How to find a job in Brussels

Brussels has one of the most international job markets in Europe, and one of the least obvious. Much of the hiring around the EU follows rules that nobody explains to newcomers. This guide takes the system apart one piece at a time, in the order you are likely to need it.

How does the Brussels job market work?

Think of it as a centre and a ring. At the centre are the EU institutions, which recruit through formal competitions and selection tests. Around them sits a much larger open market of NGOs, associations, consultancies and think tanks that hire like ordinary employers.

The institutions are large employers. The European Commission had 23,133 staff in Belgium in October 2026. The European Parliament employs about 8,400 people, plus around 2,000 assistants to MEPs. The Council has 3,182 staff and the European External Action Service 2,648 at its Brussels headquarters. Add the advisory committees, executive agencies and joint undertakings, and roughly 40,000 to 45,000 people work for EU bodies in Brussels. No official total exists, so treat that as an estimate.

Most of those posts are filled through processes that take months. The open market around the institutions moves faster. Anyone who wants to influence, inform or work with the EU needs people in Brussels: campaign groups, industry federations, consultancies, research institutes, the member states’ permanent representations, international organisations, regional offices and the press. These employers publish a vacancy, read CVs and hold interviews, as they would anywhere else.

Staff turnover is high on both sides. Traineeships last a few months, MEP assistants’ contracts end with the parliamentary term, and contract staff at the institutions are usually limited to six years. Many people move between the institutions and the open market more than once. For a newcomer, that churn is useful: positions open all year round.

Sources: European Commission, staff figures, European Parliament FAQ, Council, staff and budget, EEAS HR report 2025 (checked October 2026)

Who hires in Brussels, and how?

Outside the institutions, the main employers are NGOs, trade associations, consultancies, think tanks, political groups and the member states’ representations. All of them recruit by CV and interview, but each looks for something different.

NGOs and non-profits

The largest group. They work on climate, health, humanitarian aid, human rights and much else, and many act as European umbrella bodies for national members. Most roles are in policy and advocacy, communications, or programme and grant management.

Trade and industry associations

They represent one sector, such as chemicals, cars, banking or farming, to EU policymakers. Knowledge of the relevant policy files and of the industry behind them counts for a lot.

Public affairs consultancies

They work for several clients at once, monitoring legislation and arranging advocacy. Junior consultant posts are a common entry point.

Think tanks and research institutes

Research, publications and events. Newcomers often start as research assistants or trainees.

Permanent representations

Each member state’s embassy to the EU. They recruit through the national foreign ministry and often take on temporary staff before their country holds the Council presidency.

International organisations and embassies

NATO, UN agencies, the International Organization for Migration, national embassies and regional representations all have offices in Brussels.

The process is broadly the same everywhere: a vacancy with a deadline, a CV and cover letter, one or two interviews, and sometimes a written task. Most of these vacancies are posted on LinkedIn and on specialist job boards such as ours. Mailing lists of groups and NGO networks still exist, but they are no longer the hidden market they once were. The organisations directory lists the employers that post with us, by type.

How do EU traineeships work?

A paid traineeship is the most common first step into Brussels. The big EU programmes last five months, pay roughly €1,500 to €1,900 a month and recruit twice a year on fixed dates, so the calendar matters more than anything else.

The European Commission’s Blue Book programme is the largest. It takes about 1,000 trainees per session, with two sessions a year. The grant for the October 2026 session was €1,538 a month. Applications for the October 2027 session run from 15 February to 12 March 2027; the window for the March session runs from late July to early September. There is now also a Blue Book stream for graduates of vocational training.

The European Parliament’s Schuman traineeships pay €1,889 a month in Brussels in 2026, plus a flat €300 travel allowance. You apply during October for a start in March, and during May for a start in October. The window for the March 2027 intake closes on 31 October 2026.

Individual MEPs also take trainees, at any time of year, for six weeks to five months, at €1,133 to €1,856 a month. The Council, the political groups and the EEAS run their own schemes, as do many NGOs and think tanks.

Every deadline is in our internship calendar, and current traineeships outside the big programmes are on the internships page. The traineeship guide covers the programmes, dates and stipends in more detail.

