The Work

Computer systems, maintained by IT support staff, enable the EU institutions to carry out work which affects the lives of 500 million people in 28 EU countries.

Works with IT products and processes in this challenging and multilingual environment may involve:

• Project and process management

• Monitoring and analysis

• Technical analysis and advice

• Interservice coordination and consultation

• Telecommunications services

• Data processing centres

• Management and supervision of e-mail services, data and voice network services

• Web development

• Development of software for statistical data collection

• IT security management

Contract staff may also be employed to work in the IT and telecommunications field.

This occupation is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:

Investigative

The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.

Administrative

Administrative people are interested in work that offers security and a sense of being part of a larger process. They may be at their most productive under supervisors who give clear guidelines and while performing routine tasks in a methodical and reliable way.

They tend to enjoy clerical and most forms of office work, where they perform essential administrative duties. They often form the backbone of large and small organisations alike. They may enjoy being in charge of office filing systems, and using computers and other office equipment to keep things running smoothly. They usually like routine work hours and prefer comfortable indoor workplaces.

Linguistic

The Linguistic's interests are usually focused on ideas and information exchange. They tend to like reading a lot, and enjoy discussion about what has been said. Some will want to write about their own ideas and may follow a path towards journalism, story writing or editing. Others will develop skills in other languages, perhaps finding work as a translator or interpreter. Most Linguistic types will enjoy the opportunity to teach or instruct people in a topic they are interested in.

Training & Development pathways 

FET Centre Traineeship: IT Networks, Software developer, Support Tech NFQ Level 5 Search FET Traineeship 

FET Centre PLC Course: IT Networks, Software developer, ICT Support Tech NFQ Level 5-6 Search FET PLC Courses 

Apprenticeship ICT: [Live] NFQ Level 6 ICT Cybersecurity, ICT Network Engineer, ICT Software Developer, Telecommunications and Data Network Technician [In development] NFQ Level 9 Software Solutions Architect, Search Apprenticeships

Higher Education CAO Entry Computer Science, Information Technology, Business & ICT offered in Colleges around Ireland at NFQ 6-8 Search CAO courses

EU ICT Career Entry requirements:

• A good command of at least 2 European languages (one of which must be English, French or German)

• A degree or postgraduate qualification in Information and Communication Technology, (or be graduating this year) for entry at Grade AD 5 EU Career Grades 

• Several years’ relevant experience, to join us at a more senior level (Grade AD 7).

To join at Grade AST 3 (assistant) you must have: 

• A good command of at least 2 European languages (one of which must be English, French or German)

• Either 

◦ post-secondary education and at least 3 years' professional experience,

• or
  ◦ secondary education and at least a few years' professional experience

Requirements for contract staff may vary.

Last Updated: April, 2023

Salary Range (thousands per year)* €58k - €100k

A secretary/clerk career ranges from grade AST/SC1 to AST/SC6. New staff usually enter at grades AST/SC 1. As a minimum, an AST/SC1 candidate must have post-secondary education of at least 1 year attested by a diploma directly related to the nature of the duties, or secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education followed by at least 3 years' professional experience directly related to the nature of the duties, or professional training of at least 1 year, followed by a minimum of 3 years' professional experience. Both the training and experience must be directly related to the nature of the duties.

Benefits and salary

Basic monthly permanent official salaries range from around €2,300 per month for a newly recruited Assistant-Secretary (AST/SC 1) official, €4500 for an entry level graduate administrator grade (AD 5) and up to €16,000 per month for a limited number of top level Administrators (AD 16) at Director-General level. Each grade is broken up into five seniority steps with corresponding salary increases. Basic salaries are adjusted annually in line with inflation and purchasing power in the EU countries.

Data Source(s):
EU Salary Scales EPSO

Last Updated: July, 2024

* The lower figures typically reflect starting salaries. Higher salaries are awarded to those with greater experience and responsibility. Positions in Dublin sometimes command higher salaries.

View Salary information from Indeed.ie
Note: data not aways available

This information has been derived from the Solas National Skills Bulletin (2023).

The changes in classification as a result of the introduction of the new Labour Force Survey in 2017 are partly responsible for the strong employment growth rate for this occupation, although employment also grew strongly between 2019 and 2020, and continued to grow in 2022. Those employed are primarily female (69%), working full-time (90%), and over half (55%) held third-level qualifications. With a higher than average share of persons employed aged 55 years and older (31% compared to 19% for all occupations), replacement demand is likely to result in opportunities opening up for these roles even if employment growth slows.

There was a significant number of vacancies advertised online for clerical officer roles across the civil service and Government administration roles. However, recent job hires for 2022 far exceeded employment growth indicating that job churn is a feature of this occupation. While job openings are set to continue, upskilling and reskilling may also be required for those already employed in these occupations in order to reach targets set out in the Civil Service Renewal Plan 2024 in areas such as in digital skills.

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