Starting a career at the EU institutions, explained from the beginning.
Permanent officials of the EU institutions are recruited through competitions organised by EPSO, the selection office of the EU. The procedure has its own vocabulary and takes time. This page explains the steps in plain words, and the site lists the competitions that are open or announced.
- 23 competitions open or announced
- 11 traineeships open today
- Daily read from the official sites
Figures of , when the official pages were last read.
If this is new to you
The vocabulary
The notices use words such as competition, reserve list, AD, AST and contract agent without explaining them. Each one is explained further down this page.
Competitions are not open all the time
A competition is published on a given date, with a fixed period to apply. The site also shows the competitions that are announced and not yet open, so that you can prepare.
Other ways to start
A traineeship or a contract agent post can be a first experience in an institution while you wait for a competition. Both are in the list of offers.
How a competition works
- 1
The notice
EPSO publishes a notice of competition. It says who can apply, in which languages, and what the tests are. It is the text that decides, so read it in full.
- 2
The application
You apply online on the EPSO site before the deadline. You sign in there with an EU Login account, which is free to create.
- 3
The tests
Candidates then sit the tests described in the notice. The site shows whether a competition is still under way or completed.
- 4
The reserve list
The candidates who succeed are placed on a reserve list. The institutions recruit from that list when they have a post, so being on the list is not yet a job.
To apply you generally need to be a citizen of an EU Member State, to know two official languages of the EU and to hold a university degree. The notice of each competition gives the exact conditions.
The words you will meet
- Competition
- The selection procedure for officials, organised by EPSO for the institutions.
- Reserve list
- The list of the candidates who passed a competition. The institutions recruit from it.
- AD and AST
- The two main groups of officials. AD are administrators, and AD 5 is the grade at which graduates start. AST are assistants.
- Temporary and contract agents
- Staff on a contract, where officials have a permanent post. Institutions and agencies run their own selections for them.
- Traineeship
- A stay of a few months in an institution, for recent graduates.
- EU Login
- The account used to sign in to the EU sites, including the one where you apply.
How it works
- 1
The site reads the official pages
Once a day it reads the official job pages and adds the new offers to the list. The pages it reads are named further down this page.
- 2
You apply on the official site
Each offer links to its official notice. You read the conditions and send your application there, as you would without this site.
- 3
You follow the application here
When you add an offer to your applications, you can record its phase, your notes and the dates of your tests and interviews. The site reminds you before each deadline.
What the site offers
The list of job offers
Competitions and vacancies in the same list, each with its deadline, grade and place. You can filter it by contract, grade, domain and country.
Saved searches
You can save a set of filters under a name. When new offers match it, they are announced in your inbox on the site.
Your applications
Each application is a card that you move from one phase to the next, from Interested to Reserve list. You can add notes to it.
Calendar
Your deadlines, test bookings and interviews are on one page. A private feed shows the same dates in Outlook, Google Calendar or Apple Calendar.
Stage of competitions
For EPSO competitions, the site shows whether the selection is open, under way or completed, as read from the official page.
Profile
You can describe your status, your languages and the kind of post you want, then list the offers that fit. The profile stays on this site and is not shared outside it.
Where the posts are
The number in each square is the number of offers open in that country today. A square with a number leads to those offers.
Competitions and traineeships closing soon
- 20 Oct Traineeship/PhD Traineeship in Forecasting and Policy Modelling ECB
- 20 Oct Traineeship in the Directorate General Monetary Policy ECB
- 20 Oct Traineeship in International Policy Analysis ECB
- 21 Oct Trainee - EUSR for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue based in Brussels EEAS
- 21 Oct Traineeship in the Central Procurement Division ECB
- 28 Oct Traineeship in Quantitative Analysis - Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments ECB
Cost and privacy
It is free
The list, the filters and the links to the official notices are open to everyone, and an account costs nothing. There is no paid version.
No advertising, and no email unless you ask
The site shows no advertising. Reminders appear in your inbox on the site and in your calendar feed, and by email once a day only if you switch that on.
Your data
Your applications and notes are kept on this site and are not shared outside it. You can export them or delete your account from your settings.
Questions
Is this an official EU site?
No. EU vacancies tracker is independent and is not affiliated with EPSO or any EU institution. It reads their public pages and links each offer to its official notice. Always check the notice before you rely on a date or a grade.
Do I apply through this site?
No. You apply on the official site of the institution, and each offer here links to it. This site is where you keep track of the application afterwards.
What does it cost?
Nothing. The list of offers, the filters and the links to the official notices are open to everyone without an account. An account is free and there is no paid version. The site shows no advertising, and sends no email unless you ask for it.
How often is the list updated?
Once a day. The site reads the official pages every morning, adds the new offers and marks as closed those whose deadline has passed. The last reading was on 17 October 2026.
Who runs it?
EU vacancies tracker is run by Montoyer, in Brussels. It is free and carries no advertising. The About page says more about it.
Which pages does it read?
These, once a day:
- EU Careers jobs portal
- EPSO open competitions
- EPSO upcoming competitions
- EPSO ongoing competitions
- EPSO completed competitions
- EU Agencies Network
- EEAS vacancies
- ECB careers
- Committee of the Regions jobs
- EBRD careers
- EIB and EIF careers
- EMA careers
- EU CV Online
- Blue Book traineeships of the Commission
- EMSA vacancies
Create an account, or look at the job offers first
Create a free account See the competitions
An account asks for a name, an email address and a password. It is free and there is no paid version.