# 16 benefits of working for EU institutions

- Link: https://euemployment.eu/advantages-of-working-for-the-european-commission/
- Published: 2026-09-01T22:06:30+02:00
- Author: Ben

If you are here, chances are you googled “**Why people work for the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)[
replace by any other of the 78 EU institutions]?**“.

This article will list **16 advantages** as seen from an insider. As I haven’t found
a good article about all the advantages of working for EU institutions, I’ve decided
to write one myself.

These **benefits are the same no matter which EU institution you join** – [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/),
[European Parliament](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-parliament/), [European Council](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-council/),
any of the [around 50 EU agencies](https://euemployment.eu/job-opportunities-in-eu-agencies/)
or some other EU institutions.

Most people who have not worked for EU institutions are probably not aware of all
of these benefits, and the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and other EU institutions do not do a very good job of advertising them.

## 01| Salary 💶

**Salaries at the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and other institutions are very competitive for most Europeans. Period.**

Unless you come from a Scandinavian country or one of the few more affluent European
states, pay in EU institutions is quite competitive, especially at entry-level positions(
contract agents FG III and FG IV as well as [administrators](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/administrators/)
[AD 5](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/ad-5/)). For most Southern, Central and 
Eastern Europeans, you are easily making three times and more in salary for pretty
much the same or even less demanding job and responsibilities compared to what you
would take home on a payday in your home country.

The salary is **adjusted to cost of living** in the particular EU country you are
working in by something called the ‘[correction coefficient](https://euemployment.eu/correction-coefficient/)’.
It is also adjusted to inflation/deflation at least once a year.

On top of that your salary will increase every two years as move up a ‘step’ in 
the EU [salary grid](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission-salary-grid/).
How much that is you can see in [European Commission salary scale tables](https://euemployment.eu/how-much-do-eu-officials-earn/#visuals).
Based on good performance, you can also be “reclassified” (which stands for promotions
in EU lingo), leading to even faster salary increases.

[⌊How much to EU officials earn?⌉⌊How much to EU officials earn?⌉[

**Article about [salaries of EU officials](https://euemployment.eu/how-much-do-eu-officials-earn/)**

## 02| Pension 👴🏻👵🏻

The possibility to earn an **EU pension after just 10 years of working** for an 
EU institution is, in my opinion, one of the least appreciated EU benefits. If you
work for more than 10 years at an EU institution, each additional working year increases
your pension. Normal [retirement age](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/retirement-age/)
is 66, but one can also retire as early as 58 as long as you are willing to take
a permanent deduction of the pension amount. EU institutions’ pensions can be inherited
by spouses.

The 10 years of service don’t have to be accumulated all at once, but can be collected
over a person’s lifetime. If you don’t collect the necessary 10 years of service,
it is possible to “transfer out” your pension capital to private pension scheme.

[⌊How much to EU officials earn?⌉⌊How much to EU officials earn?⌉[

**Article about [pensions for EU officials](https://euemployment.eu/european-commission-pensions/)**

## 03| Health insurance ❤️

Have you ever heard about [JSIS](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-jsis/),
the [Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme](https://euemployment.eu/jsis-joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-guide/)?
No! I also hadn’t heard about it before I joined my first EU institution. However,
[JSIS](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-jsis/), 
the EU institutions health insurance scheme is nothing short of amazing. It covers
you and your immediate family. But, best of all, **[JSIS](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-jsis/)
reimburses 80-85% of most healthcare costs**, even medicines.

If you retire on an EU institutions’ pension, you and your spouse continue to be
covered by [JSIS](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-jsis/)
until death.

## 04| Allowances 💰

The ‘basic salary’ is not the only pecuniary reward employees of EU institutions
get. Depending on your individual and family situation, you can be **entitled to
a number of [EU allowances](https://euemployment.eu/how-much-do-eu-officials-earn/#Allowances-and-other-benefits)
on top of your salary**. These can boost your [basic salary](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/basic-salary/)
by anything from 10 to 80%.

If you have moved to a different city or a country, if you have a spouse and/or 
children, if you have a long work experience, these and other factors can qualify
you for a number of other [allowances](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/allowances/)
on top of your salary.

Below is a more or less complete list of [allowances](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/allowances/)
that staff of EU institutions may be entitled to. If the allowance name is hyperlinked,
there is an in-depth article about it for further reading.

 * [Daily subsistence allowance](https://euemployment.eu/daily-subsistence-allowance-for-new-eu-employees/)
   during [probation period](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission-probation-period/).
 * [Household allowance](https://euemployment.eu/european-commission-household-allowance/).
 * [Expatriation allowance and foreign residence allowance](https://euemployment.eu/expatriation-allowance/).
 * [Childcare allowance](https://euemployment.eu/dependent-child-allowance-european-commission/).
 * [Education allowance](https://euemployment.eu/european-commission-education-allowance/).
 * Travel allowance.
 * [Unemployment allowance](https://euemployment.eu/unemployment-allowance-european-commission/).
 * [Birth grant](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/birth-grant/).
 * Death grant.

