Check Your Fit: Are You Ready to Make an Impact at CERN?
The criteria outlined below provide a general overview of our eligibility requirements. Please ensure you review the specific criteria and requirements for each individual job posting.
Nationality
To join CERN, you must be a national of a CERN Member State or Associate Member State. There are exceptions for some programmes like the Marie-Curie Fellowship and Summer Student Programme. Other exceptions are possible for specific programmes and upon Director General approval.
Language Skills
A good knowledge of either English or French, our two official languages, is required to work at CERN.
Previous CERN Experience
If you have previously held a CERN contract under the same status, you may not be eligible, particularly for positions aimed at experienced professionals (staff) and graduates.
For associates in particular, you have already established a professional relationship with CERN.
Specific Requirements
Certain roles and programmes may have additional criteria, which will be detailed in each job description. For example:
- For positions aimed at experienced professionals (staff) or graduates, specific skills may be critical requirements.
- For the Doctoral Studentship, your university must support your participation in the programme. This means that your university should agree that the research you conduct at CERN will contribute to your PhD thesis. Additionally, your field of study should align with CERN’s research areas, including, but not limited to, experimental and theoretical physics, engineering, computing, and related applied sciences.
- For the Marie-Curie Fellowship, you must not have resided or carried out your main activity in the local area near CERN for more than 12 months in the three years preceding the application.
- For the Post-Career Break Fellowship, you have interrupted your career for personal reasons (e.g. family or care responsibilities, health problems, etc.). Unemployment or a career change is not considered a career break for the purposes of this programme.
- For the Associate Programmes, you remain employed by your home institute during your appointment at CERN and for Corresponding Associate only, your institute is located in a CERN Member or Associate Member State (except France, Italy, Germany and Great Britain).
- For Summer Studentship, you have not worked at CERN for more than 3 months under any other status, and you have not previously participated in the Summer Student Programme at CERN.
Educational Background & Professional Experience
- Experienced Professionals (Staff): You have relevant qualifications and professional experience, from general secondary education to PhD, depending on the specific position requirements.
- Entry-Level / Origin Programme (technical, scientific or administrative field): By the application deadline,
- University Graduates: you have a maximum of 2 years of professional experience since graduation in the respective field and your highest educational qualification is either a bachelor’s or master’s degree. You must have a university degree and can’t hold a PhD.
- Non university education: you have a maximum of 2 years of professional experience since graduation in a technical or administrative field and your highest educational qualification is a general secondary education diploma or a shorter non-university degree. You can’t hold a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD.
- Project Graduates / Quest Programme: By the application deadline, you have a master’s degree with 2 to 6 years of professional experience since graduation or a PhD with a maximum of 3 years of professional experience since graduation. You are not eligible with only a bachelor’s degree.
- Research Fellowship:
- For Theoretical and Experimental Physics: You have a PhD and up to 6 years of professional experience since graduation.
- For Applied Sciences and Engineering: You have a PhD and up to 3 years of professional experience since graduation.
- Marie-Curie Fellowship:
- For Doctoral Network Researchers (DN): You have a maximum of 4 years of professional experience since graduation and you are qualified to embark on a PhD. You can’t hold a PhD.
- For Postdoctoral Fellows (PF): You have a PhD and up to 8 years of professional experience since graduation.
- Doctoral Studentship: You are enrolled in a doctoral program in a relevant field such as physics, engineering, computer science, or a related discipline. You should have begun your doctoral studies at the time of application.
- Administrative and Technical Studentship: You have completed at least 18 months of your overall studies (3 semesters) in the respective field at the time of the selection. PhD students or holders are not eligible. You remain enrolled as a full-time student during your studentship.
- Short-Term Internship: You are pursuing a Technical/Administrative diploma, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree and remain enrolled as a full-time student during your studentship.
- Summer Studentship: You are a Bachelor’s or Master’s student (not a PhD candidate) in Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or Mathematics, and you have completed at least 6 semesters of full-time university studies in one of these fields by the start of the summer. You remain enrolled as a full-time student at least until the start of your summer at CERN.
- Apprenticeship: You have completed your compulsory schooling (e.g. “11ème” in Switzerland or “3ème” in France).