CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
ESTABLISHMENT OF A DATABASE
Proofreaders/Language editors for the Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian and Swedish languages
Luxembourg
Temporary staff (AST 3) and contract staff (function group III)
1. General remarks
The Secretariat of the European Parliament is launching this call for expressions of interest with a view to establishing a database of candidates who would be interested in future vacancies as Proofreaders/Language editors within the Directorate-General for Translation (DG TRAD) based in Luxembourg.
This database will serve as a pool of candidates for potential recruitment, aiming to bolster our linguistic and editorial capabilities.
Once the database is established, candidates whose names are included in the database may be selected as temporary agents for filling vacancies for Proofreaders/Language editors in DG TRAD, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). These candidates will be selected in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 ('Joint Committee (COPAR)') of Parliament's 'General Implementing Provisions governing competitions and selection procedures, recruitment and the grading of officials and other servants of the European Parliament'.
Less frequently, subject to resource availability and in the absence of temporary agent opportunities, candidates whose names are included in the database may also be selected for auxiliary contract staff vacancies for Proofreaders/Language editors in DG TRAD, in accordance with the provisions of Article 3b of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). These candidates will be selected in accordance with the provisions of Article 7 ('Joint committee for the selection of auxiliary contract staff (COSCON)') and Article 8 ('Selection procedure for contract staff') of Parliament's 'General Implementing Provisions governing competitions and selection procedures, recruitment and the grading of officials and other servants of the European Parliament'.
The European Parliament is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without discrimination on any ground such as gender, skin colour, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status or family situation.
If you are interested in joining a dynamic team responsible for ensuring the linguistic accuracy and clarity of parliamentary documents and communications, you are invited to express your interest. This role is critical for maintaining the high standard of multilingualism that the European Parliament upholds. To apply, you must submit your CV and fill out the application form via the APPLY4EP platform, starting by creating an account (if you do not already have one). To do so, you should read this notice carefully, click on the ‘Apply online’ tab and follow the steps of the online application procedure. You must also carefully read the guide attached to this notice. You can have only one account on the APPLY4EP platform. The personal data recorded in the account will be processed in full compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council and will remain modifiable, so that these can be updated. The privacy statement for APPLY4EP is available on its homepage.
2. Job description
Working under supervision and in a computerised environment, Proofreaders/Language editors are responsible for, among a variety of other tasks:
· proofreading documents;
· checking translated texts for consistency with the original language;
· preparing and checking content in various formats and media;
· correcting spelling, grammar and syntax mistakes;
· helping to organise and monitor the production processes involved in publication.
Candidates must:
· have excellent proofreading skills, with a perfect command of grammar and spelling in one of the following languages: Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian or Swedish (language 1);
· have satisfactory knowledge of English or French (language 2); language 2 must be different from language 1; if language 1 is English or French, a satisfactory knowledge of one of the other 23 official languages of the European Union is required;
· be capable of working flexibly and with tight deadlines;
· be familiar with translation processes and editorial standards.
3. Duties
In line with the programmes and priorities defined by Parliament’s bodies and/or management, and under the authority of the officials responsible:
· Proofreading texts in terms of spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, typography, formatting, technical compliance, compliance with external references, etc.;
· Checking texts in terms of linguistic and terminological consistency, compliance with stylistic conventions and rules, etc.;
· Pre- and post-processing documents using translation tools, word processing software and other office applications;
· Searching for and incorporating existing texts (standard text, reference documents, titles, extracts from the Treaties, extracts from the rules, Commission texts, etc.);
· Preparing draft translations of short and non-legislative texts or parts thereof;
· Assisting translators and terminologists in the department by carrying out terminology research, updating terminology databases, preparing terminology for translation in computer-assisted translation tools, etc. ;
· Assisting in carrying out technical and linguistic quality checks of texts;
· Carrying out other language-related tasks, such as transcription, checking of transcribed files, checking of texts in various file formats (machine translation content, audio files, video files, etc.), checking and moderating content for websites and social media sites;
· Helping with training, integrating new colleagues, training inside the department, developing IT tools.
Specific competencies sought:
· Continuous improvement
· Flexibility
· Team spirit and cooperation
· Result orientation
· Reliability
· Meticulous approach
· Analytical and comprehension skills
Work environment:
· Variable workload, depending on the parliamentary timetable
· Deadlines to be met
4. Eligibility
To qualify for potential future openings, you must meet the general and specific criteria that follow:
a. General criteria
· Be a citizen of one of the Member States of the European Union.
· Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service.