## 05| European School 👩‍🏫

EU institutions’ employees with children do not have to worry much about where to
send their kids to school. **In all [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
locations and a large number of EU agency locations there are European Schools**.
EU institutions’ staff do not have to pay any school fees if their kids attend European
Schools.

If there is not a [European School](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-school/)
in the location of your institution, you are entitled to an [Education Allowance](https://euemployment.eu/european-commission-education-allowance/)
that at least partially compensates any school fees. Often EU agencies in locations
without a [European School](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-school/) have
arrangements in place with a number of schools and compensate them directly for 
children of agency staff.

For parents pre-school-aged children there is a significantly smaller Childcare 
allowance. Some agencies have equalized the Education and Childcare [allowances](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/allowances/)
to attract staff with smaller children.

## 06| Annual leave and travel grant 🏖️

EU institutions’ staff are entitled to **at least 20 working days of annual leave**
by default. That’s a full calendar month of paid holidays each year. Expats (those
who have moved to a different country) get additional 2,5 days of leave added to
their ‘holiday allowance’. You can also get additional leave days for age and for
doing special tasks at the institution, e.g., being a fire marshal.

EU institutions’ staff also get a **travel grant once a year for each family member**
that is meant to compensate for the return to your home country during your annual
leave.

## 07| Interesting work 👩‍💼👨‍💼

Work for EU is not only about the financial and similar benefits. Whether you are
at the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/),
the [European Parliament](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-parliament/),
the [European Council](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-council/), the 
[Court of Auditors](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/court-of-auditors/), or any
of the EU agencies, your work can be extremely interesting and rewarding, often 
at the “cutting edge” of a policy field.

Even if you have taken the first job available to get into an EU institution, once
in, you are much more likely to be able to move to a position that is better aligned
with your interests and strong suits.

If you are not able to find a perfect match between your interests and a position
at a particular institution, you can always apply to a different institution. As
said elsewhere in this post, the fact of already having worked for an EU institution
is an advantage for further applications.  

## 08| Job security 😌

While the EU institutions have become much more dynamic than in the past, they are
still one of the places where one can find substantial job security. It is harder
to attain for contract agents, but if you are an administrator ([AD5](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/ad-5/)
to [AD16](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/ad-16/)), once you pass the [probation period](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission-probation-period/),
if you want to you can almost certainly expect to **spend the rest of your life 
in an institution**, just changing your roles from time to time.

Even for contract agents, most if not all EU agencies offer indefinite contracts
to staff in grades FGI to FGIV. If you are a [contract agent](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/contract-agent/)
in the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/),
the longest duration of your contracts in one post will be six years. However, most
people find their next position during the last two years of the six-year period.

## 09| Moving and settling-in assistance 🚚

There is a significant support to EU staff who have to relocate to a different city
or country. First of all, you can get your **moving expenses compensated**. Secondly,
you are also entitled to something called the **[Daily Subsistence Allowance](https://euemployment.eu/daily-subsistence-allowance-for-new-eu-employees/)**
during your nine-months-long [probation period](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission-probation-period/).

The larger institutions also have dedicated staff that assist all new colleagues
in getting settled in. This entails contacts with national institutions, helping
to get permits etc.

## 10| Business travel ✈️

**If you like travelling for work, EU institutions might be a good fit for you**.
Even if you work in a fairly regular position, with EU agencies in 40+ EU locations,
you are almost certain to regularly go for various work meetings (these are called“
missions” in the EU lingo) outside of your [place of employment](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/place-of-employment/).
Then there are the EU Presidencies that “change hands” from one EU country to the
next every 6 months.

If travel is something that greatly motivates you, try to find a position where 
you have to work with EU neighborhood countries or states even further afield. The
most obvious choice is the External Action Service, but “regular” [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and EU agencies staff can get their fairs share of travel as well if they are working,
for example, with the EU candidate countries in the Western Balkans region or a 
country in which the EU has a strategic interest in.

While the **travel [allowances](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/allowances/)** 
paid to staff of EU institutions travelling for work/going on missions are nothing
fancy, they are completely sufficient to enjoy a good restaurant in the evenings,
unless your inclined to save them up towards your financial “cushion”.

## 11| Training 📚

![Quote about employee training. CFO asks what happens if the company invests in
staff training and people leave the company. CEO answer by asking to imagine what
happens if a company doesn't train its staff and they remain with the company.](
https://euemployment.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/importance-of-employee-training.
jpg)

European Commission takes training of employees very seriously

**EU institutions are quite serious about training**. As part of the annual appraisal,
each employee gets to set a [personal development plan](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/personal-development-plan/)
that can and should include professional training. If you are assigned new duties,
you can also request training to improve the relevant skills. On top of that, employees
have access to a multitude of online courses in a special “EU Learn” portal. The
[European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/) and
most other institutions also organize regular trainings on various topics throughout
the year that are open to all interested staff on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.

