Life at ESA
Discover what it's like to work at the European Space Agency.
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ESA salaries and allowances
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation part of the Co-ordinated Organisation system, therefore some employment conditions are established by this system (e.g., salaries, allowances, pension).
ESA salaries are exempt from national income tax in ESA Member States, in line with Annex I of the ESA Convention.
Your salary depends on the grade category of your position. This will be specified in any vacancy you apply for, together with the other requirements of the position.
Entitlement to allowances such as family, expatriation and education is evaluated at the time of recruitment and on an annual basis thereafter, to take into account evolving personal circumstances.
Your household situation, for example if you have children or other dependants, may entitle you to a family allowance.
If you are not a national of your host country and have not been residing continuously in it for more than one year before starting at ESA, you may receive an expatriation allowance. Entitlement to this allowance opens access to a range of additional benefits designed to support you and your family during your appointment. These may include partial reimbursements of your children's education costs in the form of an education allowance, as well as eight extra leave days every two years to visit your home country, with travel expenses for you and your family covered by ESA.
One of the practical requirements of working for ESA is that your principal residence must be within a 100 km radius of your duty station (the ESA site where you work). If you need to move house to meet this requirement, ESA is on hand to help make the transition as smooth as possible. If you fulfil the eligibility conditions, we offer a relocation support package that includes reimbursement of your removal expenses plus an installation allowance to help with the costs associated with settling into your new home. At some sites, you may also count on assistance in finding accommodation.
Please note that different conditions apply for G-grade positions. Should you require more information, please email contact.human.resources@esa.int.
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Work-life balance
At ESA, we understand that working arrangements are not one-size-fits-all. Our flexible scheme is designed to help you tailor your work schedule to fit your personal needs. Here’s how we make it work:
The standard working week at ESA is 40 hours spread over five eight-hour days. You can adjust your daily start and finish times to suit your own schedule and commitments.
You can work from home for 40% of the month and up to 80% with management agreement. Telework is foreseen from your principal residence in the country of your workplace* but you also have the option, with some limitations, to telework from another country.
ESA offers part-time schemes at 50%, 60% or 80% of full-time hours, which can be adopted after you have been working at ESA for a certain amount of time. This allows you to reduce your working hours without stepping away from your career, giving you more time to focus on other important aspects of your life.
World-wide private insurance cover
From the date you start working at ESA, you are affiliated to our social security scheme providing cover for sickness, maternity, accident and disability. The scheme includes medical care worldwide on a primary basis, a full medical check each year and access to psychological support. Under certain conditions, coverage can be extended to your spouse/partner and children.
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Wellbeing, Family and Community
Each ESA establishment offers a range of facilities and services to improve the quality of your working life and work-life balance:
Depending on the ESA establishment, you may benefit from:
- • Childcare services (onsite or through agreements with local services depending on the establishment)
- • Summer activities for ESA children
- • A school bus service taking children of ESA staff to local international schools is organised at some sites
- • The award-winning ESA Space Camp offers ESA children aged 8-17 the chance to embark on a two-week trip filled with educational, sports, arts and crafts, cultural and social activities during the summer
- • Support networks, partially run by spouses and partners of staff, are available at some ESA sites
- • Subsidised restaurant and coffee bar
- • Medical centre
- • Free car parking and electric car charging facilities
- • Sports facilities including gym and exercise classes (the range of facilities on offer varies across the different ESA establishments)
A big part of life at ESA is the strong sense of community at all sites, and this is particularly aided by the wide range of social clubs and programmes, cultural activities and sports clubs to get involved in at your establishment, all run by ESA volunteers. From sailing to photography, music to gourmet food, it is a great way to meet colleagues beyond your team while also pursuing your interests - or discovering new ones! Another volunteer-run group at ESA is the Humanitarian Relief Fund, through which fundraising campaigns are organised to provide help to communities around the world affected by natural disasters.
Professional development
At ESA, we believe that continuous learning is the key to staying ahead in the ever-evolving field of space exploration. One of the benefits of joining ESA is our commitment to your development through comprehensive training programmes. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or are starting out in your career, ESA offers you the opportunity to grow, learn and thrive in a dynamic environment.
Retirement and pension
The ESA retirement age is 66.
As a staff member, you accrue pension rights yearly and are eligible for a retirement pension from the applicable retirement age after completing 10 years of service. The maximum pension entitlement is 70% of the last earned salary, which is reached after 35 years of service.
If you leave the agency before completing 10 years of service, you receive a leaving allowance (a one-time payment calculated based on pension contributions made during the period of your service).
More information
Want to learn more about ESA? Here are some quick links to help out!
Meet our teams
We are professionals from more than 30 countries with expertise in diverse fields of science, engineering and business administration working together to make space work for everyone. We are passionate about what we do and this enthusiasm shines through in all aspects of life at ESA.
FAQ
Do you have questions that have not been answered on our Careers at ESA pages? Our FAQ is here to support you.