U4U offers the services of a coach
U4U informs you that individual online coaching for the preparation of internal and external competitions will be suspended in December 2023 and January 2024. Exceptionally, candidates for competition EPSO/AD/401/22 (Energy/climate/environment) who started working with our coach in October/November 2023 will be able to register to prepare their evaluation center tests, as well as candidates preparing a mobility (selection interview for a precise post). Thank you for your understanding.
Our coach is a person who has acquired extensive experience in the European institutions – central services and operational services – and has exercised various responsibilities in the field of human resources management (professional guidance, career management, mobility management, selection and recruitment) at the Commission and EPSO.
Coaching session are not for preparing computer-based reasoning tests for external or internal competions, see our training sessions here…
Coaching sessions will take place via teleconference (Skype and not Skype for Business). The address will be given to you by the U4U secretariat after registration and payment, and you will be responsible for calling the coach at the appointed time.
Registration conditions
Please note! Your request will not be considered if it does not meet the following conditions:
- you can only register for a maximum of two coaching sessions and one case study, for which you do not need to reserve a time slot. we will not accept consecutive individual sessions, as any additional sessions must be prepared by the applicant.
- you must be a member of U4U and work or have worked in the institutions.
- under no circumstances should you contact our coach directly with any request whatsoever (cancellation, modification, reservation, refund…), please contact us (training.u4u@gmail.com)!
- each session is paid for on registration
- To give the coach time to prepare your application, coaching sessions cannot be booked the day before for the following day.
Competition coaching
Competitions currently covered by our coach
| External competitions | What our coach offers |
| EPSO/AD/400/22 (specialists in the defence and space industries) | Preparation for an oral presentation and interview based on situational skills |
| EPSO/AD/401/22 (energy/climate/environment specialists) | Preparation for a general case study and an interview based on situational skills |
| EPSO/AD/402/23 (economists) | Preparation for a general case study |
| EPSO/AD/403/23 (specialists in crisis management and migration management) | Preparation for a general case study and an interview based on situational skills |
Only register if you have successfully passed the first preselection phase.
Only the information communicated by EPSO on its website and on the candidates’ accounts is valid.
We remind you of the fact that the work of EPSO Selection Boards are secret and that the coaching we offer is related to the competencies tested and not to the content of tests which is at the discretion of each Selection Board and may change from one competition to the other.
Coaching offer if you are preparing for the generalist competition EPSO (AD5)
- oral presentation methodology: 45 minutes (6 minutes of introduction to the exercise, 10 minutes of preparation of the subject, 5 minutes of presentation, 4 minutes of questions and answers, 20 minutes of debriefing)
Coaching offer if you are preparing for a competition for specialists (AD6, 7 and 9)
(please specify which one with the exact EPSO reference)
- Preparation for the case study by e-mail: a booklet sent to you, correction by the coach, methodological advice.
- Simulation of the situational skills interview based on the scenario published by EPSO on its website: 1 hour
Coaching offer if you are preparing an internal competition
Warning: The tests for these competitions are different from those of EPSO even though they have the same name :
- Help to prepare for written test;
- Help to prepare for oral tests (interview and oral presentation).
Coaching offer if you are preparing a specialist competition EPSO
(specify which one with the exact EPSO reference at registration stage)
- simulation of a competency-based interview (5 to 6 skills tested)
- 40mn simulation, plus debriefing: 1h15- simulation of the specific interview in the field based on your responses to the Talent Screener Questionnaire (send them in pdf format at least 4 days in advance)
- 40mn simulation, plus debriefing: 1h15
- simulation of a situational competency interview on the basis of the EPSO scenario uploaded on their website : 40mn simulation, plus debriefing & questions: 1h15
Preparing your session
Send us in advance your resumé and, if relevant, your invitation to the Assessment Centre and your answers to the Talent Screener, explain us what you expect from this coaching session, mention which points you particularly want to work on. Your coach will then be able to focus on your concerns.
Career development
U4U helps you to be “the right one at the right place”
U4U offers to its members individual coaching sessions to help colleagues identify the area in which they are looking to be recruited. Content (indicative, adapted to the participant’s expectations):
help the participant in seeing where he/she can be recruited. Career record; capability scheme; interests and values at work ; abilities and skills acquired.
- Check-list for decision making concerning the new post : tasks, working environment and conditions
- Individual profile grid for a job; quick work preference inventory;
- Targeted DGs and jobs: opportunities, obstacles.
- preparing for a specific post
- recap on strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvements; awareness-raising on competences and talents; refining your professional profile;
- specificities of the targeted post; how to find the right match between profile and post (individual profile grid for a specific job)
- check-list to prepare for the interview; the most frequently asked questions.
Ground rules
- The coach will not answer emails before or after a session. However, exceptionally, the coach may agree to review a document after the meeting but will not engage in a further exchange of e-mails.
- If prior to the session, some documents are asked, please provide in time these documents, correctly filled in, as appropriate. Coming to the session without having provided the required information beforehand will result in a poor meeting.
- Come on time. If you are late, the session will not be extended.
- U4U only accepts cancellation requests made within 5 working days before the start of the coaching. The coaching session fee will be due if the coachee has not informed U4U training team of his/her last minute difficulty, and the session will therefore not be rescheduled
- The advice from the coach depends on you being truthful, factual and informative.
- Always be polite with the coach, who is not responsible for your possible difficulties.
- On-line coaching : It is essential for the quality of the course that your camera is switched on and running. The trainer needs to see you to assess your reactions. In principle, your camera should always be active during the course, unless otherwise instructed by the trainer, who may sometimes limit the use of the camera to specific interactions with you. Refusing to activate the camera at the request of the trainer may lead to your expulsion from the course, without the possibility of a refund.
Price
Fee : 120€ per session