation governing the employment conditions, rights, obligations, pay, and pension of EU Officials, and applied by analogy to other staff categories via the CEOS. It sets out, among...

Legal framework · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Seconded National Expert (SNE)

A national civil servant or public-sector employee temporarily seconded to an EU institution or agency by their home administration, rather than employed directly under the Staff Regulations or...

Staff categories & contracts · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Contract Agent (CA)

The most accessible entry route into EU institutions and agencies. CA staff are classified into four Function Groups (FG I-IV) by level of responsibility, recruited via a computer-based test into...

Staff categories & contracts · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Temporary Agent (TA)

A non-permanent staff category that sits on the same AD/AST grade and salary structure as Officials. TA contracts are used for specialised technical or scientific posts, politically-mandated roles...

Staff categories & contracts · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Official

A permanent EU civil servant appointed under the Staff Regulations, as opposed to a Temporary Agent, Contract Agent or Seconded National Expert. Officials are placed in the AD (Administrator) or...

Staff categories & contracts · 1 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

TA vs CA vs SNE: What Actually Differs, and Why "Entering Low" Can Be the Smarter Move

Temporary Agent, Contract Agent, and Seconded National Expert aren't just three labels for "not a permanent official" — they carry genuinely different stability, salary, and progression profiles. Knowing which lever each one pulls changes how you should plan your entry into the system.

contract types · 6 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Watching 40+ Agency Websites for Vacancies Doesn't Work - What to Do Instead

Excerpt: There isn't one place where EU vacancies get published. There are dozens. Manually checking each agency's site on a rotation isn't a discipline problem — it's a structurally losing strategy, and it's worth understanding why before building an alternative.

applications · 3 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Reserve List: What Actually Happens After You Pass the CV screening

Passing a competition and landing on a reserve list isn't the finish line — it's a new, quieter phase with its own rules on validity, quotas, and how institutions actually pick candidates. Understanding it changes how you should behave while you wait.

applications · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Managing Multiple EU Applications Without Losing Track of Deadlines and Follow-Up

Serious candidates rarely apply to just one notice at a time. But running several EU applications in parallel — each with its own portal, deadline, and document set — creates a coordination problem that has nothing to do with how strong your profile is.

applications · 3 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Community Taxation: Why an EU Salary Isn't Taxed the Way You Think

One of the more misunderstood aspects of EU employment is taxation. EU staff don't pay national income tax on their EU salary — but they're not tax-free either. A separate, EU-specific tax applies instead, and understanding the mechanism matters more than the headline "no national tax" line usually suggests.

salary · 3 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

The Correction Coefficient

Two identical grades and steps can mean very different take-home pay depending only on the city. The correction coefficient is why — and it's worth checking before you compare, accept, or even negotiate any EU offer.

salary · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Allowances: they impacts the salary as Much as the Grade Itself

Basic salary isn't the whole offer. Expatriation and household allowances scale with the correction coefficient, while family and education allowances stay fixed — and knowing which is which changes how you should actually compare two postings.

salary · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

The impact in the seniority at the moment of the offer

Once an offer is on the table, every date on your CV gets checked against real documents — and the outcome of that check doesn't just decide whether you pass. It determines the salary step you're placed on, with a real, recurring financial impact for the life of the contract.

applications · 5 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

The Competitiveness Factor; why it matters

Understanding the Competitiveness Factor: how you should read a job notice and which calls are actually worth the effort of a tailored application

applications · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Non-Shortlisted Outcome is Irreversible, not a Verdict

Most candidates treat a rejection at the screening stage as a closed door. How to make the best out of "We regret to inform..."

applications · 4 min read · Updated 2026-07-04

Why Presentation Weighs as Much as Experience

How to maximise the chance of being shortlisted by using the proper language. Why it matters for moving to the next steps.

applications · 5 min read · Updated 2026-07-04
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