One practical point: the Blue Book’s own FAQ tells trainees to expect €700 to €1,000 a month for accommodation, from a shared flat to a studio. A trainee grant covers living costs, with little left over.

Sources: Blue Book, programme essentials, Blue Book traineeships, EU Neighbours East, Blue Book October 2026 call, European Parliament, grants and allowances 2026, European Parliament, rules concerning Members' trainees, Article 10, Blue Book FAQ (checked October 2026)

How do you get a job at the EU institutions?

There are three main routes. Permanent posts go to people who pass an EPSO competition. Contract staff are selected through CAST Permanent, a register that is always open. Temporary agents and seconded national experts are recruited for specific posts.

EPSO competitions since the 2023 reform

EPSO, the EU’s recruitment office, changed its competition model in 2023. The assessment centre, with its group exercises and oral tests, has gone. A competition such as AD5 Graduates now uses computer-based tests only: reasoning tests in your main language, a multiple-choice test on EU knowledge, a digital skills test, and a short written test in your second language. For AD5 Graduates 2026 the tests come in two parts: the reasoning tests start in November 2026, and only those who pass sit the rest in 2027.

If you pass, your name goes on a reserve list. The list is alphabetical, not ranked, and stays valid for several years. It is not a job offer: institutions interview candidates from the list and assess their competencies themselves. From application to list, allow six to twelve months.

Competition is fierce. AD5 Graduates 2026 received 174,727 applications for 1,490 places, about 117 per place. The 2027 calendar includes competitions for lawyers, parliamentary assistants, security and defence, financial management and ICT.

Contract staff and CAST Permanent

For most newcomers, contract staff is the realistic route. You register once in CAST Permanent, choosing a profile and a function group. Institutions search the register. When one shortlists you, EPSO invites you to online reasoning tests. A pass is valid for ten years; after a fail you can try again after four months. The next test dates are 19 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 31 March 2027.

Contract agents in function group IV, the graduate level, start on a basic salary of €4,449.31 a month (grid of 1 July 2025). EU staff pay EU tax instead of Belgian income tax and may receive allowances, such as a 16 % expatriation allowance if they moved to Belgium for the job. Contracts are generally fixed-term, for up to six years.

Temporary agents and seconded experts

Temporary agents fill specific posts. They are common in EU agencies, the EEAS, Commissioners’ offices and Parliament’s political groups. Seconded national experts are civil servants lent by their national administration, so you apply through your own government.

Open vacancies from all the institutions, by contract type, are on our EU institutions page, which carries the live EU Careers feed for Brussels.

Sources: EU Campus, EPSO AD5 2026 competition (EPSO/AD/427/26), EPSO, upcoming selection procedures, EU Training, AD5 Generalist competition 2026, Fusion for Energy, contract agent remuneration 2025 (checked October 2026)

How do you work for an MEP or a political group?

MEPs choose their assistants themselves, without a competition. With 720 MEPs and around 2,000 accredited assistants it is a sizeable market, but a personal one: shared nationality, language and politics often decide.

Each MEP has a monthly budget, up to €32,072 since July 2025, to pay assistants in Brussels and at home. Close relatives cannot be hired. Assistants’ contracts end with the parliamentary term. The last elections were in June 2024, so the next large turnover comes in mid-2029, though national elections and MEPs who step down open posts in between.

What does an accredited parliamentary assistant earn?

An accredited parliamentary assistant (APA) works for an MEP in Brussels or Strasbourg on a contract with the Parliament. The pay follows an official scale of 19 grades, set in the EU staff rules and updated every year. From 1 July 2025 the full-time basic salary runs from €2,377 a month in grade 1 to €10,949 in grade 19, before EU tax. The MEP chooses the grade within the office budget, and at least 40 % of that budget must go to accredited assistants.

The APA salary scale on our European Parliament page lists all 19 grades.

The political groups employ their own staff, mostly as temporary agents. Since the 2024 elections there are eight groups: the EPP (185 seats), S&D (135), Patriots for Europe (84), ECR (84), Renew Europe (78), Greens/EFA (53), The Left (45) and ESN (27). Identity and Democracy, which older guides still mention, dissolved in July 2024.

