The EU grading system determines your salary, responsibilities, career ceiling, and status within the institutions. Understanding the difference between AD, AST, FG, and SNE categories is essential for navigating EU job vacancies, comparing offers, and planning your long-term career. Yet the system is opaque to outsiders, and even many candidates who apply to EU positions do not fully grasp how grades affect their prospects. This guide explains everything you need to know.
The AD (Administrator) Career Path
The Administrator (AD) category covers grades AD5 to AD16 and is the primary career path for policy officers, economists, lawyers, IT specialists, scientists, and managers. AD5 is the entry grade for university graduates (recruited through EPSO generalist competitions), while AD6-AD8 are typical entry points for specialist competitions requiring professional experience. Basic monthly salaries range from approximately EUR 4,917 at AD5 Step 1 to EUR 18,025 at AD16 Step 3. AD5-AD8 roles are typically desk officer or policy analyst positions. AD9-AD12 include experienced specialists and Head of Unit positions. AD13-AD14 are Director level. AD15-AD16 are reserved for Directors-General and equivalent senior posts. Promotion from one AD grade to the next requires a positive performance appraisal, sufficient seniority (typically two years minimum), and an available post at the higher grade.
The AST (Assistant) Career Path
The Assistant (AST) category covers grades AST1 to AST11 and is intended for administrative, technical, and support roles. AST positions include assistants to senior officials, financial administrators, HR officers, IT support staff, and laboratory technicians. Entry is typically at AST1-AST3 for candidates with secondary education and relevant experience. Basic monthly salaries range from approximately EUR 2,675 at AST1 Step 1 to EUR 8,924 at AST11 Step 5. The career ceiling is lower than for AD staff, and the work tends to be more operational than strategic. However, AST staff can request certification to move to the AD career path through an internal procedure, provided they meet the education and experience requirements. There is also a separate AST/SC (Secretaries and Clerks) category at grades SC1-SC6 for secretarial and clerical roles.
Function Groups (FG) for Contract Agents
Contract agents are classified in four Function Groups (FG I to FG IV) rather than AD or AST grades. FG I covers manual and administrative support tasks and requires completed compulsory education. FG II covers clerical and secretarial tasks and requires at least upper secondary education. FG III covers executive and drafting tasks and requires at least one year of post-secondary education. FG IV covers administrative, advisory, linguistic, and equivalent tasks and requires at least three years of higher education (a full university degree). Each function group has multiple grades within it (for example, FG IV spans grades 13-18), and each grade has steps that provide salary increments every two years. FG IV starting salaries range from approximately EUR 3,200 to EUR 4,300 per month, making them significantly lower than equivalent AD-level positions.
Seconded National Experts (SNEs)
Seconded National Experts are not EU staff in the strict sense and do not have an EU grade. They are civil servants or public-sector employees from EU member states who are temporarily assigned to work in an EU institution. SNEs continue to be paid by their national employer and receive a daily allowance from the EU to cover the additional cost of living in the duty station (typically EUR 137.37 per day in Brussels for 2026, or a reduced rate if you already reside in the duty station area). SNE positions are typically at the policy officer level, equivalent to AD5-AD9 in terms of responsibilities. The assignment is usually two to four years, with a maximum of six years. SNEs gain valuable EU experience and contacts but do not accumulate EU pension rights or receive EU staff benefits.
How Grades Map to Salary
Each grade has five steps, with an automatic step increase every two years of service. The salary grid is published in the EU Staff Regulations and updated annually through the method set out in Annex XI. As a rough guide for 2026 basic monthly salaries at Step 1: AD5 is approximately EUR 4,917, AD7 is approximately EUR 5,973, AD9 is approximately EUR 7,396, AD12 is approximately EUR 10,426, AST3 is approximately EUR 3,397, AST6 is approximately EUR 4,349, FG IV Grade 14 is approximately EUR 3,531, and FG IV Grade 18 is approximately EUR 5,075. Remember that basic salary is only part of total remuneration: the expatriation allowance (16%), household allowance, dependent child allowances, and the favourable EU tax regime significantly increase the effective compensation.
Choosing the Right Grade for Your Application
When browsing EU vacancies, pay close attention to the grade. Applying for a grade below your experience level means accepting lower pay and status, but may give you a better chance of selection. Applying at a grade above your experience is usually futile as you will not meet the eligibility criteria. For EPSO competitions, the grade is fixed by the competition notice. For agency vacancies, there is sometimes a range (for example, AD5-AD8), with the final grading dependent on your experience. If you are moving from the private sector, expect the grade offered to reflect a conservative assessment of your experience: the EU typically counts only directly relevant professional experience and does not give credit for managerial seniority in unrelated fields.
Long-Term Career Implications
The grade you enter at has long-lasting implications for your career trajectory and pension. Because promotions are competitive and not guaranteed, entering at a higher grade gives you a permanently higher base from which to progress. An official who enters at AD7 will typically earn significantly more over their career than one who enters at AD5, even if both reach the same final grade, because the AD7 entrant reaches each subsequent grade earlier. For contract agents, the career ceiling within the FG system is a real limitation: transitioning from FG IV to AD requires passing an EPSO competition and starting fresh on the AD scale. This is why many career advisors recommend aiming for TA or official positions from the outset if you intend to build a long-term EU career, even if the initial selection process is more demanding.