AD5 Grade Jobs at EU Institutions

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AD5 is the entry grade for Administrators, the graduate-level policy and management stream of the EU civil service. It is the grade you are placed on when you pass a general EPSO open competition for administrators straight out of university, and it is where most long EU careers begin. Basic monthly salary runs from €6,152.64 at step 1 up to €6,961.29 at step 5 on the Staff Regulations grid, before the expatriation allowance, family allowances and the duty-station correction coefficient are applied. The listings below cover AD5 vacancies across the Commission, the Parliament, the Council and the agencies.

Who qualifies for AD5

AD5 requires a completed university degree of at least three years and no minimum professional experience, which is what makes it the natural entry point for recent graduates. Nationality of an EU member state is mandatory, as is knowledge of two official EU languages, typically your main language at C1 plus a second (often English) at B2. The standard route is a general EPSO open competition: an online multiple-choice phase testing verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, followed by an assessment centre with a case study, group exercise and interview. Successful candidates go onto a reserve list from which DGs recruit. See /grades/ad5/ for the full salary table and eligibility detail.

Salary, progression and net pay

At AD5 step 1 the gross basic salary is €6,152.64 per month. Take-home pay is lower once the EU pension contribution, the joint sickness insurance scheme and the progressive EU community tax are deducted, working out to roughly three-quarters of gross for a single employee, though the 16% expatriation allowance pushes it back up for staff recruited from another country. Steps increase automatically every two years. The typical career move is promotion to AD7 within four to five years on merit under Article 45 of the Staff Regulations, then AD9 by around year nine if appraisals are strong. Our /guide/eu-salaries/ page breaks the gross-to-net chain down in full.

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From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →
From the EU Jobs Alert guide How to land a job at the EU institutions A walkthrough of EPSO competitions, agency calls, and contract roles, written by our editor. Read the guide →

Frequently asked questions

What does AD5 mean in EU recruitment?
AD5 is the first grade in the Administrator (AD) function group, which runs from AD5 to AD16. It is the entry level for university graduates recruited as EU officials, covering policy, legal, economic and general management work across the institutions.
How much does an AD5 official earn?
Basic monthly salary at AD5 ranges from €6,152.64 at step 1 to €6,961.29 at step 5, before allowances and the duty-station correction coefficient. Staff recruited from abroad also receive a 16% expatriation allowance, plus household and dependent-child allowances where applicable.
Do I need work experience to apply for AD5?
No. AD5 requires only a completed university degree of at least three years and no minimum professional experience, which is precisely why it is the standard entry grade for graduates. Higher AD grades such as AD7 require several years of relevant experience.
How do I get onto an AD5 reserve list?
You apply to a general EPSO open competition for administrators, pass the computer-based reasoning tests, then clear an assessment centre. Laureates are placed on a reserve list valid for at least a year, from which Directorates-General and agencies recruit as posts open up.
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