Vacancies appear on LinkedIn, group websites, national party channels and job boards. An MEP traineeship is a common way in. The European Parliament guide goes into contracts, pay and the MEP-office jobs on our board.

Sources: Official Journal C/2025/6564, 2025 annual update of remuneration, point 18, Implementing Measures for the Statute for Members, Article 29(4), consolidated 1 February 2026 (Bureau decision C/2025/6778), European Parliament, MEP list (checked October 2026)

Do you need French to work in Brussels?

Not in most EU-affairs jobs, where English is the everyday working language. French or Dutch helps outside that world, and the EU institutions require two EU languages for their competitions.

EU competitions ask for one EU language at C1 level and a second at B2. Within the bubble, political groups and MEP offices are the main exception: they often want a particular national language as well as English. Outside EU affairs, in Belgian companies or public services, French or Dutch is usually required.

You can browse vacancies that need English only on our English-speaking jobs list.

What do jobs in Brussels pay?

As a rough guide, the big EU traineeship programmes pay about €1,500 to €1,900 a month, and a graduate contract agent at the EU institutions starts on about €4,450 basic salary. Pay in the open market varies widely, so check the salary stated on each vacancy.

Comparing offers is harder than it looks. EU salaries are taxed by the EU, not by Belgium, and come with allowances, so the same gross figure is worth more net than a Belgian salary. International organisations sometimes quote pay net of tax. Many Belgian employers pay holiday pay and a thirteenth month on top of the monthly figure.

Rent is the largest cost. The Commission tells its trainees to expect €700 to €1,000 a month for accommodation, from a shared flat to a studio.

Pay should become more visible. The EU Pay Transparency Directive was due in national law by 7 June 2026; Belgium’s federal government has not yet transposed it. Once it does, employers will have to tell candidates the starting pay or range, and may no longer ask about your salary history. Until then, our jobs with a stated salary list shows who publishes pay, and the salary guide breaks the figures down.

Source: BDO Belgium, pay transparency recap 2026 (checked October 2026)

When is the best time to apply?

Vacancies open all year, but deadlines are short. Set up job alerts instead of checking once a week, and plan EU traineeships months ahead.

The traineeship cycles are the most predictable: Schuman in May and October, Blue Book from February to March and from late July to early September. EPSO publishes its competition calendar in advance.

Permanent representations take on extra staff before their country holds the Council presidency: Ireland in the second half of 2026, Lithuania in the first half of 2027 and Greece in the second half of 2027. The 2029 European elections will end every assistant contract at once, so expect a wave of hiring that summer.

New vacancies appear on jobsin.brussels every weekday. The job alerts send them to you by email.

Source: Council, presidency (checked October 2026)

Can non-EU citizens work in Brussels?

Yes, but most need a work permit, and the employer usually applies for it. The salary thresholds are set each year for the Brussels-Capital Region.

Most non-EU employees come in on a single permit, which combines the right to stay and the right to work. In 2026 the Brussels thresholds are €3,703.44 gross a month for highly skilled workers, €6,647.20 for managers and €4,748.00 for an EU Blue Card. Staff of the EU institutions are an exception: they receive a special legitimation card instead. Trainees and assistants from outside the EU fall under separate rules, so ask the employer how they handle it before you accept an offer.

Whatever your nationality, register with your local commune when you move. If you are looking for work while living in Brussels, you can also register with Actiris, the region’s employment service.

Source: KPMG flash alert, 26 January 2026 (checked October 2026)

How should you apply?

Write each application for the specific role. Show clearly how your experience fits the policy area of the post, and put your languages where they are easy to find.

Keep your CV short and put your EU-related experience near the top. Write each cover letter for the organisation that will read it. AI tools can help with a first draft, but a generic letter reads as generic, and EPSO’s written test is taken under exam conditions, so you need to be able to write well yourself.

LinkedIn, alumni networks such as the College of Europe’s, and events in the EU quarter are good places to meet people who already work in your field and to hear about posts early.

Frequently asked questions