EU careers jargon explained

1. What's the job title?

1. 'Administrator'
Contrary to appearances, an administrator (from the French ‘Administrateur’) will work on developing policy and legislation affecting the lives of over 500 million EU citizens.

2. 'Generalist'
A generalist is an employee who can work across various disciplines on a wide range of tasks, meaning that each day is different from the next!

2. What are the job requirements?

1. 'Exceptional cognitive ability'
Cognitive abilities are the brain-based skills we need to perform any task. The better your cognitive ability, the more quickly and accurately you can perform challenging tasks!

2. 'Official EU language'
An official EU language is one of the 24 languages spoken in the EU. In order to become a generalist administrator, you need a thorough knowledge of an official EU language (C1 level), plus a good knowledge (B2) of English (EN), German (DE) or French (FR), the three working languages of the institutions.

3. Am I eligible?

In addition to knowledge of two EU languages, you also must be an EU citizen, with a bachelors degree of three years minimum in length OR be in your final year.

4. What will I be doing?

1. 'Policy formulation and development'
This means working on the laws and policy of the EU in one of the official working languages (FR, DE or EN).

2. 'Operational delivery'
This means you could be developing, implementing and monitoring projects and programmes across Europe.

3. 'Closely supporting decision makers'
You will work alongside some of the key players in the EU, supporting them in their work and helping everything to run smoothly!

4. 'Maintaining relations with Member States'
This phrase covers the diplomatic aspects of the role! An EU career requires good interpersonal skills, as you'll be working alongside people from countries across Europe, meeting with stakeholders and often travelling to countries across the EU.

5. 'Resource management'
This covers all the tasks related to staffing and budgeting.