## 12| Contributing to the “EU project” 🌍

While this is the most esoteric advantage covered in this post, it would probably
be mentioned by quite a few EU institutions’ staff. It indeed is something special
to **contribute, even in a small way, towards the larger ‘European project’**.

[EPSO](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/epso/), the European Personnel Selection
Office, has prepared a series of videos where EU staff tell about their jobs and“
contributing to the EU project” is mentioned in quite a few of them.

## 13| Making a career 📈

The [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and other institutions within the EU system are an **excellent place where to try
to make a career** (see the [#EUcareers](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23eucareers&src=typed_query)
hashtag on Twitter).

The best chances of making a career are if you land a job as an administrator in
grades [AD5](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/ad-5/) and up. Only [administrators](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/administrators/)
are entitled to mid- and upper level managerial roles. Having tenure in a lower 
[grade](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/grade/) is often a precondition for applying
to a position in a higher [grade](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/grade/), e.g.,
AD5’s can apply to [AD7](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/ad-7/) positions more 
easily, as would AD9-12s to AD13+. In competitions or ‘concours’ institutions often
give preference to candidates that have previous experience in some EU institution
as this guarantees better institutional and cultural fit (at least so the thinking
goes).

If you are interested in a steadily increasing salary, [administrators](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/administrators/)
positions are also better suited to this. As an administrator you are advancing 
automatically over the salary scale steps every two years. Upon stellar performance
you can be reclassified to a higher [grade](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/grade/).

It is a bit harder (ok, actually, quite a bit harder) to make a career in EU institutions
if you are a [contract agent](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/contract-agent/).
In this case your contract is usually time-limited to 6 years in the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)(
some agencies, though, offer permanent contracts to contract agents). You can advance
just in your own [grade](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/grade/) (FG I to IV) over
the steps, unless you are reclassified due to superb performance. That being said,
there are many [administrators](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/administrators/)
who started out as contract agents or even seconded national experts and interims
some time ago. Their secret of success in passing a competition for administrators’
positions was the chance to be within the EU system where learning is much easier
than while being on the outside.

Most EU institutions give a substantial benefit to candidates that already are employees
of the particular institution or have worked in the network of EU institutions before.
As working for the EU “is not everyone’s cup of tea”, prior experience ensures a
better match for a vacancy. Additionally, the person would be familiar with most
administrative procedures that are the same in all institutions.

## 14| Language learning 🔤

The **[European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and other EU agencies are mandated to promote multilingualism** to promote the development
and use of all EU languages. All EU staff are required to master at least two EU
languages when starting to work in the ‘institutions’, and three EU languages at
the time of getting and indefinite contract or their first [promotion](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/reclassification/)(
[reclassification](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/reclassification/)).

There are a number of support mechanisms EU institutions have in place to support
staff in learning new EU languages. All institutions organize regular free-of-charge
language classes that can be attended during working hours. For those preferring
more effective or tailored learning methods, it is also possible to get a private
tutor, online classes or similar solutions. In the latter cases one pays for these
out of pocket and gets reimbursed later.

Read the explainer on [three EU languages requirement in EU institutions.](https://euemployment.eu/working-knowledge-of-a-third-eu-language/)

## 15| Disability-friendly employer ♿

Do you have a [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/) or another
physical or mental impairment? As long as you feel that you can perform tasks mentioned
in a vacancy announcement, you should definitively apply for [EPSO](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/epso/)
competitions or the separate hiring procedures run by each EU agency.

[EPSO](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/epso/) on behalf of the **[European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
and the [European Parliament](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-parliament/)
and other EU institutions are equal opportunity employers** that have credibility
when it comes to hiring people with various handicaps. This also applies after the
initial hiring as you can safely assume that all the necessary accommodation will
be implemented to make your work environment and sometimes even the schedule as 
comfortable and accommodating as possible.

If your [disability](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/disability/) is considered
a “serious health condition”, you will receive even more favorable [JSIS](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/joint-sickness-insurance-scheme-jsis/)
terms – instead of 80-85% healthcare costs reimbursement you might be entitled to
100% reimbursement of costs for a specific condition.

Read the article on [disability and employment in EU institutions](https://euemployment.eu/disability-and-employment-in-the-european-commission/)

## 16| Generous unemployment benefits ⛅

If your contract ends or you decide to leave the EU institutions temporarily or 
for good, each former employee is entitled to the **[European Commission unemployment leave and unemployment allowance](https://euemployment.eu/unemployment-allowance-european-commission/)**.
Each year worked will give you four months of unemployment leave, hence, if you’ve
worked for the [European Commission](https://euemployment.eu/glossary/european-commission/)
or another EU body for three years, you will receive the allowance for a year, and
six years of employment will give you up to two years of unemployment leave and 
allowance. Click on the link above to find out more about this.

_**Do you have any comments on the article? Have I missed any of the benefits or
other advantages? Please let me know in a comment!**_