EU Career Grades

Every EU institution job sits on a grade — a position in the salary grid set by the EU Staff Regulations. The grade determines the basic monthly salary, the type of work expected, and the typical entry route. There are four families: Administrators (AD5–AD16) for policy and management roles, Assistants (AST1–AST11) for technical and administrative support, Secretaries and Clerks (AST-SC1–AST-SC6) for clerical work, and Contract Agents (Function Groups FG I to FG IV) for fixed-term roles across all institution types.

Within each grade, salary increases automatically every two years through five or seven steps. Promotion between grades is merit-based and typically happens every three to five years. Most permanent positions are filled through EPSO open competitions, while contract agent roles use the rolling CAST Permanent process. Click any grade below to see current vacancies, the indicative salary band, and what kind of work the post-holder typically does.