· Produce the appropriate character references as to your suitability for the performance of the duties.
b. Specific criteria
i. Qualifications and skills required
For grade AST 3, at least:
· a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma,
or
· a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years,
or
· where justified in the interest of the service, professional training of an equivalent level.
Prior to being recruited, selected candidates whose names are included in the database will be asked to provide documents substantiating the information contained in the application form (diplomas, certificates and other supporting documents).
Diplomas, whether issued in a Member State or in a non-EU country, must be recognised by an official body of an EU Member State, such as the ministry of education.
Candidates holding diplomas issued in a non-EU country must provide an EU-equivalence for their diplomas. You may find further information on recognition of non-EU qualifications in the ENIC-NARIC networks (https://www.enic-naric.net/).
The differences between education systems will be taken into account. Examples of the minimum qualifications required are given in the table included in the guide.
ii. Knowledge of languages
Candidates must have:
· perfect knowledge at mother tongue level of one of the following official languages of the European Union (language 1): Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Lithuanian, Maltese, Romanian, or Swedish.
and
· a satisfactory knowledge (at least level B2) of English or French (language 2). Language 2 must be different from language 1. If language 1 is English or French, a satisfactory knowledge (level B2) of one of the other 23 official languages of the European Union is required.
Please note that the minimum levels required above apply to each area of linguistic aptitude (speaking, writing, reading, listening) referred to on the application form. These abilities correspond to those specified in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (https://europa.eu/europass/common-european-framework-reference-language-skills).
Candidates are informed that the two second-language (language 2) options for this procedure to establish a database, i.e. English or French, have been specified in the interests of the service, and specifically for the posts of Proofreader/Language editor.
In fact, English or French are the languages most commonly used to carry out the duties listed under point 3 of the call for expressions of interest.
Accordingly, in order to be immediately operational, the recruited candidates must be able to work and communicate effectively in English or French.
5. Database
If you
· meet the general eligibility criteria, and
· have completed the application form via the APPLY4EP platform (see below, ‘Applications’) in accordance with the procedure and by the deadline,
your name will be included in the database.
Inclusion of your name will be based solely on the information given on the application form and in the attached documents. This information and these documents will be verified later if you receive an offer of recruitment.
As needs arise, the recruiting services will search the database and shortlist a certain number of candidates who match their requirements, based on the information in their applications.
If you are shortlisted, you may be invited to tests and interviews organised by the recruiting services.
The recruitment tests/interviews are aimed at assessing your suitability for the relevant position and can take the form of a written test (e.g. proofreading and correcting a text in language 1). Knowledge of languages may also be assessed.
6. Applications - how to express your interest
Interested candidates must submit their application form ONLY via the APPLY4EP online platform.
Once you have created your account, you must upload a detailed curriculum vitae. You must use the Europass format (https://europa.eu/europass/select-language?destination=/node/1).
You must then complete the remainder of the application form.
The information must be substantiated by supporting documents.
You can find any additional instructions on how to express your interest in the guide annexed to this call for expressions of interest.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 17:00 (Luxembourg time) on 30 May 2025. Expressions of interest received after the deadline will not be accepted.
Inclusion of your name in the database or passing an interview and/or a selection test is not a guarantee that you will be offered a job. If a position becomes available, the recruiting services may consult the database and issue invitations to those candidates whose profiles most closely match the requirements of the post in question. If it emerges that the information you have provided is incorrect, you will be excluded from the procedure and your name will be removed from the database.
The European Parliament applies a strict equal opportunities policy in its selection procedures in order to guarantee equal treatment of all candidates.
The conditions of employment of the EU institutions are laid down in the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). Full details of the working arrangements can be found here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01962R0031-20140501 (Title II) ‘Temporary staff’ and (Title IV) ‘Contract staff’).
Temporary staff will be recruited at grade AST 3, first step. The basic monthly salary is EUR 4 302,25. This salary is subject to Union tax and to the other deductions provided for by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). It is exempt from national tax. The step at which the successful candidates are recruited may be adjusted in accordance with their professional experience. Moreover, in certain circumstances allowances will be paid in addition to the basic salary.
Contract staff will be recruited in function group III. The basic monthly salary is between EUR 3 111,21 and EUR 5 768,76 (FG III), depending on the candidate’s training and specific professional experience. This salary is subject to Union tax and to the other deductions provided for by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS). It is exempt from national tax. Moreover, in certain circumstances allowances will be paid in addition to the basic salary.
The database will be valid until 31 December 2026. The appointing authority may decide to extend its validity. In this case, the candidates whose names are included in the database will be informed in good time.
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