Thanks for this post! It closely matches my own experience, and I want to share a data point that others considering EU careers might find useful.Outside of clearly defined job postings such as AI Office Contract Agents, most people might have reasonable other options. BlueBook is good for early-career exploration, but the unit choice, inflexibility, and the probability of retention (10%) make it unattractive after some experience. Outside of clearly defined job postings, such as AI Office Contract Agents, most people might have other reasonable options. I consider applying to the Concourse, but don’t you need to prepare longer for this?
Thanks Jacob! The hiring process is indeed inflexible & slow. Entering into a full time position can be tricky outside the clearly defined job postings you mention—and those come along relatively rarely, and if not part of a bigger hiring drive, mostly don’t even reach the public but are advertised within the Commission only.
That is why the Blue Book traineeship is quite interesting beyond early career exploration, as it is often the only chance to get a foot in the door, hear about open position or build a network that would flag open positions later on or hire you based on your reputation. I would say that a fairly large majority of younger people in the Commission (maybe >70% of under 30s to give a number, but low confidence) start through the Blue Book traineeship.
Retention probability is indeed low (maybe 10 − 20% of trainees per cohort get to stay on). But you are more likely to get an offer for a full-time role with some work experience, as hiring managers will appreciate your skills—which is why it can actually be a good strategy not to do the traineeship right after you graduate but with 1-2 years of work experience (though note you can only apply to the JPP with less than 3 years of work experience after your Bachelor’s). As a side note, it’s also easier to stay on if you have a background in a technical field/law/economics—fields that are seen as giving you hard skills, in contrast to many trainees that have a political science/policy degree.
Finally, given the intense competition for the AD5 generalist concours, it generally requires significant preparation to pass. Specialist concours require a specific degree and some work experience (most often either 3 or 6⁄7 years), so there is less competition. It is a good idea to keep an eye on upcoming selection procedures here: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/upcoming-selection-procedures
Thanks for this post! It closely matches my own experience, and I want to share a data point that others considering EU careers might find useful.Outside of clearly defined job postings such as AI Office Contract Agents, most people might have reasonable other options. BlueBook is good for early-career exploration, but the unit choice, inflexibility, and the probability of retention (10%) make it unattractive after some experience. Outside of clearly defined job postings, such as AI Office Contract Agents, most people might have other reasonable options. I consider applying to the Concourse, but don’t you need to prepare longer for this?
Thanks Jacob! The hiring process is indeed inflexible & slow. Entering into a full time position can be tricky outside the clearly defined job postings you mention—and those come along relatively rarely, and if not part of a bigger hiring drive, mostly don’t even reach the public but are advertised within the Commission only.
That is why the Blue Book traineeship is quite interesting beyond early career exploration, as it is often the only chance to get a foot in the door, hear about open position or build a network that would flag open positions later on or hire you based on your reputation. I would say that a fairly large majority of younger people in the Commission (maybe >70% of under 30s to give a number, but low confidence) start through the Blue Book traineeship.
Retention probability is indeed low (maybe 10 − 20% of trainees per cohort get to stay on). But you are more likely to get an offer for a full-time role with some work experience, as hiring managers will appreciate your skills—which is why it can actually be a good strategy not to do the traineeship right after you graduate but with 1-2 years of work experience (though note you can only apply to the JPP with less than 3 years of work experience after your Bachelor’s). As a side note, it’s also easier to stay on if you have a background in a technical field/law/economics—fields that are seen as giving you hard skills, in contrast to many trainees that have a political science/policy degree.
Finally, given the intense competition for the AD5 generalist concours, it generally requires significant preparation to pass. Specialist concours require a specific degree and some work experience (most often either 3 or 6⁄7 years), so there is less competition. It is a good idea to keep an eye on upcoming selection procedures here: https://eu-careers.europa.eu/en/upcoming-selection-procedures