When people talk about a career in the EU institutions they mostly mean the administrator track, and that track asks for a university degree and draws a crowd: the 2026 AD5 competition had 174,727 applicants for 1,490 places. There is another permanent route that gets far less attention. The assistant function group, AST, starts at a higher basic salary than most people expect, does not require a degree in the usual sense, and its competitions are announced on the same EPSO calendar. This page explains who AST is for, what AST 3 pays, how you qualify and what is coming in 2027.
What AST is, and what it is not
AST stands for assistants. It is one of the two permanent-official function groups alongside AD (administrators). AST staff do executive and technical work: running procedures, managing data and records, supporting policy teams, handling IT, communication and finance operations. The difference from AD is the type of role, not how serious it is. An experienced AST 8 earns more than a newly recruited AD 6, as the salary table in AD vs AST vs CAST shows.
It is also different from a contract agent job. AST officials are recruited through an open competition and become permanent staff; contract agents come through the continuous CAST selection, which we describe in CAST Permanent.
What AST 3 pays
On the salary scale in force from 1 July 2025, AST 3 starts at €4,806.17 a month in basic pay, before allowances and before the correction coefficient for the place of employment. For comparison, AST 1 starts at €3,754.39 and AD 5, the usual graduate entry grade, at €6,152.64.
The coefficient matters. Basic pay is multiplied by a figure that reflects living costs at the duty station, and Belgium and Luxembourg are the reference. Applying the coefficients that apply from 1 July 2025 to the AST 3 starting salary gives:
| Place of employment | AST 3, step 1, after coefficient |
|---|---|
| Belgium or Luxembourg | €4,806.17 |
| Germany | €4,935.94 |
| Spain | €4,440.90 |
| Poland | €3,955.48 |
| Bulgaria | €3,176.88 |
These are gross figures before the EU tax, pension and sickness-insurance deductions, and before any expatriation or household allowance. Our grade ladder guide shows how steps and promotions move the figure over time.
How you qualify
Each competition notice sets its own conditions, and the notice is the only binding text. The pattern in the most recent AST competition, EPSO/AST/158/26, is a useful guide to what AST 3 asks for. Besides EU citizenship and two official languages (one at C1, a different one at B2), there were two routes:
- post-secondary studies of at least two years, attested by a diploma in an area listed for the field, followed by at least three years of relevant professional experience; or
- secondary education giving access to post-secondary studies, followed by at least six years of relevant professional experience.
So a candidate with a short vocational or technical diploma and a few years of real work can be eligible where an AD competition would turn them away. The second route is the one most people overlook: experience can replace the post-secondary diploma, but it has to be relevant to the field, and it counts only from the date of the final decision to award the diploma. EPSO checks this against documents, not against what you wrote in the form. The full breakdown is in our AST/158 guide.
The tests are the familiar ones
The first stage is the same set of reasoning tests used for administrators: verbal, numerical and abstract, 40 questions in 65 minutes in the AST/158 format. They are scored before anything else, so failing them ends the competition whatever you wrote elsewhere. After them comes a multiple-choice test on the field itself, which is the test that ranks you, and a short free-text essay that you must pass. So AST preparation is mostly reasoning-test preparation plus knowing your field. Start with the 8-week prep plan, then practise the formats in verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning.
Who AST suits
- You have strong experience and a shorter diploma. A technician, data analyst, librarian, archivist or IT specialist whose experience is worth more than their degree certificate.
- You prefer delivery to policy drafting. AST work is operational and technical, with concrete outputs.
- You want a route that is open to more profiles. AST/158 sought 964 successful candidates across three fields, each with its own list of accepted diploma areas.
- You already hold a degree but your experience is in a technical field. A graduate can enter at AST if the notice asks for what they have done. Whether it is the right move depends on your goals; AD offers a longer ladder, AST a faster fit.
What is planned for 2027
EPSO's planner of upcoming selection procedures lists three AST competitions for 2027. The planner marks every date with an asterisk (to be confirmed), and gives neither reference numbers, grades per field nor deadlines yet. As last updated on 22 September 2026:
| Competition | Fields | Planned publication |
|---|---|---|
| Assistants in parliamentary work | Parliamentary work | March 2027* |
| Proofreaders and editors (Luxembourg) | 8 languages | May 2027* |
| Assistants in ICT | ICT | November 2027* |
* Dates to be confirmed. They can move, as the 2026 calendar did. We do not guess at reference numbers or requirements before the notice exists. The 2027 plan, with the AD competitions, is in the 2027 competitions guide.
What to do now
- Read the AST/158 notice even if you will not apply. It shows exactly how EPSO words diploma areas and relevant experience for AST 3. The 2027 notices are likely to follow the same pattern, but that is an expectation, not a promise.
- Start collecting evidence of your experience. Employment certificates with exact dates and duties. Eligibility is decided from them.
- Practise the reasoning tests now. They are the same whichever field you choose, and they are the first gate. The free samples on EU Testing let you try each of the three formats before you decide on more.
- Check your languages. One at C1 and a different one at B2 are needed, and the ranked test and the essay are sat in the B2 language in the AST/158 format.
Frequently asked questions
What does AST 3 mean?
AST is the assistants' function group of EU officials, with grades AST 1 to AST 11. AST 3 is a recruitment grade used in competitions such as EPSO/AST/158/26. On the scale from 1 July 2025 it starts at €4,806.17 a month in basic pay.
Do I need a university degree to work for the EU as an AST?
Not necessarily. The AST/158 notice accepted either two years of post-secondary study plus three years of relevant experience, or secondary education plus six years of relevant experience. Each notice sets its own conditions, so read the one you apply under.
Is AST a permanent job?
Yes. AST officials are recruited through an open competition and become permanent officials. This is different from contract agents, who are selected through CAST.
Is AST paid less than AD?
Entry pay is lower: AST 3 starts at €4,806.17 against €6,152.64 for AD 5. The grade scales overlap, though: AST 5 to AST 8 earn the same basic salary as AD 5 to AD 8, and an AST 8 earns more than an AD 6.
Which AST competitions are planned for 2027?
EPSO's planner lists assistants in parliamentary work (March), proofreaders and editors in Luxembourg (May) and ICT (November). All dates are marked to be confirmed and were last updated on 22 September 2026.
Are the AST tests easier than the AD tests?
The reasoning tests are the same kind of test, so there is no easier version of them. The field-related test then ranks candidates on the knowledge of the field, in the AST/158 format.
Figures from the salary scale in force from 1 July 2025 (OJ C/2025/6564), notice EPSO/AST/158/26 (OJ C/2026/4963) and EPSO's planner of upcoming selection procedures, last updated 22 September 2026. As on 3 November 2026.