u/Prestigious-Lab-8686

Hi everyone,

I recently passed an AD5 competition for translators and I am now on the reserve list. I am also a law graduate, and my longer-term career interests are not limited to translation: I would also be interested in legal, policy and other non-linguistic roles within the EU institutions.

I have already spoken informally with someone working within the EU institutions, who told me that being on a translator AD5 reserve list does not necessarily mean that I can only ever be recruited as a translator. According to them, I could potentially be considered for other AD-level positions as long as I meet the requirements of the vacancy and have the relevant qualifications and experience.

However, I would really appreciate hearing from people who have actual experience with EU recruitment and internal mobility.

1. Does an AD5 translator reserve list effectively restrict you to translator/linguist posts?

Can an institution recruit someone from such a list for a different AD5 role — for example as a Legal Officer, Policy Officer, Data Protection Officer/Specialist, etc. — if the candidate meets all the requirements of that particular position?

Or, in practice, are translator reserve lists used almost exclusively by the linguistic services?

Has anyone actually seen people recruited from a specialist/translator AD reserve list into a substantially different function?

2. Which EU institution would you consider the best employer?

For those who have experience with more than one institution, how would you compare the:

• (ECA) European Court of Auditors
• Council of the European Union
• European Commission
• European Parliament
• (EESC) European Economic and Social Committee

in terms of career development, internal mobility, working environment, management culture, work-life balance and opportunities to move between different policy areas?

I have occasionally heard that getting into the European Parliament can be particularly difficult and that networking/internal connections can play a significant role. Is there any truth to this, or is this mostly an exaggeration?

Are there similar differences between the Commission and Council?

3. Are there particular Commission DGs known for having a good working environment?

Obviously this can vary enormously depending on the unit and manager, but are there DGs that generally have a reputation for a good working culture, reasonable workload, supportive management and relatively low levels of toxicity?

Conversely, are there DGs or types of services that people tend to avoid because of workload or organisational culture?

I would be especially interested in experiences from legal, digital/data protection, justice, employment/social policy, HR or general policy departments.

4. Can EU agencies recruit someone from an EPSO AD5 reserve list?

If my reserve list was established for recruitment by certain EU institutions, can a decentralised EU agency also recruit me from that list?

For example, could an agency see my profile on an AD5 reserve list and request/recruit me directly, or are agencies normally limited to their own selection procedures and CAST recruitment?

I would be particularly interested in hearing from anyone who entered an EU agency through an EPSO AD reserve list.

5. Once you become a permanent official, how easy is internal mobility?

Suppose I am initially recruited as an AD5 translator but later find a vacancy for an AD5/AD6 Legal Officer or Policy Officer for which my law degree and professional background are relevant.

Can I simply apply internally and, if selected, move to the new post?

Or are there restrictions because my original competition was for translators?

In other words, once you are already an official, does your original EPSO competition continue to define your career path, or does your actual grade, qualifications and experience become more important?

6. How long do you normally have to stay in your first post before moving?

I assume that completing the probationary period would normally be expected, but what happens after that?

Is internal mobility realistically possible after, say, 1–2 years, or are officials generally expected to remain in their first position for a longer period?

Are there formal minimum periods, or does it mainly depend on the institution, vacancy and agreement of the services involved?

7. Is moving from translator to Legal Officer/Policy Officer realistic?

This is particularly relevant to me because of my legal background.

If I start as an AD translator but continue developing experience in law, EU policy, data protection, etc., would moving later to a Legal Officer or Policy Officer position be considered a relatively normal internal mobility move?

Or are linguistic careers fairly separated from the rest of the AD career structure in practice?

I would especially appreciate hearing from anyone who has personally moved from translation/linguistic services to a non-linguistic AD position.

8. Would it make sense to accept an FGIV position first if an AD5 offer does not come quickly?

I have also successfully gone through an FGIV selection procedure.

If I do not receive an AD5 offer immediately, would accepting an FGIV Contract Agent position inside an EU institution or agency make it easier to later move into an AD5 position?

For example, would being an internal candidate, building an EU network and gaining institutional experience significantly improve my chances of eventually being recruited from the AD5 reserve list?

Or would you recommend waiting for an AD5 opportunity instead, assuming there is no urgent need to accept the FGIV position?

9. How long do AD reserve lists normally remain valid?

I have heard very different estimates, including people saying that some reserve lists can remain usable for many years — even around 7–8 years in some cases.

What is realistic in practice?

Do institutions normally extend successful reserve lists repeatedly, or should candidates assume a much shorter effective recruitment window?

10. Finally, what exactly is the “third language” requirement for AD officials?

I have heard that, after recruitment, an official needs to demonstrate knowledge of a third EU language before the first promotion.

Is that correct?

Does this mean that an AD5 official cannot be promoted to AD6 until they demonstrate sufficient knowledge of a third language?

Is there a particular deadline, for example two years after recruitment, or is the requirement simply linked to the first promotion rather than to a fixed period of time?

Sorry for the long post, but I am trying to understand the EU career system before making some important decisions about my first position.

Any experiences from current or former EU officials, contract agents, HR colleagues or people who have gone through internal mobility would be extremely helpful.

Thank you very much in advance!

S O S !

Has anyone who applied for the People and Organisation (HR) traineeship profile at ELA received an invitation for an interview or any other update?

I have not received anything yet—not even a rejection email—so I was wondering whether interviews for this profile have already started or whether the selected candidates may have already been contacted.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!