AFTER GRADUATIO : JOB PROSPECTS AND CAREER OPTIONS.

People who have completed their training in EU affairs can turn to the Union's institutions or apply to a number of bodies and companies that gravitate around these institutions. Whether it is in Brussels, Strasbourg, Luxembourg or elsewhere and outside Europe, there are a lot of employers who are interested in applicants who have begun to learn about EU affairs.

The number of jobs within the European world', outside institutions, is estimated at around 50,000. Outside this microcosm, other interested parties are international NGOs with EU relations sections, international or multinational companies with European interest or governments of third countries needing staff trained in European affairs to carry out bilateral political or economic negotiations.

Europolitics has looked at these global opportunities and tried to put together a list by distinguishing between jobs from the public sector and those from the private sector.

PUBLIC SECTOR

There are around 45,000 civil servants within the EU institutions. More specifically, according to figures from the general budget for 2010 (see table), there are estimated to be 37,805 permanent officials and 2,215 temporary agents. The latter, who are employed for a set period, are selected after applying and after a holiday notification is filed with the permanent representations or EPSO (the European Personnel Selection Office). This statute should not therefore be confused with the contractual agent selected via a concours (see article on EPSO) and numbers for which are not envisaged in the annual budget.

There are 5,090 temporary jobs and 698 permanent posts for the bodies created by the Communities and given a legal personality set out in the 2010 budget.

However, it is worth knowing that there are other ways to join the institutions. One example is that of the national detached experts. These are national officials sent to the EU institutions by their central administration. They are meant to provide specific expertise for a period ranging from six months to four years. They continue to be paid by their employer. However, extra costs incurred from living and working abroad are covered by the Commission.

In addition, while training in EU affairs is one way that can lead to these kinds of posts, it is not the only one as the EU is also looking for specialists and experts in various areas. Engineers or researchers therefore have a chance of being recruited, under various statutes, by the Commission...