Types of contract

Temporary Agents may be offered a contract for up to 4 years, renewable once for up to 4 years. They serve a 9-month probation period.

Temporary Agents posts are classified as follows, based on duties and responsibilities:

  • Administrators' function group (AD) with 12 grades (AD 5 to AD 16), corresponding to scientific, technical, administrative, advisory duties.
  • Assistants' function group (AST) with 11 grades (AST 1 to AST 11), corresponding to executive, technical and clerical duties.

Contract Agents may be offered a contract from 3 months up to 4 years, renewal once for a maximum of 5 years.

Contract Agent posts are classified as follows, based on duties and responsibilities:

  • Function group IV: Administrative, advisory, linguistic and equivalent technical tasks
  • Function group III: Executive tasks, drafting, accountancy and other equivalent technical tasks
  • Function group II: Clerical and secretarial tasks, office management and other equivalent tasks
  • Function group I: Manual and administrative support service tasks

The probation period is 6 months in FG I and 9 months in FG II-IV

For more detailed information on Temporary Agent and Contract Agent employment, see the EDA Staff Regulations

Seconded National Experts enable EDA to benefit from high-level knowledge and professional experience, in particular in areas where such expertise is not readily available within the Agency. SNEs remain in the service of their employer throughout the period of secondment and continue to be paid by that employer. The secondment is established through an agreement between EDA and the employer and lasts from 2 months to 3 years. It may be renewed successively up to a total of four years. For more detailed information please see the SNE rules

Salary

Temporary Agents are recruited in the first step of the advertised grade. They may be awarded a second step, depending on the years of professional experience. Contract Agents are recruited in the advertised Function Group and the grade is determined based on the years of professional experience. Contract Agents are recruited in the first step of their allocated grade.

Basic salaries in step 1 for all grades are featured in the salary grids below. The final salary is calculated by adding the relevant allowances and by deducting social security contributions and other taxes.

Allowances

Depending on family circumstances, staff may be entitled to household allowance, dependent child allowance, education allowance, birth grants and tax abatement for dependent children.

Other allowances may include expatriation allowance (16% of basic salary), foreign residence allowance (4% of basic salary) and annual travel to the place of origin.

Leave and absences

A standard working week at EDA is 40 hours. Annual leave starts at 24 days per year. In addition to this entitlement, leave days are granted for age and grade. For staff members who receive expatriation or foreign residence allowance an additional 2.5 days granted for ‘home leave’. Special leave can be granted in certain circumstances such as marriage, birth or adoption of a child, death of a close relative etc.

Work-life balance

Under certain conditions, EDA enables staff members to reconcile their family and professional life by offering flexible work arrangements, such as part-time work and parental leave.

Pension

Staff are entitled to payment of a severance grant or the transfer of the actuarial equivalent of their retirement pension rights.

Travel and removal expenses

EDA covers travel and removal on taking up duties and at the end of contract.