Council of Europe contracts and grades: A, B, C and L posts

Council of Europe vacancies identify the recruitment type in their General Information section. That line is as important as the grade. International, local and temporary recruitment lead to different contracts, salary tables and mobility rights.

The Council of Europe is distinct from the European Union. Its grades are not EU AD or AST grades, and its member-country rules follow the Council’s own 46-state membership.

International recruitment

International recruitment is the main route for international civil servants. The successful candidate receives an initial fixed-term appointment of at least one year at the grade in the notice. If the vacancy lists a pair such as A1/A2, B1/B2 or C1/C2, the offered grade depends on relevant previous experience.

The first year is probationary, and successful completion is required before the renewal and mobility provisions described by the Council become relevant. After successful probation, contracts may be renewed for total service of no more than four years. At the end of four years of continuous service, a fixed-term appointment is converted to an open-ended appointment if the conditions established by the Secretary General are met. This rule should be read carefully: it does not make every shorter contract open-ended in advance.

Internationally recruited staff can apply for internal mobility after probation. Local recruitment follows a separate framework and salary scale tied to the duty station. Local recruitment does not bring the same organization-wide mobility and expatriation framework as international recruitment. Secondments, traineeships and Junior Professional opportunities also have their own terms, eligibility rules and selection notices.

Temporary work in Strasbourg covers absences, peaks and projects. Monthly contracts last at least one month and can total no more than twelve months over the person’s entire career. Daily contracts cover periods shorter than three weeks and can total up to 100 working days in a calendar year. Temporary service does not convert into fixed-term employment; the person must compete in the separate recruitment process.

Grades A, B, C and L

The Council’s public salary table lists A1–A7, B1–B6, C1–C6 and L1–L5. Category A covers professional and managerial work. B and C encompass administrative, technical and support responsibilities at different levels. L is used for linguistic work.

The vacancy gives the grade or grade pair. The What we offer page explains that prior experience affects appointment within advertised pairs. It does not permit applicants to choose a higher grade outside the notice.

Do not confuse these grade labels with CEFR language levels, which also use A1, A2, B1 and B2. The context makes the difference: a job grade determines employment classification, while a CEFR level describes language proficiency.

The 2026 salary table gives monthly amounts by grade and country. Salary depends on grade and duty station and is exempt from national income tax in member States. Allowances depend on personal eligibility as well as grade.

Eligibility, locations and functions

Applicants must normally be nationals of one of the 46 member States and under the compulsory retirement age of 65. Local recruitment in a non-member State is an exception to the nationality rule. The application requirements and vacancy can add language, qualification or residence conditions.

Headquarters is in Strasbourg. Other major locations include Brussels, Paris and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare in Strasbourg, with offices and programme presences across Europe and neighbouring regions.

Work includes human rights monitoring, legal cooperation, democracy, rule of law, anti-corruption, social rights, education, culture, youth, data protection, health standards, programme management, translation, communications, finance, HR and technology.

Application and salary reading

Applications go through the Council of Europe Career Portal. Candidates complete the online form for a specific competition. Selection may include eligibility screening, written assessments, language or technical tests and competency-based interviews.

Use the salary table for the vacancy’s duty station and grade. Then consider expatriation, family, education, installation, pension and medical provisions separately. Expatriation allowance has residence, distance and nationality tests; being a foreign national is not enough by itself.